NEWCASTLE UNITED FAILED to halt their dismal run of Premier League form on Sunday as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham at a sparse St James’ Park.
Some supporters boycotted the game in protest at the running of the club and a perceived lack of ambition from the board.
And for those who were in attendance, there was little cause for cheer as goals from Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane eclipsed Jack Colback’s effort to inflict a sixth consecutive defeat on the hosts.
Chadli gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side a half-time lead with a long-range strike 29 minutes in, though Tim Krul might have been able to do more to keep it out.
However, as in the reverse fixture, Newcastle equalised early in the second half – Colback restoring parity 18 seconds after the restart.
If there was any doubt about Krul’s role in Spurs’ first goal, there was nowhere for the goalkeeper to hide with the second, as Eriksen’s 53rd-minute free-kick eluded the Dutchman’s grasp and found the back of the net.
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Kane’s 20th league goal of the campaign added to John Carver’s woes, with Newcastle remaining seven points clear of the relegation zone, while Spurs move above Southampton into sixth.
Kane became the first Tottenham player to reach the 30-goal mark in a single season since Gary Lineker in 1991-92.
It was his first goal since returning from international duty at the start of the month and Pochettino was full of praise for the England man.
“I want to congratulate him, he deserves this moment because he works a lot. He’s happy in the changing room and his team-mates are happy for him.
“I think he has big potential, he’s young and this is his first full season with the first team. We need to push him to try to improve his level.
“He has the potential to improve. He has another challenge maybe now because we have five games ahead. We need to score and win games. “It’s important to finish as high as possible, we don’t need to put too much pressure on him. We need to be calm and let him improve.”
