English Premier League

Newcastle v Tottenham: Premier League – live

December 3, 2025

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Newcastle v Tottenham: Premier League – live

Key events

49 min: Otherwise, it’s been a low-octane start to the second period. “If Ange Postecoglou hadn’t jumped into the hotseat at the City Ground, just imagine how high his reputation would be right now,” daydreams Kári Tulinius. “He guided this side to a European trophy. That seems unthinkable, looking at this performance. Mind you, that also seemed unthinkable watching many Spurs matches last season too.”

47 min: A slow start to the half. Nothing happening. Then suddenly Barnes bursts into space down the inside-left channel. Away from Romero too easily. He shoots. Vicario blocks at the near post. Woltemade heads the rebound goalwards, but Danso is on the line to clear.

Newcastle get the second half started. They’ve swapped out Tonali for Guimaraes. They’re kicking towards the Gallowgate now.

Half-time postbag … and neither fanbase is particularly happy. “Without Bruno Guimarães we are a different team. Even an an off day he adds value in so many small and underrated ways. His vision and range of passing is probably unmatched. Our rhythm is completely different and we don’t have the same incision or threat on the break” – Chris Paraskevas

“I fear that this match and the upcoming meeting with Brentford might ratchet up the pressure on Frank to unbearable levels. Lose these two and I feel it’ll be curtains. The scoreline isn’t as bad as it was against Fulham, but the performance is worse. We can’t string two passes together in midfield, while giving the ball away repeatedly near the box as we are completely unable to bypass their aggressive press. We lose every single duel and get outmuscled and outran every time. We don’t press, we don’t attack, we don’t hold possession, we don’t shoot. The supporters are furious and he hasn’t helped himself with the ‘not a true Spurs fan’ comment from the press conference last week. I support Frank and consider him a good manager, but it’s not just the fact we’re losing, it’s that we look so unbelievably stodgy and dire while still losing, and there’s no style of play or development that I can see” – Alexandra Ashton

HALF TIME: Newcastle United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Joelinton hit the post, while Bergvall went close with an elaborate backheel. Other than that, nothing to report. Kind of what you’d expect from teams that started the day 12th and 13th.

45 min: Vicario has a long word with the referee, who pops over and has a word with a member of the Newcastle club staff. That staff member then starts talking into his walkie-talkie. Not sure what’s been said or done, but the Spurs keeper isn’t happy, and the ref’s seen fit to escalate the complaint. More when we have it.

44 min: Barnes shoots from the edge of the D. The ball’s deflected wide left. But the flag pops up for an offside against Woltemade.

42 min: Kudus crosses low from the right again. Bergvall tries another backflick, along the ground this time, but it’s blocked and cleared by Thiaw.

41 min: Spurs have enjoyed 59 percent of possession in the last ten minutes. A vast improvement, though the bar was set low. They still haven’t had a shot on target, mind.

39 min: Bergvall barrels down the inside-right channel, a determined 50-yard run. He flicks on for Kudus, who takes all the momentum out of the attack. Spurs have belatedly woken up.

37 min: Kudus has another shot blocked. I should quote dismal xG scores more often. It’s now 0.42-0.41, by the way.

36 min: … then up the other end, Kudus has a shot blocked, before in another wave of attack, Kudus skips past Hall down the right and crosses low. Begvall backflicks cutely, and the ball only just clears the bar instead of planting into the top-left corner! That would have been one hell of a finish!

35 min: Well, those xG stats nearly provoked the Football Gods into action! Joelinton spins into space down the inside-right channel, away from Bentancur, and whistles a low drive across Vicario and off the base of the left-hand post. The ball pings away from danger. Momentarily. It’s returned from the left, but Murphy and Woltemade get in each other’s way by the right-hand post. Spurs so fortunate.

34 min: The xG of this match is currently Newcastle 0.4, Tottenham 0. And so here we are.

32 min: Murphy sends a speculative looper in from the right. It sails hysterically over Vicario and only just wide left. That would have been a bit daft.

31 min: Tonali whips a cross in from the right. Thiaw wins a header at the far stick. Burn can’t do the same in the middle, six yards out. Vicario claims.

30 min: Joelinton grafts his way down the left and wins a corner off Bentancur. The set piece leads to a brief game of head tennis, before Bentancur blooters clear. This game hasn’t taken off, it’s fair to say.

