Spurs (A) player ratings: We were minutes away from not awarding a POTM at all

Tottenham Hotspur made light work of Newcastle United on a disappointing evening when no player in away colours did themselves any justice.

It could have been such a different contest had Anthony Gordon not failed to find Alexander Isak on a couple of key occasions early on, however, while Miguel Almirón's one-on-one finishing again let him down.

As soon as Spurs got their noses in front through Destiny Udogie in the 26th minute it didn't look likely to be anything other than a convincing home win, though, with the Magpies very obviously running on fumes.

Despite the fatigue excuse—which is, of course, a very valid one—there was little to like about this Newcastle performance. We were sloppy in possession, poor in front of goal, and lacking in leadership.

It will be no surprise at all, then, that these ratings are even worse than the ones we reluctantly dished out on Thursday night.

This was another game too far for the same outfield players

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Martin Dúbravka – 3

If the Slovakian keeps up this level of performance, then there's no doubt that Dan Ashworth and Co. will be scouring the market for a new stopper in January. Even though he made seven saves in the game, only one of them was of any real quality and it came at 4–0.

Kieran Trippier – 3

After his horror show on Merseyside on Thursday, Tripps put in a similarly error-laden display that was punished by the dangerous Son. He failed to stop the cross for the first then got his header wrong and was then rinsed again one-on-one for the second.

Jamaal Lascelles (c) – 3

This type of game doesn't suit Lascelles at all and he struggled badly. He was lead-footed for the first and second, caught under the ball for the third, and lost Son on the fourth. On the positive side of things, his passing was again as good as it has ever been.

Fabian Schär – 5

While Fab's passing was much better here than it was against Everton, it was still lacking when compared to his usual imperious standard. Although not as individually to blame as the rest of the back four for the Spurs goals, he did little to quell the host's constant threat.

Tino Livramento – 4

This was easily Tino's poorest showing so far since becoming a starter and he did not enjoy being up against the wily Dejan Kulusevski at all. He barely had an opportunity to impact proceedings higher up the pitch, either, such was Spurs' dominance of the match.

Lewis Miley – 5

He's done brilliantly to play so many minutes in such a short space of time, but he struggled to make much of an impact on this game. He remained composed and tidy in possession but found it hard going defensively and was constantly letting people run off him.

Bruno Guimarães – 4

Bruno played this one as if he was wearing lead boots and it was much more in keeping with his early season showings than his more recent ones. He failed to track Udogie's run for the first and spent much of the game being pulled out of position and bypassed.

Joelinton – 6 ⭐️

Got his customary goal against Spurs and was probably the best of a bad bunch even before that, but this was hardly a classic Joelinton performance. He did set Gordon away for our first big chance, though, and at least made it look like he was giving everything.

Miguel Almirón – 4

His best contribution to the contest was his goalline clearance from Romero at 0-0, but otherwise, this was another night to forget for the Paraguayan. He had our best clear chance of the game and made a mess of it, much like he did at Goodison a few days ago.

Alexander Isak – 4

Wilson being back is probably the best thing that could happen to Isak at the moment. There's no way he can be fit with the displays he's been putting in because he's absolutely miles off his level. His movement for the early cross supplied by Gordon was shocking.

Anthony Gordon – 5

He is in real need of a break. He's been magic this season and was still probably our most threatening attacker here, but his razor-sharpness has disappeared. His failure to find Isak early on was poor, but he got no help from the striker a short while later when crossing it.

It was great to see Longstaff and Wilson back on the pitch

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Callum Wilson – 6

Although there were signs of rust in his cameo, he got the assist with an unselfish pass for Joelinton and unsettled the Spurs backline with his hustle and bustle.

Sean Longstaff – 5

Much like with Wilson, there were plenty of signs of rust in Longy's display but he grew into things and this 30+ minutes won't do his comeback any harm at all.

Matt Ritchie – 5

He was tidy without ever doing much to threaten the hosts but we all know he should be nowhere near our first team at this stage of his career.

Lewis Hall – 5

He was involved plenty despite not arriving until the 74th minute and didn't shirk anything. He's extremely raw, but there's huge potential there.

Emil Krafth – 5

Krafthu enjoyed another brief runout as he continues his road back to full fitness following that horror injury.

Next up for the Magpies is AC Milan at home

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The biggest game of this already-exhausting season is upon us, with the Rossoneri visiting St James' for an 8 p.m. kick-off on Wednesday evening. It'll be on TNT Sports in the UK.

If we win and PSG either draw or lose in Dortmund, we'll go through to the round of 16. If both ourselves and PSG win—or if we draw—we'll drop into the Europa League round of 32. If we lose, we're out of Europe altogether.

Regardless of the last two results and the ongoing injury crisis, these are the nights we've been dreaming and reminiscing about for years. It's time for all of us to dig deep and make Wednesday 13th December 2023 a date that becomes part of NUFC folklore.

Howay the lads!