EPL: Newcastle United deny Tottenham Hotspurs return to top four in 2-2 draw

This result leaves the Hotspurs in the 5th spot with 49 points which is two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Image By: Football 24

Tottenham Hotspurs were unable to move up to provisional 4th place in the English Premier League after Newcastle United held them to a 2-2 draw with a late equalizer from substitute Joe Willock at St James Park on Sunday.

This result leaves the Hotspurs at 5th place with 49 points, two points behind 4th placed Chelsea, but here West Ham United can go above both of their London opponents into the Champions League spots if they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. It is the 6th time when the Spurs have failed to win a league game this season when they were leading at half-time.

Harry Kane gave Tottenham the lead with two goals in four minutes in the 1st half after Joelinton's opening goal for Newcastle United before Arsenal's Willock struck to earn a point.

"Whenever you're ahead in a game, as we have been a lot this season, and you give the lead away in the last 5 to 10 minutes, it's always hard to take," Kane told BBC Sport.

Newcastle United took the lead after 28 minutes when Sean Longstaff with the ball found Joelinton at the far post for the Brazilian to fire a goal. However, the lead lasted barely 90 seconds as Spurs hit back when Kane received the ball from Giovani Lo Celso's pass and tapped into the net two minutes later. England's striker Harry Kane doubled the visitor's lead in the 34th minute. 

Hotspurs were quieter in the 2nd half as Newcastle grew into the game but Kane had a golden opportunity to score a hat-trick on a counter-attack but his effort wasn't enough.

"I feel like we could have played better in the 2nd half. We were a bit sloppy. We didn't take our chances and got punished for it," Kane added in the same talk with BBC.

Newcastle's continuous effort finally paid off in the 85th minute when Willock rushed on a rebound at the back post to equalize after Tottenham failed to clear Joelinton's header.