28 min: Hall attaches himself to Kudus, strips him of the ball, and spins away. He runs out of ideas after that, but that moment of grit and skill sure entertained the crowd.

27 min: A better cross comes in from the right. Livramento this time. Joelinton can’t win a header at the far stick. A few inches lower and Spurs might have been in bother.

25 min: Murphy hoicks a dreadful cross in from the right towards someone deep in the stand behind. On the touchline, Eddie Howe exhales and mutters a dispirited but unambiguous “fuck me!” It’s a masterclass in comic timing.

Photograph: Steve Welsh/PA

24 min: Spurs are getting a little ragged, and now Bentancur has a nibble at Joelinton, who really is in the wars at the moment. No booking this time, but Newcastle are dominating both possession and territory, and the visitors are becoming agitated.

22 min: Romero, freshly back from suspension, clatters into Joelinton and picks up his sixth yellow card of the season so far. Gotta keep that totaliser ticking over.

20 min: Tonali’s delivery isn’t all that, but Kolo Muani misdirects his clearing header and sends the ball out for a corner. Hall balloons it in from the right and out to the left. About ten feet over everyone’s head.

19 min: Udogie slides in hard on Murphy. Late and from behind. Or maybe from the side, just, because the referee doesn’t flash yellow. It is a free kick, though, out on the right. Tonali to send it into the mixer.

17 min: Barnes wins the ball off Bergvall on the left touchline. Hard but fair. He advances on the box and cuts back for Miley, who opens his body and aims a strong sidefoot towards the bottom right. It’s telegraphed, though, and easily snaffled by Vicario. The first effort on target.

15 min: Woltemade chases a lost cause down the left and cuts back for Burn, who is in acres … but the whistle goes. The ball had gone out for a goal kick. The flag-and-whistle people make the right decision this time.

13 min: Barnes bustles his way to the byline down the left and loops long for Murphy, who swivels and acrobatically swipes at the ball in mid-air, but can only send it miles over the bar. “There’s something pleasingly old-school about that picture of Nick Woltemade,” writes Brendan Garry. “Seventies hair – check. Seventies style three-stripe tracksuit – check. Headphones – no check. Takes me back to my youth.”

Nick Woltemade of Newcastle (and the 1970s). Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

12 min: Kudus’s delivery is no good. Nevertheless, he gets a second chance to put in a cross, and this time he slices it out for a goal kick.

11 min: Johnson and the under-lapping Udogie combine nicely down the left and this time Spurs are awarded the corner they earn. Porro wanders over to take it. At the near post, Woltemade eyebrows it through the six-yard box and out of play for another corner, which will come in from the right this time.

9 min: … or perhaps too confident, as Porro tries a backheel in an attempt to play out from the back. Newcastle push forward again and win a corner down the right. Hall swings it in. Vicario, out of form and shorn of confidence, flaps, but the ball drops to Kudus who is able to scuttle it away from danger.

8 min: That counter has given Spurs a little succour after a slow start. They suddenly look more confident on the ball.

6 min: Tonali hits the corner too flat, and Bergvall is able to slam clear. An appalling delivery. Spurs are able to counter through Johnson down the left. A low cross, intended for Kudus, is intercepted by Hall and deflected out for a corner … which Spurs don’t get when the dead ball’s hooked back upfield by Thiaw and play is erroneously waved on. Newcastle get away with one.

Dan Burn in action with Randal Kolo Muani. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

5 min: Spurs can’t get out of their final third at the moment. Woltemade snaffles possession out on the left and wins the first corner of the game. Tonali to swing it in.

4 min: Hall drags a shot wide right from the edge of the D. Then a cross comes in from the right and Woltemade heads harmlessly over. A fast start by Newcastle.

3 min: Barnes nips past Porro on the left with ease and cuts back for Tonali, who can’t get a shot away in time. Livramento tries to keep things going on the other flank, but is eased off the ball by Udogie, who stands on his foot as the two fall. No penalty, but no lasting damage to Livramento either.

2 min: Tottenham’s fans are positioned high up in the Leazes end. They’re doing a good job of making themselves heard from the heavens.

Tottenham Hotspur kick off. A fine early-evening-pints-fuelled atmosphere at St James’ Park. Spurs are kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half.

The teams are out! Newcastle in their famous black and white stripes, Spurs in 1982 FA Cup final yellow. A quick blast of the theme from Local Hero and we’ll be away. Howay!

Pre-match postbag. “I’m glad to see Aaron Ramsdale getting a bit of a run: I’ve been keeping an eye on the Newcastle bench this season and his enthusiasm is so infectious that at various points I’ve expected him to storm the pitch and start flying into tackles in midfield. Actually, that’s more of a Nick Pope thing. What ever happened to the good ol’ days of Shay Given and Brad Friedel, eh? Keepers shouldn’t be allowed to leave their six-yard-box. The game is gone” – Chris Paraskevas

“What are the odds that I’ll be in tears of anguish and frustration? Whispering COYS” – Nick Wayne

This is a big game for Tottenham, who have lost their last three matches in all competitions, shipping 11 goals in the process. The last of those was a wonderful combination of opportunism and execution by Fulham’s Harry Wilson, though the Spurs fans were perhaps understandably more focused on Guglielmo Vicario’s unfortunate role in the lead-up to the goal. Rob Davies takes a snapshot of the discontent in N17 right now.

Eddie Howe talks to Sky. “It’s an opportunity for us … a difficult game … Spurs have been really good away from home … two tough teams going against each other … we anticipate a tough game but hopefully a good one … rotation for Bruno [Guimaraes] … give him a breather amid a hectic schedule … it’s really important how we start … our intention, our body language, our energy …. hopefully the crowd can do the rest.”

Thomas Frank speaks to Sky Sports. “Micky [van de Ven] is a super-important player … but this is the fourth game in ten days … we make sure to keep the freshness … the players have never been fitter in the last three years than they are now … we are positive … we believe we can get something from the game and win up here … it demands a top performance against a super-good team … we need to bring the energy … bravery … composure on the ball … I expect a super-tight game … it will be at times quite open but I expect a super, super-tight game.”

There are two other Premier League games being played tonight. Bournemouth host Everton while Manchester City travel to Fulham. Both of those have just kicked off, and Will Unwin is your man for up-to-the-minute news of those … plus an additional La Liga treat by the looks of it. We spoil you rotten.

Newcastle make two changes to their starting XI after the 4-1 win at Everton. Sandro Tonali and Jacob Murphy come in for Anthony Elanga and captain Bruno Guimarães, who both drop to the bench.

Spurs make four changes to their starting line-up following the Fulham fiasco. Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and captain Cristian Romero return; Archie Gray, Richarlison, Micky van de Ven and João Palhinha are benched.

The teams

Newcastle United: Ramsdale, Livramento, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Miley, Tonali, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes.
Subs: Ruddy, Schar, Gordon, Elanga, Willock, Alex Murphy, Guimaraes, Ramsey, Neave.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie, Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall, Kudus, Muani, Johnson.
Subs: Kinsky, Joao Palhinha, Simons, Richarlison, Tel, Gray, Spence, Odobert, van de Ven.

Referee: Thomas Bramall
VAR: Paul Tierney

Preamble

After that debacle against Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and their insta-beleaguered boss Thomas Frank are in desperate need of a spirit-replenishing result. We wish them all the best with that tonight, as they’re about to face a Newcastle United side high on life after walloping Everton, in a fixture they’ve recently lost 2-1, 4-0 and 6-1. Throw in the fact that Newcastle have won five of their last six in the league against Spurs, and that they’ve not lost a midweek league match at home since 2021, a run that stretches back ten games, and Spurs are up against it all right.

Rhythmically, and in search of balance, this would be the point at which we trot out some stats to offer Spurs hope. But they’re in short supply. While Newcastle tend to enjoy midweek league fixtures, Spurs most signally do not: they’ve won just one of their last 13, losing the last seven on the bounce. And then there’s Eddie Howe’s personal record against Frank: he’s won six of eight. But hey, personal hoodoos are there to be broken – Howe did exactly that himself against Pep Guardiola the other week – so rule nothing out. And despite all the negative mood music accompanying Spurs, when it all comes down they’re still ahead of the Toon in the Premier League standings. All to play for, then. Kick-off at St James’ Park is 8.15pm GMT. It’s on!

Source From: Premier League | The Guardian

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