:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28511361/469001277.0.jpg)
Tottenham Hotspur will be feeling a bit more confident about their ability to challenge for fourth place after a brilliant performance at St. James' Park on Wednesday. Spurs were at their best from start to finish and, with a bit of help from Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul, eventually earned a 4-0 victory.
Spurs were on top for most of the game leading up to the opening goal, which was the first of two on the night for Emmanuel Adebayor. The finish was composed, but the story was the setup, which came from Nabil Bentaleb. The young Frenchman was freed up to get forward by the presence of Etienne Capoue in the side and made the most of it, muscling Moussa Sissoko to the ground before delivering a cross into the box. Krul parried, but right into the path of Adebayor, who finished easily.
Paulinho poked in Spurs' second in the 53rd minute, again aided by Krul. He did a very poor job dealing with a long shot from Adebayor, punching it straight into the path of Paulinho, who was in a perfect spot to capitalize.
Newcastle had a couple of opportunities to pull a goal back in the second half and make things interesting, but they were denied on a couple of occasions by Hugo Lloris in spectacular fashion. He punched away a stinging shot by Yoan Gouffran in the 73rd minute, than bettered himself with an even more spectacular save on Papiss Cisse in the 80th minute.
From there, things got ugly for the hosts. Adebayor notched his second off another Krul error, volleying in from 15 yards after Krul failed to get much power on his punch of an Andros Townsend shot. Five minutes after that, Nacer Chadli capped off the scoring, curling a stunner to the back post around Krul from 25 yards.
Notes:
- YOUNES THA GOD
- Seriously though, if Younes Kaboul had been healthy all season, AVB would have a job and we'd be in the top four. Not that I like AVB better than Sherwood, just saying that he wouldn't have been canned because we'd be awesome. The difference between Kaboul and Vlad/Daws is huge. He's world class when at his best.
- I kinda liked this FRAAB thing. It's not ideal when Eriksen and Lamela are fully fit, but it was nice. It worked.
- Holy crap Tim Krul is awful.
- WHAT A RESULT Y'ALL.
