Tottenham v Newcastle
Gareth Bale continued his extraordinary scoring run to hand Champions League-chasing Tottenham victory at the expense of Newcastle.
Bale gave Spurs a great start when he fizzed in a free-kick from 25 yards which beat goalkeeper Tim Krul.
Yoan Gouffran equalised midway through the half when his firm shot went in off a slight deflection.
But Bale made it four goals in three league matches when he ran onto Kyle Walker's ball before slotting in.
Villas-Boas grateful for Bale 'brilliance'
In fact, he is the only player to have scored for the north London side in those games, underlining his importance and value, both to the team and in monetary terms.
The 23-year-old international - who also scored for Wales against Austria on Wednesday - could have added three more to his tally late in the second half, only to be twice denied by the excellent reflexes of Tim Krul, before showing he is fallible by missing from three yards.
But his manager Andre Villas-Boas and his adoring fans inside a packed White Hart Lane would have forgiven him for that blip. He remains among the league's top scorers with 13 - impressive for a midfielder.
It must have felt like Groundhog Day for Newcastle when Bale scored inside the first five minutes, having conceded at Spurs during the same period last season.
The home side went on to hit Newcastle three more times in that opening 45 minutes, winning 5-0 in the end, but the Magpies are slightly more resolute outfit these days thanks to wise spending in January.
Tottenham can finish season well - Bale
Nevertheless, visiting defender Fabricio Coloccini fouled Clint Dempsey 25 yards from goal on the right. Bale took charge and poked his effort with plenty of dip over the wall, into the bottom right.
Spurs were playing with Dempsey as the lone man in attack, with Bale, Aaron Lennon and new signing Lewis Holtby, making his first start, in support roles.
Germany international Holtby had great stamina and played with a willingness to cover the whole pitch.
But it is as an attacker for which he was purchased by Villas-Boas, and twice he had a chance to score from the fringes of the area with shot that just flew over the wrong side of the bar.
Moments later, another new signing kept his shot low enough to bring the Magpies back into the match.
Gouffran, signed from Bordeaux, was the man to level when Moussa Sissoko pulled the ball back for the forward to smash in via a deflection off the back of Michael Dawson.
Newcastle 'character' impresses Pardew
The goal settled Newcastle down, with Tottenham not given the sort of space afforded to them in the first quarter of the match.
However, Alan Pardew's side were dealt a blow early after the restart when goalscorer Gouffran was carried off after receiving a nasty gash to his shin.
It seemed to unsettle the visitors as Tottenham attempted to grab a foothold in the match; Bale again leading the charge.
And it was the flying winger who ultimately decided the outcome when he latched onto a hopeful lofted ball from Walker and outpaced Stephen Taylor, before firing his shot past Newcastle's Dutch keeper.
The Magpies came close to snatching a point when substitute Shola Ameobi's strike was deflected wide, but that would have been cruel on Bale and Tottenham, who look a good bet to take a Champions League spot.
Tottenham manager Andre-Villas Boas:
"It was a good win for the team. Newcastle were on a good run of form, so it was always going to be a hard game.
"We stepped it up in the second half and showed team spirit to get three points.
"Both sides had chances. We showed more determination in the second half and took control."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew:
"Last year we were well beaten, but today we almost nicked an equaliser. Gouffran getting injured was a disappointment, as was the result.
"On this occasion, Bale was the difference. All the big moments came through him. He's in a rich vein of form.
"It was a good game of football. We tried to play and Sissoko produced another great performance."
Lineup, Bookings (2) & Substitutions (6)
Tottenham Hotspur
- 25 Lloris
- 16 Naughton (Assou-Ekotto - 75' )
- 20 Dawson
- 28 Walker
- 33 Caulker
- 02 Dempsey
- 07 Lennon
- 08 Parker
- 11 Bale
- 23 Holtby (Adebayor - 69' )
- 19 Dembele (Livermore - 90' )
Substitutes
- 24 Friedel
- 05 Vertonghen
- 13 Gallas
- 32 Assou-Ekotto
- 22 Sigurdsson
- 29 Livermore
- 10 Adebayor
Newcastle United
- 01 Krul
- 02 Coloccini
- 03 Santon
- 14 Perch (Tiote - 82' )
- 26 Debuchy
- 27 S Taylor
- 04 Cabaye Booked
- 07 Sissoko
- 18 Gutierrez (Sh Ameobi - 86' Booked )
- 09 Cisse
- 11 Gouffran (Marveaux - 58' )
Substitutes
- 37 Harper
- 13 Yanga-M'Biwa
- 08 Anita
- 22 Marveaux
- 24 Tiote
- 25 Obertan
- 23 Sh Ameobi
Live Text Commentary
Goal - Gareth Bale - Tottenham 2 - 1 Newcastle Gareth Bale finds the back of the net with a goal from inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal. Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle.
90:00 +8:39 Full timeFull Time The final whistle is blown by the referee.
90:00 +8:27Short corner worked by Kyle Walker.
90:00 +7:49Short corner taken by Kyle Walker from the right by-line.
90:00 +7:40Gareth Bale takes a shot. Save made by Tim Krul.
90:00 +7:23Shot by Yohan Cabaye from 20 yards. Blocked by Michael Dawson.
90:00 +7:01Cheick Tiote fouled by Emmanuel Adebayor, the ref awards a free kick. Tim Krul takes the free kick.
90:00 +6:40Gareth Bale conjures a right-footed shot from inside the six-yard box that clears the bar.
90:00 +3:36Shola Ameobi takes a shot. Hugo Lloris makes a brilliant save. Inswinging corner taken by Yohan Cabaye from the left by-line, Kyle Walker manages to make a clearance.
90:00 +5:42Kyle Walker restarts play with the free kick.
90:00 +5:42 BookingBooking The referee shows Shola Ameobi a yellow card.
90:00 +5:38Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Michael Dawson by Shola Ameobi.
90:00 +5:07The official flags Kyle Walker offside. Tim Krul takes the free kick.
90:00 +4:20Jake Livermore takes a shot. Shola Ameobi gets a block in.
90:00 +3:36Sylvain Marveaux takes a shot. Hugo Lloris makes a fantastic save. Corner taken right-footed by Yohan Cabaye, clearance by Kyle Walker.
90:00 +2:11Kyle Walker delivers the ball, Clint Dempsey has a headed effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the right of the goal.
90:00 +2:11 SubstitutionSubstitution Jake Livermore on for Mousa Dembele.
90:00 +2:11Mousa Dembele fouled by Cheick Tiote, the ref awards a free kick.
89:02Direct free kick taken by Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
89:02 BookingBooking Yohan Cabaye goes into the book for unsporting behaviour.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Mousa Dembele by Yohan Cabaye.
87:36Cheick Tiote concedes a free kick for a foul on Mousa Dembele. Benoit Assou-Ekotto restarts play with the free kick.
86:39Gareth Bale produces a drilled left-footed shot from 20 yards. Brilliant save by Tim Krul. Outswinging corner taken by Gareth Bale from the left by-line, comfortable save by Tim Krul.
85:04Free kick crossed right-footed by Kyle Walker, clearance by Davide Santon.
85:04 SubstitutionSubstitution Shola Ameobi joins the action as a substitute, replacing Jonas Gutierrez.
85:04Free kick awarded for a foul by Yohan Cabaye on Emmanuel Adebayor.
83:42Sylvain Marveaux crosses the ball, clearance made by Kyle Walker.
82:57Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Scott Parker by Papiss Cisse. Hugo Lloris takes the free kick.
81:06 SubstitutionSubstitution Cheick Tiote joins the action as a substitute, replacing James Perch.
80:24Gareth Bale takes the inswinging corner, Headed effort from close range by Steven Caulker goes wide left of the target.
77:44The assist for the goal came from Scott Parker.
77:44 Goal scoredGoal - Gareth Bale - Tottenham 2 - 1 Newcastle Gareth Bale scores a goal from inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal. Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle.
