Pochettino’s team ground out a win which suggests they will be among the Premier League’s front-runners this season. They were not without fortune, the hosts striking their woodwork twice in an at times frenetic second half, as Tottenham secured a second consecutive opening-day victory on Tyneside. This was the kind of gritty away display on which successful campaigns are built.
Harry Kane was among those returning to action with almost indecent haste, and although Pochettino begged to differ, the England captain understandably lacked sharpness following his Golden-Boot-winning exploits as his wait for a goal in August stretched towards 1,000 minutes, spanning 14 games. “He can’t score three every time plays,” mitigated the manager.
The winner was simple in its construction and should have been dealt with, but Newcastle allowed Alli a free run at the far post to send a precise header back across Dubravka into the far corner from Serge Aurier’s whipped cross from the right.
An increasingly open second period surprisingly failed to produce further addition to the score. Dubravka saved well to deny Alli a second when the midfielder arrived in the area to deflect Kane’s mis-hit shot towards goal. The Slovakian goalkeeper provided an even better stop to keep out a well-struck first-time effort from former Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko.