Jaissle boogies, £29.5m bargain, Nico & 'new signings' - Four good from Spurs 0-2 Newcastle

Newcastle United claimed a first three points of the season by comprehensively beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 down in the capital on Saturday evening. 

United defended so well in the first 45 they sapped the confidence out of Spurs, before professionally seeing out the second 45 with two lovely goals.

Anthony Elanga opened the scoring with a delightfully taken quick finish and Yoane Wissa took his goal with an impudent overhead flick.

Here are four big positives from the game:

Jaissle boogies

From the ability to spot Spurs weakness in behind an aging Robertson at fullback early, to have the confidence to start Dedic and Nico after a matter of days at the club, to the cocky shushing of the Spurs bench when we take the lead; Jaissle was really enjoying the fruits of his labour on Saturday night.

He’s so expressive and full-on on the touchline that he is the ideal tonic to a boring and sterile Premier League. He coached a win against Liverpool last weekend, only for the cartel refs to conspire against us, but there were no such dramas this weekend.

The lads had to soak up a half-decent amount of Spurs pressure in the first half, with Hornicek making a couple of good saves, without really creating much, but after the break the defence were monsters, stopping Spurs from getting anywhere near our goal as we counter-attacked them will aplomb to open the scoring and then nick a second via a set piece.

Jaissle was called a “rockstar” by David Hopkinson a few weeks ago and he’s certainly got a rhythm out the lads and the fans in the early days of the 2026/27 season.

Nico G’s classy debut

Despite efforts to shackle him with one of the softest yellow cards you’ll ever see early in the first half, Nico Gonzalez gave us a taste of just how important a signing he may be. 

His long-range passing was pinpoint, he was sharp in the tackle and recycled the play in midfield with little triangles between himself, Lewis Miley and Joe Willock with consummate ease.

His tutelage in “La Maisa” is obvious and his time with Pep can only have helped him too, but to sign him for half the price of Sandro Tonali may just be one of the signings of the summer. 

The manager even found time to give him 20 minutes of rest and give Sean Steur some more important minutes for his development. All in all, it was a debut to remember for the Spaniard as the man who makes the key pass before the assist.

Elanga and Wissa reborn (part two)

It was always going to be huge seasons for some of last season’s flops, and Wissa and Elanga have started in the best way possible in the quest to right some of last season’s wrongs. 

Elanga’s finish is simply out of the top drawer, he couldn’t wait any longer to take the shot, so took it early, and the fact that he had Tonali on toast to do it was a chef’s kiss moment. Wissa’s finish is impudent (there’s no other word for it, so I’ve used it twice) and it’s encouraging that he’s now getting in positions to miss chances, and he is willing to keep getting in those positions.

If they can keep up this early season form, they will (and apologies) be like an extra two new signings, such was the dearth of what they offered last season. Reborn, revitalised, revamped, whatever it may be, they’ve started this season better than ninety-nine percent of fans would’ve expected.

Dedic again and Big Nick’s assist

Special mentions for Lukas Hornicek, Lewis Hall and Lewis Miley who I thought were excellent, but it’s our Bosnian right back who is really stealing the show at the moment. Three assists in three games (Tino has three in 106 games…) for Dedic and at £29.5m, he looks an absolute steal.

He’s lightning quick, reads the game so well defensively (as was proved by the moment he went to ground early in the tackle and still managed to win the goal kick by kicking back off the Spurs attacker late in the first half) and is going to be huge threat going the other way too.

A mention too for Nick Woltemade (who has been the subject of a lot of transfer speculation this week) who finally got some statistical reward for his play with a good assist for the knockdown for Wissa’s goal. There’re yards to go for the German, but I’m absolutely delighted it was him who got the ball back into the danger area for the second goal.

Four points from our opening two games against Liverpool and Spurs (and let’s be honest it should be six) is the stuff of dreams that flies in the face of all the doom and gloom we’ve had to sit through this summer by the mainstream sports media in this country, and long may it continue.

Can’t wait for Bournemouth now. Keep the faith. HWTL