76:48Mathieu Debuchy fouled by Mousa Dembele, the ref awards a free kick. Tim Krul takes the direct free kick.
76:48Foul by Mousa Dembele on Mathieu Debuchy, free kick awarded. Tim Krul takes the free kick.
75:37Shot by Yohan Cabaye from a long way out goes over the net.
74:52Drilled right-footed shot by Gareth Bale. Blocked by Steven Taylor.
74:52Shot by Gareth Bale. Fabricio Coloccini gets a block in.
74:10 SubstitutionSubstitution Benoit Assou-Ekotto is brought on as a substitute for Kyle Naughton.
70:53Mousa Dembele challenges Papiss Cisse unfairly and gives away a free kick. Yohan Cabaye crosses the ball from the free kick right-footed from right wing, Michael Dawson makes a clearance.
69:55Drilled left-footed shot by James Perch. Blocked by Steven Caulker.
68:21 SubstitutionSubstitution Emmanuel Adebayor on for Lewis Holtby.
67:20Clint Dempsey is adjudged to have handled the ball. Tim Krul takes the direct free kick.
67:20Handball decision goes against Clint Dempsey. Direct free kick taken by Tim Krul.
65:46The ball is sent over by Mathieu Debuchy, Kyle Walker makes a clearance.
64:16Corner taken right-footed by Kyle Walker from the left by-line, comfortable save by Tim Krul.
63:48Corner taken left-footed by Gareth Bale to the near post, Jonas Gutierrez makes a clearance.
63:10Corner taken by Gareth Bale from the left by-line.
63:10Outswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Gareth Bale.
57:53 SubstitutionSubstitution Sylvain Marveaux joins the action as a substitute, replacing Yoan Gouffran.
53:18Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Scott Parker by Moussa Sissoko. Scott Parker takes the direct free kick.
53:18Free kick awarded for a foul by Jonas Gutierrez on Scott Parker. Scott Parker restarts play with the free kick.
52:41Clint Dempsey takes a shot. Tim Krul makes a comfortable save.
51:11Shot by Steven Taylor from 20 yards. Hugo Lloris makes a comfortable save.
50:26Corner taken by Yohan Cabaye from the right by-line, clearance by Gareth Bale.
49:43Gareth Bale produces a cross, clearance by Davide Santon.
48:04Foul by Scott Parker on Jonas Gutierrez, free kick awarded. James Perch takes the free kick.
46:16The ball is swung over by Aaron Lennon, clearance made by James Perch.
45:31Yoan Gouffran crosses the ball, Michael Dawson manages to make a clearance.
45:01The second half begins.
45:00 +0:59 Half timeHalf Time The ref blows to end the first period.
45:00 +0:24Free kick awarded for a foul by Yoan Gouffran on Scott Parker. Aaron Lennon takes the direct free kick.
45:00 +0:08Centre by Jonas Gutierrez, Michael Dawson makes a clearance.
43:53Effort from outside the box by Clint Dempsey goes wide right of the target.
41:55Corner from the right by-line taken by Lewis Holtby, clearance made by Steven Taylor.
40:25Clint Dempsey takes a shot from 25 yards. Blocked by Steven Taylor. Kyle Walker takes a inswinging corner to the near post, clearance by Yohan Cabaye.
37:57Clint Dempsey is ruled offside. Tim Krul takes the indirect free kick.
35:26Corner from left by-line taken by Yohan Cabaye.
35:14Shot by Yohan Cabaye. Blocked by Michael Dawson.
35:08Davide Santon sends in a cross, Kyle Walker manages to make a clearance.
31:18Scott Parker delivers the ball, clearance by Fabricio Coloccini.
30:08Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Kyle Walker.
28:26Mathieu Debuchy is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Kyle Naughton takes the free kick.
26:50Gareth Bale challenges Jonas Gutierrez unfairly and gives away a free kick. Tim Krul restarts play with the free kick.
23:44The assist for the goal came from Moussa Sissoko.
26:12Gareth Bale takes a shot. Steven Taylor gets a block in.
25:14Inswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Lewis Holtby, Fabricio Coloccini makes a clearance.
23:44The assist for the goal came from Papiss Cisse.
23:44 Goal scoredGoal - Yoan Gouffran - Tottenham 1 - 1 Newcastle Yoan Gouffran scores a goal from deep inside the penalty box to the top right corner of the goal. Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle.
22:10The assistant referee signals for offside against Papiss Cisse. Hugo Lloris takes the indirect free kick.
21:50Shot by Yohan Cabaye from 20 yards. Blocked by Scott Parker.
20:38Centre by Mathieu Debuchy, Michael Dawson makes a clearance.
19:48Effort on goal by Lewis Holtby from just inside the box goes harmlessly over the target.
19:00The ball is delivered by Fabricio Coloccini, Header from close in by Papiss Cisse misses to the left of the target.
16:32Lewis Holtby has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the left-hand post.
15:08Corner taken by Yohan Cabaye from the right by-line, clearance by Kyle Walker.
14:10The referee blows for offside against Gareth Bale. Indirect free kick taken by Jonas Gutierrez.
13:03Steven Taylor concedes a free kick for a foul on Mousa Dembele. Free kick crossed left-footed by Mousa Dembele, clearance made by Fabricio Coloccini.
10:29Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Yohan Cabaye, clearance made by Gareth Bale.
9:17Effort on goal by Lewis Holtby from just inside the penalty box goes harmlessly over the target.
9:17Lewis Holtby takes a shot from just inside the penalty box which clears the bar.
6:15Gareth Bale is caught offside. Indirect free kick taken by Tim Krul.
4:32Assist by Clint Dempsey.
4:32 Goal scoredGoal - Gareth Bale - Tottenham 1 - 0 Newcastle Gareth Bale scores a goal direct from the free kick from outside the penalty area to the bottom right corner of the goal. Tottenham 1-0 Newcastle.
3:24Free kick awarded for a foul by Fabricio Coloccini on Clint Dempsey.
2:06Free kick awarded for a foul by Yoan Gouffran on Scott Parker. Michael Dawson restarts play with the free kick.
1:16The ball is crossed by Gareth Bale, clearance by Davide Santon.
0:00The ref blows the whistle to begin the match.
Live text and data provided by The Press Association
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Comment number 123.
AmigaMan11th February 2013 - 13:32
The thing thats plagued us into having a crap season is injuries, keeping money from pardew a la carroll transfer and europa. To be honest Europa is a waste of time for us we wud b better jus concentrating on having a successful prem league like we did last season, remember sum of those fantastic results we had against Liverpool n chelsea. AVB is doing a gud job at Spurs tho!
Link to this (Comment number 123)
Comment number 122.
AmigaMan11th February 2013 - 13:21
Lol at some of the comments aimed at Newcastle. Give the new players a chance its only their 2nd/3rd game together & to be honest theyve made a good start already unlike sum players who've gone for millions wiv no return on investment *cough* torres, arshavin, a fair few at QPR lol. I dont agree wiv sum of the boards decisions in thr past but at least we are tryin to make improvements
Link to this (Comment number 122)
Comment number 121.
tomasovi10th February 2013 - 23:40
I'm surprised that there's not been any mention from anyone about the incident that injured Goufrann. i thought Walker 'did 'im'. the follow through was harder than the clearance.
Link to this (Comment number 121)
Comment number 120.
mikehooperscontactlens10th February 2013 - 16:02
@112 paul_ftm
No interesting stories on the SAFC page I take it? Would explain why you seem to post on the vast majority of pages associated with Newcastle United.
And I'm inclined to agree with you about the PL needing Newcastle United in it, even if for the "comedy value". Certainly preferable to having Sunderland in it, who are well-known as being the football equivalent of beige.
Link to this (Comment number 120)
Comment number 119.
TC10th February 2013 - 15:15
Sorry to say nothings changed the same old problems. The only thing that changes is the cost to get into matches or the cost of travel to matches. Oh how I wish players in the local paper would keep their mouth closed about what they are going to do.
Link to this (Comment number 119)
Comments 5 of 123