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Newcastle United dropped more points in the Premier League on Tuesday night, drawing 2-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in a chaotic game.

Eddie Howe’s side were the dominant team at St. James’ Park, but could not prevent Spurs’ only two shots on target from going in the back of the net.

After a goalless first half, it took until the 71st minute for the deadlock to be broken. It was Magpies midfielder Bruno Guimaraes who opened the scoring. He strolled onto Nick Woltemade’s layoff and fired home to give his side the lead, after good play by Anthony Gordon.

Just six minutes later, Spurs had their equaliser. Cristian Romero got in front of Dan Burn to score a clever diving header at the near post.

However, it did not take long for the home side to get back in front. They won a contentious penalty, which Gordon emphatically scored, his first Premier League strike since January.

Just as it looked like the Magpies might hold on, Spurs equalised, five minutes into added time. It was their captain, Romero, again, whose acrobatic overhead kick somehow found its way through a mass of Newcastle shirts and into the back of the net.

It was a disappointing result for the Magpies in a game they dominated. Indeed, their attack left a little to be desired.

Newcastle’s misfiring attack vs. Spurs

After scoring four goals at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Everton last weekend, the Magpies might have expected to continue that sort of form.

However, they could only turn their 19 shots, and seven on target, into two goals, which proved to be too few.

One man who struggled to get into the game was Woltemade.

Although he grabbed the assist for Guimaraes’ goal, a neat lay-off into the Brazilian’s path, it was a tough night against the physicality of Romero and Mickey van de Ven.

The summer signing only had 36 touches of the ball and lost possession 12 times, as per Sofascore. He could only muster two shots and was often left fairly isolated against the Spurs centre-backs.

Another attacker who struggled for the Magpies was Jacob Murphy. The winger was unusually sloppy in the final third, completing just three out of ten attempted crosses.

Jordan Cronin, journalist for Newcastle World, said he ‘lacked conviction and concentration’ during the game.

However, it was not just Woltemade and Murphy who struggled against the Lilywhites.

Newcastle’s most disappointing player vs. Spurs

For all their domination, the Magpies struggled to get a real grip on the game. Indeed, Joelinton was another player who looked off the pace and did not have the sort of impact going forward that Howe might have wanted from him.

It was notable just how poorly the Brazilian performed on Tuesday night. Cronin was one of the people who criticised him, giving him a 5/10 for his efforts and explaining that he ‘needlessly gave the ball away’ too many times.

His fellow journalist, Charlie Bennett, also noted that Joelinton was “very sloppy” on the ball. The stats back that theory up, with Newcastle’s number seven losing the ball 11 times out of 49 touches, and having a pass accuracy of just 83%.

Touches

49

Pass accuracy

83%

Possession lost

11

Ground duels won

3/10

Number of times dribbled past

3

Key passes

1

It feels like Howe has an interesting selection call to make ahead of Newcastle’s next game, at home against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

It is a game you can expect the Magpies to dominate, so perhaps their manager will want midfielders who look after the ball better.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

There are options, too. It seems almost certain that Guimaraes will slot back into the side after he only played 45 minutes on Tuesday, replacing Sandro Tonali.

Lewis Miley would deserve to keep his place in the starting lineup, and Jacob Ramsey is another player who could come into the fold.

Joelinton’s poor showing against Spurs may well have cost him his place in the side. Howe has other players at his disposal, all of whom may offer him extra quality on the ball.

It would certainly not be a surprise if Joelinton was rotated out of the side against the Clarets.

Fewer passes than Ramsdale: Howe must drop 6/10 Newcastle star after Spurs

Newcastle United were denied another Premier League win by Tottenham Hotspur last night.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 3, 2025

Travis Head’s remarkable century in Perth, and his comments that it’s a role he has talked about doing, is posing a tough call for selectors

Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-20252:24

Head innings should not give England an ‘out’

Khawaja – the argument for

If Khawaja was one of the best two opening options before the first Test, then, if he has overcome the back problems, surely he still is a few days later. It was unfortunate timing to get a bad back, but he’s not the first player to suffer that. He got a very good ball from Brydon Carse in the first innings in Perth, which he could only feather to the wicketkeeper.Related

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• England are not panicking – yet

