Tottenham’s bid to qualify for the Champions League suffered a blow as they conceded five times in the first 21 minutes of an embarrassing 6-1 defeat at top four rivals Newcastle on Sunday.
Christian Stellini’s side were subdued by an avalanche of goals from Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak, who both netted twice, and strikes from Joelinton and Callum Wilson.
Harry Kane’s reply was no consolation for a heartbroken Tottenham, who missed out on a Premier League top-four spot after a second successive defeat.
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The north Londoners are six points behind third-placed Newcastle and fourth-placed Manchester United, having played two games more than United and one more than Newcastle.
Fifth-placed Tottenham host United on Thursday and a defeat against Erik ten Haag’s side would certainly end their slim hopes of reviving their troubled campaign.
A bleak future lies ahead for Tottenham, who have no permanent manager for next season and no director of football following the resignation of Fabio Paratici on Friday.
Paratici quit after failing in his appeal against a 30-month worldwide FIFA ban for his involvement in false accounting allegations at his former club Juventus.
Tottenham’s heaviest defeat of the season was a new low for a club already in turmoil following Antonio Conte’s “mutual consent” departure in March after only 16 months in charge.
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Conte exposed a rift behind the scenes at Tottenham when he called players “selfish” and criticized the club’s culture in an explosive rant after their draw at Southampton.
Tottenham haven’t won a major trophy since 2008 and their latest blow could boost England striker Harry Kane’s chances of going into the close-season.
Fans are also unhappy with chairman Daniel Levy, who has gone through a host of failed managers since sacking the popular Mauricio Pochettino in 2019.
In contrast to Tottenham’s struggles, Newcastle are riding the crest of a wave that should take them into the Champions League for the first time since 2003, when they were knocked out in the qualifying rounds.
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Reinvigorated by the financial strength of its Saudi-backed ownership group and astute leadership from boss Eddie Howe, Newcastle reached their first cup final since 1999 earlier this season, when they lost to Manchester United in the League Cup showpiece.
It took just 61 seconds for them to put Tottenham to the sword as Hugo Lloris could only deflect Joelinton’s shot past Murphy, who fired into the roof of the net from close-range.
Newcastle doubled their lead after six minutes when Fabian Schar’s pass deflected off the flat-footed Cristian Romero and Joelinton rounded Lloris to slot into an empty net.
Rampant Newcastle scored a spectacular third in the ninth minute as Son Heung-min was cleared too easily by Schar and Murphy fired a 25-yard drive that past Lloris.
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Newcastle were the first team to score three goals within the opening nine minutes of a Premier League match against Burnley in 2010 against Manchester City.
His superb pass from the Magpies and Joe Willock’s excellent pass with the outside of his foot split the Tottenham defence, reaching Isaac for a stunning finish from 10 yards.
By the time Sweden forward Isaac scored Newcastle’s fifth in the 21st minute with a close-range strike from Sean Longstaff, shell-shocked Tottenham fans were already heading for the exits.
It was the second fastest 5–0 lead in Premier League history after Manchester City, who took 18 minutes to do so against Watford in 2019.
Interim boss Stellini had gambled on switching to a back four, but had to revert to five defenders after just 24 minutes when he sent on Davinson Sanchez.
Lloris was replaced by Fraser Foster at half-time and Kane reduced the deficit in the 49th minute, before Wilson fired home in the 67th minute to complete Tottenham’s misery.
In Sunday’s other game, West Ham boosted their bid to avoid relegation with a 4-0 win at Bournemouth thanks to goals from Michail Antonio, Lucas Paqueta, Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)