Cristian Romero delivered a spectacular finale at St James' Park, scoring an acrobatic overhead kick in the fifth minute of added time to snatch a 2-2 draw for Tottenham Hotspur and deny Newcastle United a third successive league win. The Tottenham captain had already cancelled out Bruno Guimarães' 71st-minute opener before Anthony Gordon's late penalty, awarded after a VAR review, appeared to have clinched the points for Eddie Howe's side.
Newcastle had dominated large spells, particularly before the break, yet their inability to defend two late set-pieces allowed Romero to strike twice and ensure both sides remained in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Instead of slipping to what would have been a fourth straight defeat in all competitions and a sixth loss in eight games, Spurs escaped Tyneside with a point that eased, at least temporarily, the scrutiny on manager Thomas Frank and kept them above Newcastle in 11th place.
Newcastle's high press suffocates Spurs early on
The pattern was established quickly as Newcastle, roared on by a full St James' Park crowd, pressed high and hard. Harvey Barnes saw an early cross, which was nodded clear. Lewis Hall dragged a shot past the post, and Nick Woltemade flicked a header over as Howe's side repeatedly turned Spurs over high up the pitch.