Alexander Isak and Emil Krafth started for Newcastle. Dejan Kulusevski started and Lucas Bergvall was on the bench for Tottenham.
There were many Swedes involved at St James' Park in Newcastle. After four points in the first two matches, Isak was convinced that his Newcastle had more to give.
We know that we can do better, he said in Viaplay's broadcast before the match.
And it was close to an early Isak goal.
After five minutes, Isak chipped the ball into the crossbar. No goal then – and no goal a little later for Tottenham either. Cristian Romero nodded the ball in but the goal was ruled out for offside.
"A good feeling"
In the 37th minute, Newcastle broke the deadlock. Harvey Barnes met a cross with the side of his foot and angled it in to 1–0. In the second half, Tottenham responded after a period of intense pressure. Brennan Johnson, who was substituted in for the second half, thundered in a shot that Newcastle's Dan Burn accidentally deflected into 1–1.
But this was not "Spurs" match.
In the 78th minute, Newcastle decided the match. Jacob Murphy was played free and then passed sideways to Isak, who rolled the ball into the open goal to 2–1. It was Isak's first league goal of the season, last year he finished third in the top scorer list with 21 goals.
It was important. The first goal is the most important to get it going. The team and I also want to do a bit better with the ball and overall performance. But we win and I score my first goal, so it's clear that I leave with a good feeling, says Isak to Viaplay.
Four Swedes on the pitch
Isak was pleased with the win and the goal but not entirely satisfied with the performance.
I think our performance is a bit away from the level we want to be on. I think we defend our goal very well. We almost refuse to lose today. With the ball, we are quite far from our level. But it's a statement of strength to win this match when not everything is so beautiful.
The match ended with four Swedes on the pitch since Lucas Bergvall was substituted in for Tottenham in the 82nd minute. The 18-year-old talent has now been substituted in for all three league matches with Tottenham this season.
In Newcastle, Sandro Tonali made his Premier League comeback after being suspended for ten months for illegal betting.
