A tactical message scrawled on a piece of paper passed from Bruno Guimaraes to Jonjo Shelvey lay in tatters on the lush turf at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight after a tough afternoon for the Magpies in the capital.
At 3-1 down, and the damage arguably done, Newcastle United dropped Shelvey into a back five before quickly changing tact and opting for damage limitation as Jamaal Lascelles returned to the fold. No matter what United tried after the break though went wrong and in truth, it could have been even worse.
On a day that had at one stage promised so much as Swiss defender Fabian Schar hammered home a free-kick with just six first half minutes remaining, a week of trawling through video content now awaits. Even after defensive alterations, Newcastle could not avoid a hammering in the capital and while they remain clear of the relegation zone this felt like a wake up call in North London.
