Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has shared the devastating tactical switch that gave them the upper hand in their match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.
From the half-hour mark, Newcastle started dismantling Spurs and subsequently moved up to sixth place in the Premier League standings. The opening salvo of goals came courtesy of Alexander Isak and Gordon, leaving the visiting side rattled going into halftime.
The second half saw Pedro Porro substituted due to an injury, while Isak scored yet again shortly afterwards. Fabian Schar put the final nail in Tottenham's coffin with a bullet header that left goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario diving in vain.
It proved a chastening experience for Ange Postecoglou's men who slipped to fifth in the league after suffering such a heavy blow to their goal difference. Speaking to TNT Sports post-game, Gordon explained how their calculated tactical change brought about such a poor result for Spurs.
«We knew we couldn't play our normal way against this team because they are so good with the ball so we tactically changed a little bit and went man for man,» he said. «I think our game plan the manager put us with was outstanding and helped us throughout the game.»
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Gordon also highlighted the significance of his timely goal, which swiftly followed Isak's opener, and the impact it had at St James' Park. «I think especially at St James' with the crowd, if you can score back-to-back quite close together it can feel like the stadium can suffocate you and trust me, I have been here as an away player and it definitely feels like that,» he added.
«It was a vital time, and I think from that we
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