Newcastle United 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur
- Published
Ten-man Newcastle bid farewell to the Premier League with an extraordinary win over Tottenham, who finished third.
The display by the Magpies was scarcely believable. Georginio Wijnaldum fired in the opener and Aleksandar Mitrovic powerfully headed home for 2-0.
Erik Lamela reduced the deficit before Mitrovic was shown a straight red for a nasty foul on Kyle Walker.
Wijnaldum scored his second from the spot, and Rolando Aarons and Daryl Janmaat wrapped up the scoring.
That defeat for Spurs coupled with Arsenal's 4-0 win over Aston Villa meant that Mauricio Pochettino's men ended their season below their north London rivals. They have not finished above the Gunners since 1995.
Relive the action from a memorable final day
A fantastic finish to an unremarkable season
This was not expected. Then again, this was a season when 5,000-1 outsiders came out on top.
Having had relegation confirmed earlier in the week, some thought that Newcastle would capitulate against a Spurs side targeting the runners-up spot and the achievement of getting one over Arsenal.
However, straight from kick-off the home side pressured their opponents in midfield with Cheick Tiote and Sissoko leading the way, and it was the visitors who lay down.
Wijnaldum, who had failed to find the net in the previous 16 league games, drove in his 10th of the season before his provider Mitrovic directed in the second.
Lamela revived Spurs' hopes with a strike that seemed to baffle keeper Karl Darlow at the near post and their hopes were boosted when red mist descended over Mitrovic, who was sent off for a studs-first challenge on England full-back Walker.
However, that seemed to motivate the Magpies and Sissoko. Soon after the incident the France midfielder drove into the Spurs area and was brought down by Jan Vertonghen.
Wijnaldum slotted in his second and Tottenham heads slumped. A fierce, angled drive from substitute Aarons made it 4-0, before Janmaat slotted in the fifth.
Will Rafa now stay?
Not even a plane paid for by Sunderland fans to mock their relegated rivals could ruin what was a memorable day for the Magpies and their manager Rafael Benitez.
The home support chanted the Spaniard's name from the first whistle and after the last. He saluted those who backed him on the pitch with a big grin across his face. The question is, was that display enough to persuade him to lead the club in the Championship?
Earlier in the week he suggested the talks with the Newcastle chiefs were "positive" and after Sunday's win the ex-Real Madrid boss said: "My heart is telling me yes [to stay], it is a great opportunity, city and club but my brain is saying to analyse what is going on."
It seems he is waiting for Mike Ashley to make the next move. It could prove to be the owner's most important decision.
What happened to Spurs?
Perhaps, it is more what did not happen for Spurs.
They looked almost disinterested when they realised Newcastle wanted a battle. Any thoughts of cantering to the finish were dismissed in the first half by the goals of Wijnaldum and Mitrovic.
It seems like chasing Leicester took more out of the team than first thought. After the match, Pochettino apologised to the club's fans for the display and for missing out on second spot.
The small silver lining was that Harry Kane, who was chasing shadows at St James', won the golden boot with 25 goals. He is the first Englishman to do so since Kevin Phillips in 2000.
Man of the match - Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle)
MATCH FACTS
This is only the second time in Premier League history that a team both scored five-plus goals and picked up a red card in a single game (Man City 6-2 Bolton in October 2003 was the other).
Prior to this 5-1 defeat, all five of Tottenham's league defeats this season had been by a one-goal margin.
Wijnaldum has now scored 11 top-flight goals this season, with all 11 coming at St. James' Park.
Mitrovic scored the 1000th goal of the Premier League season.
Mitrovic scored, assisted and received a red card: Something only five players had done before in a Premier League game (Charlie Austin, Shaun Bartlett, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Mark Viduka, and Bobby Zamora).
What's next?
The Premier League and Champions League for Spurs and the Championship for Newcastle.
- Published15 May 2016
- Published20 June 2016
- Published7 June 2019