Five things we learned as Newcastle bounced back with a 2-1 win over Spurs
Bruno Guimaraes pushes Eddie Howe forward to take the applause of the fans
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Newcastle United gained some much-needed capital from their trip to London as they earned only their third away win of the season in the Premier League after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.
The pressure had been on Eddie Howe and the players after four defeats on the spin in all competitions, but goals from Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey gave them a deserved three points. Archie Gray had cancelled out Thiaw's opener as Spurs hit back but Newcastle were not to be denied.
Here's five things we learned from the game.
Captain's example
The build-up to the game was dominated by talk about Howe's future. The Newcastle boss may not have been teetering like Sir Kier Starmer this week but he needed to come out fighting in his Monday briefing, just like the Labour Prime Minister did.
And just like Starmer, he had the support of his leaders. Captain Bruno Guimaraes's post about 'not letting go of anyone' in the aftermath of the Brentford loss showed the dressing room are right behind their manager.
Howe and the players still needed to back that up with a positive result and boy, they got one in North London. The relief was palpable at the end and the United boss, not known for his outward show of emotions, couldn't resist. Guimaraes showed his class by pushing the manager in front of the fans to take the acclaim on his own and Howe responded with a fist-pumping, arm-waving celebration to the Toon Army who had chanted his name all the way through the game.
Howe spoke of the club's spirit and unity being vital in times of trouble. He got that in spades.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe celebrates the win over Spurs with Kieran Trippier
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Leadership shines through
Bruno wasn't the only senior player to speak out at the weekend. Kieran Trippier was honest about his own performance and what was needed from the senior players on Saturday night. He called for calm heads and for the senior players to take responsibility too.
Much has been said about the leadership group at Newcastle and under Howe, there's no doubt it has played a key role in their success.
Howe had a lot of them out on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. At one point, all five looked to be seeing the game out until Guimaraes pulled a hamstring. Whether Trippier would have started had Lewis Miley been fit, is unlikely. Burn missed out on Saturday but was brought in to give Hall a rest while Jacob Murphy added some nous on the right as a second-half substitute.
One win doesn't mean Newcastle are out of the woods just yet. When the going gets tough over the next few weeks, the Magpies manager will need to lean on them even more.
Howe wanted to leave more stars out
The starting XI raised more than a few eyebrows when it dropped. Lewis Hall and Sandro Tonali on the bench, along with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.
Howe was always going to ring the changes after the dismal showing against Brentford, though he insisted that the players left out were more down to protecting them from fatigue, rather than a problem with the performance levels.
He admitted that he wished he had been able to leave more of his stars out. Thiaw and Trippier both look in need of a rest
"It was definitely part of our thinking," he said about freshening up the team. "We have a number of players who have played not at their best physical level in recent weeks and I think that has shown in some of our performances and results. Today we've tried to mix things up as best as we can.
"I still feel there's a couple more ideally we would have done but we don't have the luxury to do that."
Electric Elanga
Anthony Elanga has been gradually showing what he can do in a Newcastle shirt over the last few weeks. There have been some impressive cameos, some bright moments and a brilliant first goal for the club over recent games.
It was a surprise to many that after his strike against Man City, the winger was left out of the starting line-up against Brentford at the weekend but Howe didn't make the same mistake twice, choosing his £55m summer signing from the off at Spurs.
Elanga repaid him with an electric first-half display. He was at the centre of all of Newcastle's early threat, with his pace and directness causing Djed Spence problems. He put in three great crosses inside the first 10 minutes and was unlucky not to get an assist.
Positive signs from the Swede who could turn out to have a big role to play in the second half of the season.
Anthony Elanga of Newcastle United is challenged by Djed Spence
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Back in the hunt for Europe
The mad thing about this Premier League season is that it's so tight, with everyone beating everyone else (bar Arsenal, perhaps). As bad a campaign it's been for the Magpies, they are still within touching distance of a European spot.
Chelsea are in fifth, which is likely to be a Champions League spot. Newcastle are eight points behind them after the Blues threw away a two-goal lead against Leeds.
Liverpool, who go to Sunderland tonight, are sixth, just three points better off than Newcastle who moved up to 10th. A Europa League place next season is not beyond the realms of possibility if they can string a few wins together.
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