Spurs 1-1 Newcastle United

Newcastle win 5-4 on penalties

Post-Season Friendly

Celebrations after James Maddison's opening goal...

Celebrations after James Maddison's opening goal...

Celebrations after James Maddison's opening goal...

Our post-season trip to Australia ended in penalty shoot-out defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday in front of an impressive crowd of over 78,000 at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Here is the key action from the MCG...

  • We take the lead, James Maddison firing home in the 32nd minute.
  • Alexander Isak taps home from close range just before half-time for 1-1.
  • No goals in the second half, penalties to decide the outcome.
  • Bryan Gil's spot-kick saved by Mark Gillespie, Newcastle score all five to win.

With the match finishing all square at 1-1 after 90 minutes – James Maddison firing us ahead before Alexander Isak levelled it up on the stroke of half-time – Newcastle scored all five of their penalties while Bryan Gil saw our first saved by substitute goalkeeper Mark Gillespie to give the Magpies a 5-4 shootout victory.

The fixture – which saw Ange Postecoglou return to his old stomping ground of Melbourne - featured game time for some of our young players too, with Alfie Devine, Ashley Phillips, George Abbott, Jamie Donley, Dane Scarlett, Yago Santiago, Tyrese Hall, Rio Kyerematen and Leo Black all gaining some invaluable experience.

It took 22 minutes for either side to have any real chance of note and it came our way, Maddison firing a couple of yards wide from just outside the area moments after Brennan Johnson’s cut-back to Emerson Royal was blocked. Two minutes later, Heung-Min Son tumbled to the ground in the box challenged by former Spur Kieran Trippier but his penalty claims were waved away.

We were on top at this stage and Pape Matar Sarr tried his luck from distance on the half-hour mark although his shot deflected off a defender and looped up comfortably for Nick Pope. Just two minutes later though, the goalkeeper attempted a risky pass out to Miguel Almiron which was intercepted by Maddison, who then beat Emil Krafth before rifling left-footed into the back of the Newcastle net from eight yards out.

Pope then made amends to some extent on 40 minutes, making a fine sprawling save from close range to deny Johnson, who got on the end of Son’s superb ball into the danger zone but, on the stroke of half-time, the Magpies scored with their first real chance. Bruno Guimaraes slid a ball down the inside right channel for Jacob Murphy, his low shot was parried by Brandon Austin and Alexander Isak tapped home.

Harvey Barnes went close to putting Newcastle ahead three minutes after the break, curling a right-footed effort just wide while Guimaraes shot straight at Austin before our first opportunity of the second period saw Sarr have three successive shots at goal, the first two blocked and the third well wide.

At the other end, Phillips made an excellent block to prevent Murphy’s cross from finding the unmarked Callum Wilson inside the six-yard box while Santiago’s first involvement after coming off the bench saw him clip in a cross which Scarlett headed just wide at the near post.

A raft of changes from both teams throughout the second half certainly affected the flow of the game but we went close a couple of times late on, Royal glancing Bryan’s corner just past the post while Donley hit a low 20-yard drive just wide.

And so it went to penalties to find a winner. We stepped up first, Bryan seeing his spot-kick saved by Gillespie while Joe White beat Alfie Whiteman for Newcastle’s first. Scarlett, Ben Parkinson, Donley, Amadou Diallo, Hall, Garang Kuol and Oliver Skipp all then scored their respective penalties which left Harrison Ashby the opportunity to win the match for Newcastle and he duly obliged.

James Maddison drills home the opening goal...

James Maddison drills home the opening goal...

James Maddison drills home the opening goal...

Heung-Min Son looks to break through...

Heung-Min Son looks to break through...

Heung-Min Son battles for possession...

Dane Scarlett heads just wide...

Dane Scarlett heads just wide...

Dane Scarlett heads just wide...

Match data...

Spurs (4-3-3): Austin (Whiteman 78), Pedro Porro (Abbott 46 (Black 88)), Dragusin (Hall 71), van de Ven (Phillips 46), Royal (Kyerematen 88), Bentancur (Skipp 46), Sarr (Donley 61), Maddison (Devine 46), Johnson (Santiago 69), Kulusevski (Scarlett 69), Son (c) (Bryan 61). Substitute (not used): Vicario.

Newcastle United (4-3-3): Pope (Gillespie 87), Trippier (c) (J Murphy 37 (Parkinson 87)), Krafth (Thompson 78), Burn (A Murphy 63), Hall (Charlton 78), Anderson (Hernes 78), Guimaraes (De Bolle 71), Joelinton (White 46), Almiron (Ashby 63), Isak (Wilson 46 (Kuol 71)), Barnes (Diallo 64). Substitute (not used): Turner-Cooke.

Goals: Spurs – Maddison 32; Newcastle – Isak 45.

Penalties Scored: Spurs – Scarlett, Donley, Hall, Skipp; Newcastle – White, Parkinson, Diallo, Kuol, Ashby.

Yellow card: Spurs – Skipp.

Referee: Alireza Faghani.

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Weather: Light rain, light winds, 10 degrees.

Attendance: 78,419.

Ange's verdict

“I thought the boys were good and it’s important, because 80,000 people turned up and they come here with the expectation of seeing a Premier League side play and it’s important we delivered that. I thought we were outstanding in the first half, football was good, we were working really hard. In the second half, we made a lot of changes, gave the younger boys some experience and, unfortunately, we lost on the penalties. The main thing to take out of it is that we are representing one of the biggest clubs in the world, and I’d hate to think that anyone left here thinking that we didn’t take it seriously, and put on a good performance for all the people who came out here tonight, spent their money and like I said, for a lot of them, it’s the only chance they get to see our team play. I think we did that, we represented our club really well, that was the most important thing.  It was also good for some of the younger boys to get some game time and all in all, I think it was a decent exercise.”
Ange Postecoglou post-match from the MCG