After the fallout of failing to land a club-record signing this week, it was left to the fella who retains that tag to remind folk why keeping him is Newcastle’s smartest piece of business this summer.
Tottenham were desperately unlucky not to win, but they don’t have a striker. Newcastle do, and Alexander Isak was the difference here. The £63million Swede was not at his best and was not enjoying a particularly good afternoon.
But he was there to score the winning goal, there in the six-yard area, there to bring calm after perhaps the most turbulent 48 hours under Saudi ownership. Spurs had fizzed a succession of balls through the goalmouth without any takers.
Indeed, both of Newcastle’s goals came during periods in which the visitors were on top. Harvey Barnes gave them a first-half lead, but Dan Burn’s own goal deservedly put Spurs level before the hour.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were the most likely winners from that point. They would have won with a centre-forward.
Alexander Isak scored a 78th-minute goal against run-of-play to earn Newcastle three points
Newcastle’s frontman Isak (right) tapped into an empty net after a rare break from the Magpies
The Magpies earned three points after faring Tottenham pressure over the second half
And so, when Newcastle broke upfield on 78 minutes, there was an inevitability about Spurs being punished.
Joelinton muscled free of James Maddison and sprung Jacob Murphy free. He could have shot but instead squared for Isak. It was a simple finish, but simple gets the same reward as complicated.
The victory leaves Eddie Howe’s side fourth in the table, and they’ll take that after a transfer window that closed amid the failure to sign defender Marc Guehi for £70m from Crystal Palace.
It left Howe frustrated and questions being asked over new sporting director Paul Mitchell and chief executive Darren Eales. But this felt like the sort of boisterous occasion Newcastle needed.
Noise, wind, rain, irritation in the air. Even the floodlights were on from the off, and the hosts made an illuminating start.
Not quite the start of two seasons ago, when they led 3-0 inside nine minutes against the same opposition. But they were front foot, aggressive and pulsing forward to the beat of the crowd.
Isak bullied Son Heung-min out of possession in the fifth minute and, with a cute shot from a narrow angle, clipped the crossbar.
Barnes then shaved the post with a trademark curler after cutting inside and it needed a goalmouth block to deny defender Emil Krafth an unlikely goal.
Newcastle forward Harvey Barnes’ cool finish opened scoring in the 37th minute of the match
Centre-back Dan Burn scored the match’s second goal – but unfortunately it was in his own net
Spurs’ defender Radu Dragusin replaced Mickey Van de Ven at centre-back on Sunday
Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento managed to nullify Tottenham’s threat down the flanks
It was all going so well until injury struck. It wasn’t a Newcastle player, this time. Rather, assistant referee Ian Hussin pulled up with a muscle complaint and a stoppage of around five minutes broke home momentum and, seemingly, concentration.
When the game restarted, Newcastle’s control had shifted to Tottenham. They were still in control when Newcastle took the lead on 37 minutes.
Burn would usually be on the end of a throw-in, but here it was his quick release from the left that put Lloyd Kelly clear.
He drew back for Barnes and the winger’s first-time finish had enough fade to carry it beyond the dive of Guglielmo Vicario. Did it spark a home improvement? Not really. After that bright start, the lights remained out.
Howe and assistant Jason Tindall were already deep in discussion about changes when Spurs drew level on 56 minutes.
Before that, in the minutes after half-time, Son, Wilson Odobert and Pedro Porro all went close to equalising. In the end, it was Burn who put through his own net.
Newcastle welcomed back Sandro Tonali after the Italian returned from a 10-month ban
£58.9million-rated Tonali, 24, was banned in October 2023 for breaching FIFA betting rules
The result will be the perfect tonic for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, after a frustrating finish to the transfer window that saw the Magpies bring in very little by way of new talent
Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, will bemoan his side’s failure to convert second-hald dominance into more goals – with the club yet to win on the road this season
Nick Pope has been recalled to the England squad this week – and he went on to produce a string of brilliant saves – but his part in this goal was not international class.
James Maddison’s low shot should have been gathered instead of parried and, when Brennan Johnson followed up to stab back on goal, Pope’s arm kept it out only for Burn to hook in from the goal-line.
The Newcastle keeper then went a long way to redemption with flying saves from Maddison and Porro, and without them victory would not have been possible.
