Tottenham Hotspur have been in the midst of a defensive crisis, and their problems at the back showed in the Lilywhites fixture against Newcastle United at White Hart Lane earlier today as Ange Postecoglou’s side struggled to put together a convincing performance.
The hosts took an early lead when Dominic Solanke headed in past Nick Pope from a pitch-perfect cross from Pedro Porro. As the Lilywhites supporters celebrated the goal, Newcastle United responded with an equaliser just a few minutes later when Anthony Gordon punished Ange Postecoglou’s side with a clinical low finish.
The hosts gave away possession in their own half as Spurs’ defence was caught off guard. However, the players and fans were left fuming as the ball appeared to have struck visitors midfielder Joelinton Cássio Apolinário de Lira’s hands in the sequence leading up to the goal. And while VAR checked if it was a goal, they stayed with the decision of goal.
Potential handball in the leadup to the goal as Newcastle defeat Tottenham
Former Premier League defender Curtis Davies expressed his surprise about how the goal was not ruled out for handball on BBC Radio 5 Live. He said (via. BBC):
Spurs…again giving the ball away. The ball is played by Lucas Bergvall, and he is trying to play it wide. Bruno Guimaraes gets the block and then a simple ball into Anthony Gordon. I have no idea about the handball rule anymore.
A lot could be blamed on VAR, but there are also ample problems at the back, and these defensive frailties were evident in the game against Newcastle United, where at one point it looked like the visitors were going to score every time they went forward.
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Ange Postecoglou and his staff must address these problems to avoid further setbacks (it looks like we have been saying this all season without any remorse).