Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham: Player ratings as first-half blitz downs woeful Spurs

Newcastle speared through Tottenham with a five-goal first-half blitz on Sunday afternoon, eventually easing to a 6-1 Premier League victory to open up a six-point cushion above the fifth-placed north Londoners.

Jacob Murphy's face, a gawking combination of shock and sheer delight, captured the volatile mix of emotions coursing through the black and white stripes on Tyneside. Incredibly, there was plenty more for Murphy's facial contortions to capture.

Murphy kickstarted the rout within two minutes, gobbling up the rebound from Joelinton's shot which Hugo Lloris helpfully parried straight into the winger's path. Five minutes had not elapsed before Joelinton rounded Tottenham's hapless keeper.

Tottenham's interim manager Cristian Stellini finally gave in to the demands of the fanbase by ditching the three centre-back system which had been tattooed onto the tactics board by Antonio Conte. Yet, the eclectic collection of defenders which Stellini deployed in this rejigged system was desperately unsuited to the relative peril of just four defenders.

Joelinton loped into the yawning chasm behind Pedro Porro - a player that religiously started at wingback for Sporting CP - and Cristian Romero, with the centre-back caught admiring Fabian Schar's lofted pass.

Murphy left the crowd and himself open-mouthed with a rasping drive from 30 yards to give Newcastle a scarcely believable 3-0 lead after only nine minutes.

Just as St James' Park regained its collective breath, Newcastle stepped back on the accelerator while Spurs stalled. Tottenham's back-four had disintegrated into a back-two by the time Joe Willock thrust a through ball into Alexander Isak's stride in the 19th minute.

The fleet-footed Swede stuffed the ball past Lloris again 55 seconds later. Tottenham were - theoretically, at least - in a set defence before Newcastle's right flank slalomed between the disheartened and almost disinterested blue shirts.

Barely half of the first half had elapsed when Stellini called time on the dalliance with a back-four, tossing Davinson Sanchez - fresh from being mercilessly booed by his own fans - into another hostile atmosphere. The damage, however, had long been done.

Spurs managed to steady themselves after the alteration - though Newcastle naturally slackened off with such a hefty lead to lean upon. Harry Kane rifled in a not-so-consolatory consolation within five minutes of the restart but Callum Wilson came off the bench to restore Newcastle's five-goal advantage, sweeping in a poked pass from fellow substitute Miguel Almiron with a quarter of the contest to play.

Everything that Newcastle possessed in abundance - vibrant, organised and efficient - Tottenham desperately lacked. By the end of May, those list of qualities may include Champions League qualification.

Newcastle player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Nick Pope - 5/10 - Beaten by a low hard shot from Kane on an otherwise quiet afternoon.

RB: Kieran Trippier - 7/10 - Not at the heart of as many forward forays as may be expected by solid at the other end.

CB: Fabian Schar - 7/10 - Sliced through Tottenham's scattered rearguard with a number of raking crossfield passes.

CB: Sven Botman - 6/10 - Not as devastating with the ball at his feet as his centre-back partner but unwavering in the backline nonetheless.

LB: Dan Burn - 7/10 - Largely untroubled by Dejan Kulusevski's wriggling.

CM: Sean Longstaff - 8/10 - Coupled his industry with dexterity - although the space between Tottenham's players wasn't exactly compact.

CM: Bruno Guimaraes - 7/10 - Couldn't help but grin as he watched his teammates ravage Tottenham's backline.

CM: Joe Willock - 8/10 - The former Arsenal academy graduate will have taken an extra dollop of delight from playing a role in Tottenham's implosion.

RW: Jacob Murphy - 9/10 - He may have scarcely believed it himself, but Murphy did indeed spank his second goal of the game into the bottom corner from range.

ST: Alexander Isak - 9/10 - Gleefully picnicked in the yawning chasms behind and between Tottenham's defence.

LW: Joelinton - 8/10 - The lack of subtlety didn't hamper his effectiveness in rightfully punishing the woeful visitors.

Substitutions

Callum Wilson (66' for Isak) - 7/10 - Continued his excellent form with a well-taken close-range poach.

Miguel Almiron (66' for Murphy) - 6/10

Anthony Gordon (70' for Guimaraes) - 5/10

Javier Manquillo (70' for Trippier) - 5/10

Jamaal Lascelles (74' for Schar) - N/A

Manager

Eddie Howe - 8/10 - Set his side up to ruthlessly and relentlessly exploit Tottenham's glaring inadequacies.

Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Hugo Lloris - 0/10 - Getting subbed off at half-time is a humiliation for most captains but after a holographic opening 45 minutes, Lloris' removal must have been merciful.

RB: Pedro Porro - 1/10 - Never quite grasped where he was supposed to be on the pitch.

CB: Cristian Romero - 0/10 - Like a kid distracted by a balloon caught in an updraft, Romero's almost comedic switching off for Newcastle's third goal was hardly his only error.

CB: Eric Dier - 2/10 - Never looks comfortable without the safety of two centre-backs either side of him - Sunday afternoon was no different.

LB: Ivan Perisic - 1/10 - Spent much of the match as a spectator, even when the action was taking place in the exact zone he was supposed to be patrolling.

CM: Pape Sarr - 2/10 - The sacrificial lamb as Stellini belatedly reverted to a back-five, Sarr was hardly the worst Tottenham player on the pitch - that was an award which will be debated for weeks to come - but did look completely out of his depth.

CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 3/10 - Given a thimble of water to put out a raging inferno, Hojbjerg endured a long afternoon.

CM: Oliver Skipp - 3/10 - Despite Tottenham's subsequent quick start, Skipp looked gravely pained ahead of the second half. Could you blame him?

RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 3/10 - Scurried and scampered without much consequence.

ST: Harry Kane - 5/10 - When his records are totted up, Kane's goal on Sunday will count the same as all the others, but few can have felt as hollow.

LW: Son Heung-min - 4/10 - Showed some energy which stood out amid the apathy dripping off his teammates.

Substitutes

Davinson Sanchez (23' for Sarr) - 5/10 - Arrived after the turmoil but couldn't keep the back door bolted.

Fraser Forster (46' for Lloris) - 5/10 - Managed to avoid conceding five of the six shots on target which he faced unlike his skipper.

Arnaut Danjuma (72' for Kulusevski) - N/A

Richarlison (83' for Son) - N/A

Manager

Cristian Stellini - 0/10 - Within nine minutes of the 90, if it wasn't already, it became abundantly apparent that Spurs need to find an actual manager, rather than a former assistant who averaged less than a point per game in the Italian third tier in his only other head coaching gig six years ago.

Player of the match - Jacob Murphy (Newcastle)