Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham: Champions League showdown that was a humiliation

Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham: Champions League showdown that was a humiliation

It was the 21 minutes that cemented Newcastle United’s place as favourites for a Champions League return – and illustrated the shambolic state Tottenham Hotspur are in.

On Tyneside they will be talking about the opening quarter of their 6-1 win over Spurs for some time to come. They will in north London too, but with a very different tone.

Jacob Murphy scored after 61 seconds, then Joelinton netted, then Murphy again. That was all within nine minutes. Some Spurs fans left.

Murphy – who had only scored once in the league all season before this game – and Isak each had two goals with just 21 minutes on the clock. It was 5-0. A lot more Spurs fans left.

‘How am I still unemployed?’ wonders ex-Spurs defender

Former Tottenham and Newcastle left-back Danny Rose was at St James’ Park analysing the game for Sky Sports.

The 32-year-old, who is without a club, says he has barely watched a game since leaving Watford in September.

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“There have been so many mistakes. All I’ve been thinking all half is ‘how am I unemployed?’!” the ex-England defender said.

Former England winger Chris Waddle, who played for both teams in the 1980s, was also in the stadium summarising for BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Newcastle must have dreamed of this,” he said in the first half. “They would have expected a tough afternoon but it has just been so easy for them.

“Tottenham are a shambles. They consider themselves as a top-four club. It’s embarrassing.”

Millions of people across the UK heard a loud alarm on their phones at 15:00 BST, a government test system that had been planned in advance. That was at half-time in this game.

Spurs fans, though, were alarmed a long time before that. In fact, by the time it came through many will have been on the A1 back to London by then.

“These Tottenham players should reimburse the travelling fans because this is one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen,” said Waddle.

‘Everything Conte said has been proved correct’

The beginning of the end for Antonio Conte as Spurs manager was when he called his players “selfish”, and said they were “not a team” after a 3-3 draw at Southampton on 18 March.

He left the club shortly after by mutual consent but the decision to put his long-time assistant Cristian Stellini in charge until they find a new manager this summer was not widely praised at the time and a few weeks on looks even less astute.

Former Newcastle winger Kieron Dyer was also at the game on Sky Sports duty and has some sympathy with Conte’s rant.

“Everything Conte said in his press conference has been proved correct,” he said at half-time. “Everybody has been poor, they’ve been put to the sword.”

Waddle added: “When you get rid of your manager and your assistant plays the same way then it isn’t going to change.”

Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham: Champions League showdown that was a humiliation