Newcastle ran out 2-1 winners over Spurs in midweek, which proved to be the final straw for the Tottenham board who promptly sacked Thomas Frank as first-team boss.
The Magpies have been poor travellers this season, recording only their third league win away from home in north London.
But, Eddie Howe's men managed to get over the line thanks to goals from summer signings Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey.
Joe Willock sees funny side of narrowly disallowed Newcastle goal
Thiaw's opener came on the stroke of half-time, but minutes earlier Newcastle believed they had taken the lead, only to see Joe Willock's well-taken strike ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee.
Offside was called on Willock's run in behind the Spurs defence, judged to have timed his burst forward a fraction too early.
After consulting with the VAR at Stockley Park, aided by the semi-automated offside system in force in the Premier League, referee Anthony Taylor cancelled Willock's opener, much to the dismay of the Newcastle midfielder.
The decision proved immaterial to the result but replays showed just how close Willock had come to being given as onside.
It was the player's forehead which was deemed to have infringed, positioned ever so slightly ahead of Spurs defender Micky van de Ven's shoulder, which served as the last line.
The call was a harsh one and among the closest seen in the Premier League this season, leading Willock to comment on the decision via his social media channels.
The former Arsenal man offered a comical retort on his Instagram story the morning after Newcastle's eventual victory.
📲Joe Willock on Instagram following his disallowed goal v Spurs 👀 pic.twitter.com/EPwcB3mlpSFebruary 11, 2026
Accompanied by a screengrab of the semi-automated offside call, Willock wrote: "If only I got a trim before the game", suggesting he should have gone for a haircut, highlighting how fine the margin of offside was.
Willock scored with his head during the Magpies' recent 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League but is still in search of his first league goal of the 2025/26 campaign.
