11th August, 2018
Tottenham opened their Premier League campaign with a victory at Newcastle for the second year running as goalline technology set them on their way.
Jan Vertonghen’s early header put Spurs ahead, with technology confirming his effort had crossed the goalline by 9mm.
That advantage was short-lived as the hosts equalised 149 seconds later, when Joselu headed in Matt Ritchie’s superb cross after being left unmarked six yards from goal.
However Tottenham, fielding several of their World Cup stars including England’s Harry Kane and Dele Alli, grew stronger as the game progressed.
And as Newcastle’s early energy began to wane, Alli put the visitors back in front, timing a back-post run to perfection to meet Serge Aurier’s cross with a textbook header past home goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
New signings Ki Sung-yueng, Fabian Schar, Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto all started as substitutes for Rafael Benitez’s team, who threatened to level for a second time after the break.
But Kenedy spurned a glorious opportunity with a poor first touch, Mohamed Diame thrashed a shot against the post and Rondon, on as a substitute, hit the crossbar with a deflected shot.
It was the second season in a row that Tottenham had won their opening fixture in the north east, with Alli scoring on both occasions, BBC reports.