Premier League

TOTTENHAM 4 (Udogie 26, Richarlison 36, 60, Son 85 pen)
NEWCASTLE 1 (Joelinton 90+1)

SPURS got back to winning ways today (Sunday) after putting four past Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The returning Richarlison scored twice between Destiny Udogie’s first-half opener and Heung-Min Son’s penalty five minutes from time.

Speaking after the game, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he was delighted with the chances created. “Our performance was excellent. We looked really bright and clinical and we got our rewards for it,” he said.

In playing Richarlison up front and switching Son to the flank Postecoglou saw two key players run Newcastle ragged. The Australian coach said: “Richarlison was important at the start of the season when he wasn’t fully fit [but still played] and in a variety of roles. He has come back and worked really hard for the team.”

Captain Son was key, with Postecoglou adding: “Sonny was hugely important early in the game. I had asked for more conviction in the final third. I thought he did that and that allowed the others to feed off that. You want your leaders to show in these areas and he did that.”

The 4-1 victory is Tottenham’s first win since beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in October. Postecoglou continued: “It doesn’t take too much science to see the dip came when we lost the majority of our influential players. We have shown some resilience. I have not been hard but I have been uncompromising and not allowing excuses.

“Part of me wonders if I have been too harsh on them. It is very hard in this league – you miss one or two key players, you will slip. We lost half a squad. We have gone through a tough time but hopefully we have come out the other side.”

With Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr returning to the starting line-up at the expense of Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the only genuine starters out now are James Maddison and Micky van de Ven. How it showed against Newcastle.

And Richarlison wasn’t just fit, he was playing in his natural position. Put the Brazilian forward through the middle and perhaps we will see why £60million was shelled out on the player. Previously shoehorned on to the left wing, Richarlison failed to adapt his game sufficiently.

Today, however, his two goals, ability to lead the line and make a nuisance of himself – which was what you need when you play a pressing game – was the product of Postecoglou giving him the role he is best suited for. It was a brave move, shifting Son out wide, but it bore fruit.

In the first-half Son teased Kieran Trippier and got the better of him for two assists. When Trippier was at Spurs, his qualities going forward, from a dead ball and as a wing-back were never in question. But he would get targeted in Champions League games and was sometimes susceptible.

Maybe Tottenham knew this because Son tore at his former teammate and on 26 minutes he diddled him at the byline and his smart cross avoided Martin Dubravka for Udogie to turn home.

Chances came and went. Richarlison slid close to a Son cross and Dejan Kulusevski tried to blunderbuss his way through in the opening 10. On 17 minutes, Cristian Romero won a header and turned it goalward, only to see it hacked off the line.

More pressure saw Brennan Johnson play a first-time ball into Richarlison, who could not quite get a toe to it. It felt like a second goal was coming, and so it did on 38 minutes when Pedro Porro won the ball smartly and spooned it out to the left for Son. He once again twisted Trippier and cut back for Richarlison to slot home.

Eddie Howe’s threadbare squad has had similar injury issues as Spurs and have a poor away record. They came out from the break with a gallant 10 minute spell where they tried to put Howe’s instructions into action, but Tottenham were relatively untroubled.

On the hour-mark Porro thumped a deep ball bang-perfect between the centre-backs. Richarlison brought it down, avoided the advancing Dubravka and finished.

Some nastiness crept into the final 15 that resulted in Romero committing what could easily have been a red card offence. It was a bad foul on Newcastle substitute Callum Wilson, and again raises questions over his place in the team. The defender has only just returned from a three-match ban that has cost Spurs dearly.

Spurs gave their goal-difference a boost via the captain on 85. Substitute Lo Celso won the ball in the middle. He shuffled forward into space, before playing a slide rule pass for Son, who rounded the keeper and was then dragged down. It was a clear penalty, one that Son dispatched with ease to make it 4-0.

Joelinton pulled one back for Newcastle in the dying moments but Spurs were worthy winners. Postecoglou asked for more conviction. When his players provide it, they look like a very decent team indeed.

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie, Sarr (Hojbjerg, 73), Bissouma (Gil, 85), Kulusevski, Johnson (Skipp, 85), Son (Donley 90+1), Richarlison
Substitutes not used: Forster, Royal, Veliz, Dorrington

Newcastle: Dubravka, Trippier (Krafth, 86), Lascelles, Schar, Livramento (Hall, 73), Miley, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron (Longstaff, 64), Gordon (Ritchie, 73), Isak (Wilson, 64)
Substitutes not used: Karius, Gillespie, Dummett, Murphy