As half-time approached, the start of a new Saudi Arabia-led era for Newcastle United and the sight of Tottenham’s Harry Kane scoring a decent goal became insignificant. As Nuno Espirito Santo’s side prepared to turn a corner, a spectator collapsed into the East Stand and the lasting memory of a strange afternoon on Gallogate would be the sight of Sergio Reguilon telling his teammates to drop that set piece. Because she and Eric Dier were on alert. The referee of the emergency unfolding behind them.
Dear then raced into the tech sector, demanding that someone bring a defibrillator, and his quick thinking is worthy of praise. Newcastle’s club doctor, Paul Catterson, ran across the pitch with the requested equipment, the gravity of the situation drowned out and an eerie calm descended.
The referee, André Mariner, removed the players from the pitch after the spectators received the treatment. When welcome news surfaced that she had been stabilized and was being taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, which is located in the shadow of St James’s Park, play resumed. But the joy and optimism of the afternoon had vanished.
Yasser al-Rumayyan, the majority owners of Newcastle, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and a non-executive director of the club, came for the match. He seemed quite emotional, minutes before kick-off, he took his seat in the directors’ box and almost the entire stadium stood in unison to give him a standing ovation.
The atmosphere was so electric that it could probably generate enough power to keep the whole of North-East England illuminated all winter. The record book shows that, in the second minute, Callum Wilson marked his return from a thigh injury by stealing in front of Christian Romero and giving Newcastle the lead. But it may well have been sucked behind Hugo Lloris’ nets by the home crowd high on adrenaline.
Even so, it looked like Bruce had a player. The goal was reached at the end of a lavishly flowing move, in which Alain Saint-Maximin played a clever short pass to the overbearing Javier Manquillo, as Nuno achieved the expression of a man who had spent a long, awkward, afternoon. was afraid of
For a while Tottenham failed to react. Nuno’s team looked good at half a yard off pace and in danger of being swept away by a tidal wave of black-and-white sentiment. With excitement whenever Saint-Maximin touched the ball and something the Frenchman’s teammates had rarely seen in recent months, Bruce might have imagined it would not be his last. Finally in charge.
That’s when the infiltration in reality happened. This Newcastle XI isn’t good enough to keep zipping passes slowly along the ground all afternoon, and of course they’ve lost concentration momentarily. The slip in focus was enough to allow Reguilon to catch an unmarked Tangui Nombele, who was given enough space and time to make an excellent shot just beyond Carl Darlow’s reach.
After a while, Harry Kane remembered that the form is only temporary and that the square is permanent. As Pierre-mile Hojberg secured a through pass, the England centre-forward checked his run long enough to remain onside before flicking the ball past the advancing Darlow. Although the goal was initially denied for offside, it was properly reinstated by VAR. While Al-Rumayyan and his fellow director Amanda Staveli were previously jumping with joy, they were now staring, dead, on the ground.
Sadly, soon after that medical emergency, concern was clearly visible on their faces. Hats off to Reguilon, Dear and their teammates for heeding the supporters’ cries for help.
Once the indefinite 20-minute hiatus came to an end and a round of applause for the doctors faded away, the field became strangely quiet. No one seemed to understand how to react, or even if they still wanted to watch the game. Back on the pitch, Newcastle struggled to regain momentum and Spurs assumed near total control when Lucas Moura used his quick feet to cool off Isaac Hayden before finding Kane in the penalty area. Selflessly, Kane played a low pass into the six-yard box to better-placed Son Heung-min to redirect ahead of Darlow.
Some two-round cushions are more comfortable than others and, for all of Tottenham’s sudden, initially impossible dominance, for all the monopoly of their possession, they range from Saint-Maximin’s shoulder-dropping ability to change the narrative. Be careful.
Yet even the French could not win the game alone and as the clock ticked, the field reverberated with chants of “We want to bruise out”. It wasn’t the way the manager wanted to mark his 1,000th game in management, but it was until second-half substitute Jonzo Shelvey was sent off for his second yellow card offense – an oddly one on Reguilon. Bruce would have wished that Newcastle bosses had sacked him last week as originally planned – just outside the self-destructive travel zone.
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With Matt Ritchie avoiding a VAR check for potentially conceding a handball penalty, his side were making Spurs a much better side than they really are.
Dier’s own goal added a semblance of purely cosmetic honor to the scoreline, but without a win for the entire season, Newcastle are in trouble. Saudi Arabia has to make some big decisions.