Tottenham pinched a point in mad fashion at St. James’ Park as Cristian Romero shinned a scruffy overhead kick in the 95th minute to nick a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, who somehow managed to blow the game twice on their own turf.
Eddie Howe’s side went ahead through Bruno Guimaraes, then looked to have wrapped it up when Anthony Gordon belted home a late penalty, but Spurs who arrived on the back of three straight defeats refused to disappear, even though they played like a team stuck in reverse for most of it.
Newcastle had bossed the first half without actually scoring, Joelinton clattering the post after cutting inside, before Spurs nearly snatched something themselves, Lucas Bergvall flicking a ridiculous backheel just over Aaron Ramsdale’s bar. Both teams huffed around enough, but it was goalless at the break because nobody could hit a barn door.
The tempo lifted after half time, Spurs needing miracles just to stay upright. Guglielmo Vicario and Kevin Danso both bailed them out within seconds, Vicario saving from Harvey Barnes and Danso clearing Nick Woltemade’s header off the line like his mortgage depended on it.
Howe rolled the dice with his bench, throwing on Gordon and Anthony Elanga with 25 minutes to go, and it paid off immediately. A loose ball dropped for Guimaraes and he stroked in a brilliant finish on 71 minutes, the ground finally waking up after 70 minutes of sighs.
Spurs somehow dragged themselves level seven minutes later, Mohammed Kudus swinging in a cross and Romero thumping a diving header past Ramsdale, the least Spurs y moment of the night considering how ropey they’ve been.
Then VAR got involved, as it always does. Rodrigo Bentancur collided with Dan Burn, play waved on, then everybody was dragged over to the screen. Penalty, obviously. Gordon smashed it in with a grin that said, “this time we’re actually winning”.
Except they wasn’t. With the clock in red and the locals already celebrating, Romero flung a hopeful overhead kick that bobbled through a forest of legs and somehow ended up in the net, Ramsdale collapsing like he’d been mugged.
Newcastle were raging, Spurs were relieved, and nobody had the faintest idea how the last few minutes turned into slapstick.
It finishes 2-2, which probably isn’t much good to anyone, but Spurs might pretend it is, given the run they’re in. Newcastle, meanwhile, walk off wondering how on earth they didn’t win a match they basically owned.