Isak strike punishes Postecoglou's wasteful Spurs
Alexander Isak’s late strike punished a wasteful Tottenham Hotspur as Newcastle United emerged the 2-1 winner in an enthralling Premier League encounter at St. James’ Park.
The hosts took the lead against the run of play in the 37th minute as Harvey Barnes struck inside the box to give the Magpies a half-time advantage.
After dominating for much of the game, Spurs were gifted their just rewards in the second half as substitute Brennan Johnson saw his effort turned home by Dan Burn.
But Isak struck the decisive blow 12 minutes from time with a simple finish to hand Eddie Howe’s side another victory on home soil this term.
Newcastle’s triumph sees it maintain its unbeaten start to the season and go fourth in the early standings.
Spurs, meanwhile, sit in 10th, just inside the top half.
Ange Postecoglou's side has now lost four of its past six away Premier League games, more than its first 15 on the road under the Australian combined.
But he believes Tottenham's latest defeat epitomised the "story of our season so far".
"We played well and controlled the game for the most part. They were a threat in transition, but we still had enough chances to win the game comfortably," he said.
"I thought we were handling the transitions. The goal we conceded in the second half was sloppy and we lost focus. The game should have been put to bed a lot longer before that.
"What I know is if we continue to play like that, we will get our rewards. It's not an easy place to come. The way we controlled the game was really pleasing. It's three good performances, but not the results that reflect that."
Newcastle boss Howe, meanwhile, paid tribute to Newcastle's fans for their support of Sandro Tonali, who made his Premier League return from a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations.
Many Italy-themed flags were on display before the game in support of the midfielder, who also appeared from the bench in the midweek Carabao Cup clash with Nottingham Forest, while a banner read: 'Midfield maestro from Milano'.
"I didn't know that was going to happen with the wall of flags, so it was a brilliant surprise," Howe said. "Visually, it was incredible.
"Sandro was emotional and his performance when he came on was outstanding. It was just amazing from the fans, it does not surprise me, but it's so important that the relationship between players and supporters is so strong.
"It was very different to [him coming on in the] Nottingham Forest game. We were in need of a spark and I thought he gave us that."
Meanwhile, matchwinner Isak also saluted Newcastle's supporters after opening his account for the campaign to secure all three points.
"It is my first goal for the season so it's a good feeling to score and get the win," he said.
"Generally, we weren't expecting to have too much of the ball. We wanted to be dangerous on the counter-attack. It wasn't the most beautiful game from our side, but we defended really well and scored two, so that's good.
"We've always felt like we have that extra energy at home. We have spoken about using that. In the second half, when we had a bit of a dip in our performance, we got some energy. Small changes made a big difference and really helped us get the win."