Richarlison strikes twice as Tottenham rout Newcastle
Since toppingthe Premier League after beating Crystal Palace on October 27, Tottenham had lost four of their next five games to squander the momentum from their blistering start to the season. Ange Postecoglou's attacking tactics were branded as naive during that losing run, but the Australia stuck to his guns and was rewarded with a goal-spree at Newcastle's expense.
Destiny Udogie put Tottenham ahead in the first half in north London and Brazil striker Richarlison doubled the lead before the break. Richarlison netted again in the second half and Son Heung-min converted a late penalty as fifth-placed Tottenham moved within three points of fourth-placed Manchester City. Joelinton's goal in the final seconds was no consolation for outclassed Newcastle.
Following Thursday's 3-0 drubbing at Everton, this was another dispiriting result for Newcastle, who sit four points behind Tottenham in seventh. It was the worst possible preparation for Wednesday's decisive Champions League group stage clash with AC Milan. Eddie Howe's team must beat Milan at St James' Park and hope Paris Saint-Germain drop points against Borussia Dortmund to qualify for the last 16.
They will need to improve massively on this tame performance, with Richarlison setting the tone when he surged onto Dejan Kulusevski's pass and fired over in the early minutes. Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes held his head in frustration after smashing narrowly over from the edge of the area.
Ben Davies kept Tottenham level with a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Alexander Isak as the Newcastle striker prepared to shoot. Those escapes did nothing to quell Tottenham's commitment to attack and Cristian Romero's header was cleared off the line by Miguel Almiron moments later. Throwing
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