Could this be a case of being careful what you wish for? There was a clamour to move David Warner aside before he left the Test stage in early 2024, and since then, Australia have been on a merry-go-round of openers. Clearly, Khawaja does not have masses of time left as a Test cricketer, but you need to be sure before jettisoning his experience: 6055 Test runs at an average of 43.56.Since the 2023 Ashes, it has been more of a struggle for Khawaja. He averages 31.84 in this period, but he’s doing the toughest role in Test cricket. While the runs may not have flowed freely – and let’s not erase that 232 against Sri Lanka from his record, otherwise a lot of players’ performances need to be questioned – he has still been able to soak up valuable time in the middle.For example, in the West Indies earlier this year, he faced over 300 balls – and only two batters survived more in the series. If part of the aim of the top order is to take the sting out of the new ball, start to tire England’s bowlers, and lay a base for the likes of Travis Head to flourish, there’s a role Khawaja can still play.Usman Khawaja averages 50.08 in first-class cricket at the Gabba•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesIt wasn’t as though he had come into the series in poor domestic form: his scores for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield were 69, 46, 0 and 87. Another factor to consider is Khawaja has an excellent record at the Gabba, where he averages 50.08 in first-class cricket at his home ground, and, significantly, 50.20 against the pink ball.It’s also one thing playing the way Head did when there’s a final target to focus on, rather than setting up a Test on the first day or in the first innings. There is also no doubt about Head’s destructive and match-winning abilities at No. 5.There is a middle ground to this. Head could move up to open, and Khawaja could slot in at No. 5, the spot where he returned to Test cricket with twin hundreds against England at the SCG in early 2022. There is also the notion of the flexible batting order, where, for example, Khawaja could open in the first innings but perhaps not in the second, depending on the game situation.

Khawaja – the argument against

Sometimes there is a course of events that makes an irresistible case. You could easily say that happened with Head’s innings in Perth, especially when the man himself said he had been offering to take up the role since Warner’s retirement.While Head’s innings finished in a flurry of shots, some verging on outrageous, it was the early stages that set things up for him, and suggested he has the game to do it for the longer term. Head was on 3 off 14 balls at one stage, before whipping Gus Atkinson through midwicket for the first of his 16 fours; his first really adventurous shot came when he ramped Carse over the slips in the eighth over. He hadn’t just come out swinging from ball one.Travis Head flourished with a century as opener in the Perth Test•Getty ImagesThere are currently more viable candidates for middle-order roles in the Australia Test side than there are for opening. Two of them, Beau Webster and Josh Inglis, are in this squad – one who was very unlucky to lose his place in the first place, and another who has just scored a rapid century against England Lions. You can throw Mitchell Marsh into the mix as well, even before delving deeper into the Sheffield Shield.So moving Head up to the top does not have to be a case of weakening a strength to strengthen a weakness. Arguably, it is creating an opening where there are stronger options to choose from. Khawaja’s form has left the door ajar, too: one century in 45 Test innings, even when it is a double hundred, is a questionable record.The notion of Khawaja moving to the middle order? That could be seen as kicking the can down the road. Only a few weeks ago, Steve Waugh had criticised selection chair George Bailey for not taking the tough decisions.Khawaja himself knows how sliding-door moments can play out. His window to return to the Test side came when Head caught Covid-19 before the SCG Test in the 2021-22 Ashes. On that occasion, Khawaja made such a compelling case that Australia found a way to keep him in the side. Marcus Harris, who opened at the SCG and made 76 on a tough MCG pitch the game before, has not played a Test since.

Como star Alisha Lehmann could not resist cracking a joke after she scored for Switzerland during an international friendly defeat to Belgium. The Swiss' first outing under new head coach Rafel Navarro ended in a 2-1 defeat but Lehmann was still in good spirits afterwards. The former Juventus star stepped off the bench to score Switzerland’s only goal, and followed it up with a wry grin.

• Lehmann strikes and smiles as Switzerland fall to Belgium

  Belgium struck first through Laura Deloose in the 36th minute, with her long-range effort clipping a defender and wrong-footing the goalkeeper. Switzerland’s best moment of the evening belonged to Lehmann, who took advantage of a defensive lapse shortly after entering the match in the 64th minute. Barely settled on the pitch, she pounced on Belgium’s miscommunication, slotting home with trademark composure to level the contest at 1-1, which was her ninth international goal. Switzerland pushed back with intention but were undone again late on, when Tinne De Caigny finished off a swift counter-attack with a towering header to restore Belgium’s lead.

  Speaking afterwards, Lehmann was upbeat despite the defeat. She said: "We did a lot of things well, we had our chances. And we'll learn from the mistakes we made and do better against Wales on Tuesday. It felt good. Also that I got more playing minutes again."

  Her goal was her fourth against Belgium, and she added: "The Belgians seem to suit me."

