Tottenham began the evening by parading £300m of new signings before kick-off, a conga line of talent that included three title winners, like the world’s most luxurious eight-a-side team inside the Premier League’s most luxurious stadium. Yet they finished this game much like they finished last season, looking like a team who might have just enough to beat the drop if they really dig in.
This was a slightly improved display on the disastrous 3-0 defeat at Brentford last weekend. Tottenham enjoyed spells of controlled possession and created better chances than Newcastle, certainly for the first hour. They opened up promising situations for wingers Mathys Tel and Pedro Porro. But, troublingly, considering Roberto De Zerbi handed a debut to new striker Omar Marmoush here, Spurs were tame and toothless in attack, lacking any punch, like a boxer wearing one of those giant foam hands.
