Alan Shearer left St James\u2019 Park on Tuesday night with mixed feelings\u2014pleased by Newcastle United\u2019s overall display against Tottenham Hotspur, yet frustrated by the final outcome. It was a reaction shared widely among the fanbase, who watched their side take the lead twice but ultimately settle for a 2-2 draw.<\/p>\n
For much of the match, Eddie Howe\u2019s team looked quicker, more aggressive, and far more threatening than Spurs. They controlled the ball, dictated the rhythm, and created several clear chances long before finally breaking through in the 71st minute. But their failure to convert earlier opportunities proved costly, leaving both Shearer and the supporters wondering how they didn\u2019t put the result beyond doubt.<\/p>\n
Shearer Annoyed by Missed Opportunities Despite Strong Performance<\/p>\n
On The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer made his irritation clear. Though impressed by Newcastle\u2019s intensity and fluid attacking play, he said their lack of a cutting edge was their downfall.<\/p>\n
Lineker revealed that Shearer had been messaging him throughout the game, insisting Newcastle should have been out of sight by halftime.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were texting saying Newcastle should be three up,\u201d Lineker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the big frustration tonight,\u201d Shearer responded. \u201cI thought they played really well. The intensity was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He praised Newcastle\u2019s full-backs for their energy and defensive control, pointing out how they limited Spurs to almost nothing in the first half. He listed Miley\u2019s huge chance, Joelinton hitting the post, and various other openings as proof of their dominance. But by failing to score early, Newcastle left themselves exposed\u2014something Shearer warned is always dangerous in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
He also noted Eddie Howe\u2019s halftime change, swapping Sandro Tonali for Bruno Guimar\u00e3es.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if Tonali was injured or not, but Bruno was outstanding in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newcastle Lose Their Grip and Allow Spurs Back Into the Game<\/p>\n
Despite building a strong foundation, Newcastle\u2019s second-half control crumbled. Their composure disappeared, their passing deteriorated, and instead of calming the game down, they repeatedly invited pressure.<\/p>\n
Joelinton, who had been influential early on, continually gave the ball away in risky areas. Across the pitch, Newcastle surrendered possession cheaply, giving Tottenham momentum they hadn\u2019t been able to create on their own.<\/p>\n
That carelessness proved fatal.<\/p>\n
Spurs dragged themselves level twice\u2014first after Newcastle\u2019s opener and then deep in added time after Gordon restored the lead. Rather than seeing out the match with composure, Howe\u2019s team backed off, hesitated, and ultimately paid the price.<\/p>\n
After full-time, Bruno Guimar\u00e3es criticised the team\u2019s mentality, and it was hard to disagree. Newcastle had been in complete control at several stages and had the chance to finish the match, but lacked the ruthlessness required.<\/p>\n
The 95th-minute equaliser felt like a punch to the stomach, but Newcastle only had themselves to blame.<\/p>\n
A Performance Full of Promise, but Ending in Disappointment<\/p>\n
For Shearer and the fans, the night highlighted Newcastle\u2019s recurring issues: good football undone by lapses in focus, missed opportunities, and a lack of killer instinct. The effort and intensity were there\u2014but the finishing and game management were not.<\/p>\n
There were positives, but the overriding emotion was regret. Newcastle had the win within reach\u2014twice\u2014and let it slip.<\/p>\n
And in the Premier League, chances like that don\u2019t come often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alan Shearer left St James\u2019 Park on Tuesday night with mixed feelings\u2014pleased by Newcastle United\u2019s overall display against Tottenham Hotspur, yet frustrated by the final outcome. It was a reaction shared widely among the fanbase, who watched their side take the lead twice but ultimately settle for a 2-2 draw. For much of the match, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":56116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/images-2025-12-03T093330.634.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56115"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56118,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56115\/revisions\/56118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}