Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League hopes took a major blow as Micky van de Ven starred in a Spurs horror show against Newcastle United. The defender was caught out for three of the four Newcastle goals, as the hosts boosted their own continental credentials with a stellar showing at St. James’ Park.

Alexander Isak kicked proceedings off midway through the first half, with the in-form striker dancing past Van de Ven in the box, before slotting home. Anthony Gordon had provided the assist for Isak’s opener, with the England international getting his own name on the scoresheet 95 seconds later – Van de Ven once again finding himself at fault.

There was no let-up in the second half either. Isak burst through on goal to take his tally for the Premier League season to 17 goals, while the ever-reliable Fabian Schar added a fourth late on. Express Sport analyses a dismal day for Ange Postecoglou and co…

Van de Ven has stinker in key clash for Spurs

The Tottenham supporters making the long journey up from the capital wouldn’t have imagined their side’s showing could be any worse than last season’s 6-1 defeat. Those fans obviously didn’t account for a Van de Ven shocker.

Dubbed one of the signings of the season, the Dutch defender has been a revelation in the heart of Spurs’ defence this term, but Van de Ven suffered an afternoon to forget in the North East. Slipping two times in as many first-half minutes, Van de Ven’s errors allowed both Isak and Gordon to fire Newcastle ahead.

But that wasn’t where his woes ended, as Van de Ven’s poor positioning allowed Isak to break through in the second period, with the Newcastle striker once again converting confidently. He’ll have better performances in a Tottenham shirt, that’s for sure.

Gordon hype train now full steam ahead 

Gordon picked the ideal time to display his talents in front of the England manager, with Gareth Southgate in attendance at St. James’ Park. The forward’s quick-thinking was instrumental to the first Newcastle goal, as he slipped Isak in behind the Spurs defence, with the Swede making no mistake from 12 yards out.

But it was the Magpies’ second of the afternoon that caught the eye the most, as Gordon bamboozled the Tottenham backline with his mazy dribbling, before rifling beyond Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs net. The television broadcast hadn’t even finished reviewing Isak’s earlier strike, which had been scored less than 100 seconds earlier.

European race hotting up as sides gear up for run-in

A convincing Newcastle win was exactly what the European race needed. Rewind less than a month and Eddie Howe’s side looked out of contention, but after their triumph against Spurs, Newcastle moved up to sixth in the table. Newcastle have, of course, played a game extra than their continental rivals. However, Howe will be boosted by his team’s showing against a side challenging for the top four.

It’s been a tough few days for Tottenham’s Champions League hopes, as mid-week results meant the Premier League lost its provisional fifth qualification spot. Even worse than that, Postecoglou’s men slipped down to fifth in the table, with the Newcastle result damaging their goal difference.

Spurs the latest to be haunted by wasteful Werner 

It’s been a recurring theme of Timo Werner’s career. The ball gets played to him at close range, his shot goes wide and the cameras pan to a frustrated-looking Werner questioning how he’s missed from that far out.

That was a similar case in the first half, when Werner squirmed a strike from inside the penalty area past the near post, in a position where it looked easier to miss. The chance came at a crucial time for the visitors, with the score still level at 0-0. Had Werner found the net, it could’ve proved a much happier afternoon for the north Londoners. In the end, it was yet another Newcastle humiliation.