5-0 down after 20 minutes against Newcastle. While fans might think this is a remarkable occurrence, the reality is that this has happened to Tottenham before against Newcastle.
Tottenham’s biggest loss in Premier League history came against Newcastle United on December 28, 1996, when they lost 7-1 at St James’ Park courtesy of twin braces from Alan Shearer, Lee and Ferdinand.
Tottenham’s biggest loss in PL history
Spurs’ record against Newcastle has been curiously full of embarrassing losses. Be it the 2015/16 season when they lost 5-0 to the Magpies after being in the title race and eventually finishing third, or their biggest loss in Premier League history.
It was almost matched on Matchday 32 as Tottenham started off the game against Newcastle inauspiciously. The North Londoners were down 5-0 in just 21 minutes of football as Newcastle’s fiery start blew them away. However, the unfortunate record was safe as Tottenham “only” lost 6-1 instead.
Something similar happened during the 7-1 loss. However, in a bit of irony, Newcastle scored their first goal that day in the 20th minute through Alan Shearer.
The record PL goalscorer opened the floodgates as Newcastle hit Spurs with one sucker punch after another in a flurry that stopped with Lee’s goal in the 88th minute. There was a consolation effort by Nielsen of Tottenham in the 89th minute.
Biggest half-time lead in Premier League history
The 5-0 drubbing by Newcastle in 20 minutes also created the record for the biggest halftime lead in Premier League history.
It matched the earlier record set by Leicester in that memorable 9-0 win against Southampton.
Who is Tottenham’s manager?
This will go down as a blot on manager Cristian Stellini’s record. The Italian took over from Conte when Spurs were well placed to make a run for 4th place and eventual UCL qualification. However, since his appointment, Spurs have been on a consistent downward trend.
This loss pretty much confirms they are out of the race for UCL qualification. Moreover, with Brighton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brentford finding form behind them, they now face a fight to stay in European places.