Newcastle must look elsewhere for top four danger as…

Newcastle must look elsewhere for top four danger as Magpies prove how deep Tottenham turmoil runs

Where to even begin after such a sublime St James' Park Sunday? Newcastle United's 6-1 scoreline over Tottenham Hotspur doesn't even begin to tell the story after one of the most frenetic and frightening 21-minute spells of football in Magpies history.

Not even half of the opening 45 minutes had passed and Spurs fans were piling towards the exits to watch how the rest of the game unfolded in the pub. The Geordie faithful, on the other hand, were enjoying one of the most memorable starts to a Premier League game in the division's 30-year history.

Tottenham were shellshocked from minute one. As Jacob Murphy pounced within sixty seconds, followed by Joelinton moments later, the writing was on the wall for a Spurs side who needed Sunday's game to be a turning point in their dismal season.

Instead, their pain would only get worse. There was a case of pathetic fallacy on Tyneside as the rain started to lash down after 30 minutes. Tottenham couldn't weather Newcastle's storm and were drowning fast.

Before the highly-anticipated top four showdown, Spurs were seen as Newcastle's nearest rivals for a Champions League spot. A win for Cristian Stellini's men would have seen the sides level on points with a handful of games to go. Now, the gap is at six.

In truth, the points gap does not matter any more. This Tottenham team will not be playing Champions League football next season, despite Stellini insisting qualification was still on the cards at full-time.

Davinson Sanchez was booed off against Bournemouth last weekend but it is hard to see how the St James' Park substitute could have fared worse than Cristian Romero and Eric Dier at the heart of Tottenham's defence at the weekend.

Then there is Pedro Porro, the man who was forced to temporary delete his Twitter account last week due to fan abuse. Given his woeful showing on Sunday, the account may once again be gone by Monday lunchtime.

Harry Kane doesn't look up for it. Heung-min Son looks a shell of his former self and Spurs just don't have the bottle for a Champions League push this season.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now. Tottenham are totally rudderless. Stellini is an interim manager who unsurprisingly can't get a different tune out of the same hymn sheet used by Antonio Conte.

Newcastle must now focus on the likes of Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa as they try and fend off late pushes into the top four.

Liverpool made hard work of it on Saturday when beating Nottingham Forest 3-2 at Anfield but the Reds have proven in recent weeks they can still grind out results despite struggling for consistency this season.

Aston Villa showed just how good they are at Villa Park last weekend, hammering Newcastle in a way no side has managed this season. Unai Emery will be sure to give it a good go despite being nine points behind Eddie Howe's team.

Then there is Brighton who suffered FA Cup semi-final heartbreak on Sunday, losing to Manchester United on penalties. The Seagulls are 10 points behind Newcastle at present but have two games in hand over the Magpies and three in hand over Tottenham. They are not out of it yet despite the deficit.

Newcastle, however, are certainly in the driving seat when it comes to the top four. It is theirs to lose. Howe continues to play down that fact - but fans, and undoubtedly the players, are surely starting to believe it will happen.

Tottenham, however, look to have blown it once again.

Newcastle must look elsewhere for top four danger as Magpies prove how deep Tottenham turmoil runs

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