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• AFP
  

  A journey across continents and leagues

  Lehmann’s path from a talented teenager in Switzerland to a global figure in women’s football has been anything but linear. She moved to England at just 19 after breaking through at BSC YB Frauen, signing for West Ham United in the Women’s Super League. During her three seasons with the Hammers, she became a central figure in their 2018–19 FA Cup run, finishing as a finalist in one of the club’s most memorable campaigns. A short spell at Everton followed in 2021 before Lehmann settled at Aston Villa, where she spent three seasons. But after years in the WSL, she sought a new challenge, one rooted not only in footballing ambition. In the summer of 2024, she left England for Italy, joining Juventus and immediately tasting silverware as the Bianconere captured the Serie A title. The celebrations were exuberant, but her role was often rotational, a reminder of the fierce competition at one of Europe’s giants. In 2025, a fresh opportunity emerged, and Lehmann embraced it and signed with Como Women. 

• Lehman explained why she chose Como

  Set on the banks of the iconic Lake Como, the club offered not only picturesque surroundings but also a renewed sense of purpose. 

  She stated: "It's great to wake up every morning to a beautiful view. You wake up much happier." 

  Later, speaking to , Lehmann explained why she chose Como Women: "It’s an independent club, fully focused on women’s football – and that really matters to me. From the start, I could see this wasn’t just another team; it’s a project with real purpose and vision. [So] signing with FC Como Women just felt right.

  "We’re in a moment where women’s football can define itself on its own terms, and independent clubs like Como Women have the opportunity in leading the movement. [It] isn’t just about winning matches. It’s about building something that lasts. This is the first time I’ve joined an independent club. That was a big part of my decision. It shows there is a different way of doing things."

  She added: "I came here to play football and hope to earn my place by working hard. I came here to compete and to grow as an athlete. The rest will come if I stay true to that. For me, it’s simple: I want to play as much as possible, help the team, and enjoy football. What I love is that they [Como] take the game seriously, but also create space for players to be themselves.

  "There’s so much potential here. Italy’s performances have shown the quality and spirit in the game here, and now people are paying attention. I think the league is ready to take a big step forward. With more visibility, investment, and commitment to the players, Serie A Women can become a real force in Europe. Being part of that journey is something I’m really excited about."

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  What comes next for Lehmann and Switzerland?

  Switzerland will continue their preparation under Navarro with a second friendly in Jerez against Wales on Tuesday. After that, Lehmann will return to Italy to resume her Serie A campaign with Como, where her next league test comes against Parma on December 7.

The incessant rain couldn’t quite spoil the occasion, sparked by a social-media call to action, and the fans will have one more go at their white-shirt tribute to Virat Kohli on May 23

Ashish Pant18-May-2025The periphery of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on IPL match days is a hive of activity. The hawkers selling Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) jerseys and caps and flags, fans looking for any last-minute tickets, those with tickets searching for their gates, and most wearing the RCB red and gold, invariably with “Virat 18” on the back.The vibe was pretty much the same when IPL 2025 resumed after a week-long break in Bengaluru, with RCB taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But there was one visible change. Yes, there were plenty of red jerseys, but amid those were white shirts… a lot of them.It started with a simple social media post, which called on RCB fans to pay tribute to Virat Kohli’s Test legacy by wearing a white Kohli shirt to the RCB-KKR game after he had announced his retirement from the format last week. The posts multiplied and soon went viral. But would people actually turn up in whites? The answer was a resounding yes.Related

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The signs were there on the eve of the game when some hawkers outside the venue were spotted selling white India jerseys with “Virat 18” on the back, and they had plenty of takers. On match day, it became even bigger. The usual RCB jerseys were available in huge numbers, but the white ones quickly became the crowd favourite. They were everywhere and everyone wanted to have a piece of it. Women, men, children – Bengaluru had turned white for their “King”.The IPL is a lot about the glitz, the loud music, the colour, the buzz, the vibrancy. The red RCB flags and the red and gold jerseys are as much a part of the Chinnaswamy feel as are the “Aaar-ceee-beee” chants. But Saturday wasn’t usual. This was Kohli’s first game after his retirement from Test cricket. So it didn’t matter that the forecast was for incessant rain in the evening, which ended up washing the game out. The fans wanted to be there and white was their colour of choice.”I got to know about this through Instagram. I didn’t even have a ticket for this game, I somehow scrambled for it today and got it,” Naman, an RCB fan, said when we caught up with him. “Virat Kohli is the best cricketer I have ever seen, and it was my duty to give him a tribute. He shouldn’t have retired.”

Chinnaswamy stadium is a proper vibe today. A sea of white amidst the usual red #RCBvKKR #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/lQqNLaawhN

— Ashish Pant (@ashishpant43) May 17, 2025