With the match finishing all square at 1-1 after 90 minutes – James Maddison firing us ahead before Alexander Isak levelled it up on the stroke of half-time – Newcastle scored all five of their penalties while Bryan Gil saw our first saved by substitute goalkeeper Mark Gillespie to give the Magpies a 5-4 shootout victory.
The fixture – which saw Ange Postecoglou return to his old stomping ground of Melbourne - featured game time for some of our young players too, with Alfie Devine, Ashley Phillips, George Abbott, Jamie Donley, Dane Scarlett, Yago Santiago, Tyrese Hall, Rio Kyerematen and Leo Black all gaining some invaluable experience.
It took 22 minutes for either side to have any real chance of note and it came our way, Maddison firing a couple of yards wide from just outside the area moments after Brennan Johnson’s cut-back to Emerson Royal was blocked. Two minutes later, Heung-Min Son tumbled to the ground in the box challenged by former Spur Kieran Trippier but his penalty claims were waved away.
We were on top at this stage and Pape Matar Sarr tried his luck from distance on the half-hour mark although his shot deflected off a defender and looped up comfortably for Nick Pope. Just two minutes later though, the goalkeeper attempted a risky pass out to Miguel Almiron which was intercepted by Maddison, who then beat Emil Krafth before rifling left-footed into the back of the Newcastle net from eight yards out.
Pope then made amends to some extent on 40 minutes, making a fine sprawling save from close range to deny Johnson, who got on the end of Son’s superb ball into the danger zone but, on the stroke of half-time, the Magpies scored with their first real chance. Bruno Guimaraes slid a ball down the inside right channel for Jacob Murphy, his low shot was parried by Brandon Austin and Alexander Isak tapped home.
Harvey Barnes went close to putting Newcastle ahead three minutes after the break, curling a right-footed effort just wide while Guimaraes shot straight at Austin before our first opportunity of the second period saw Sarr have three successive shots at goal, the first two blocked and the third well wide.
At the other end, Phillips made an excellent block to prevent Murphy’s cross from finding the unmarked Callum Wilson inside the six-yard box while Santiago’s first involvement after coming off the bench saw him clip in a cross which Scarlett headed just wide at the near post.
A raft of changes from both teams throughout the second half certainly affected the flow of the game but we went close a couple of times late on, Royal glancing Bryan’s corner just past the post while Donley hit a low 20-yard drive just wide.
And so it went to penalties to find a winner. We stepped up first, Bryan seeing his spot-kick saved by Gillespie while Joe White beat Alfie Whiteman for Newcastle’s first. Scarlett, Ben Parkinson, Donley, Amadou Diallo, Hall, Garang Kuol and Oliver Skipp all then scored their respective penalties which left Harrison Ashby the opportunity to win the match for Newcastle and he duly obliged.
Spurs (4-3-3): Austin (Whiteman 78), Pedro Porro (Abbott 46 (Black 88)), Dragusin (Hall 71), van de Ven (Phillips 46), Royal (Kyerematen 88), Bentancur (Skipp 46), Sarr (Donley 61), Maddison (Devine 46), Johnson (Santiago 69), Kulusevski (Scarlett 69), Son (c) (Bryan 61). Substitute (not used): Vicario.
Newcastle United (4-3-3): Pope (Gillespie 87), Trippier (c) (J Murphy 37 (Parkinson 87)), Krafth (Thompson 78), Burn (A Murphy 63), Hall (Charlton 78), Anderson (Hernes 78), Guimaraes (De Bolle 71), Joelinton (White 46), Almiron (Ashby 63), Isak (Wilson 46 (Kuol 71)), Barnes (Diallo 64). Substitute (not used): Turner-Cooke.
Goals: Spurs – Maddison 32; Newcastle – Isak 45.
Penalties Scored: Spurs – Scarlett, Donley, Hall, Skipp; Newcastle – White, Parkinson, Diallo, Kuol, Ashby.
