Tottenham appear stuck in the Premier League's not-quite-elitist underworld | Tottenham Hotspur

There are statements to be made in the transfer window or, if not, immediately after it. While much of the prologue of this game focused on Eddie Howe's feelings After Newcastle's season of transfers (or lack thereof), Tottenham also had their own questions to answer on this pilgrimage north. After this heavy defeat, the doubts are likely to linger at least through the awkward international break.

On the face of it, a relatively orderly Tottenham transfer window, with the additions of Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert (the latter scoring a brilliant cameo in the win over Everton), had all but been forgotten. Giovani Lo Celso’s departure back to Real Betis on the final day of the transfer window curiously overshadowed that work when one recalls the great transfer window of summer 2019, in which none of Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon or Lo Celso’s players panned out (or recouped their costs) after being signed at a considerable cost. Unfair perhaps, but image is everything, especially with Jack Clarke (another of that summer’s eight-figure signings) sold by Sunderland to Ipswich at the end of August for a tidy profit.

With the feeling that, like yesterday's hosts, Spurs may find themselves trapped in a netherworld just below the elite level this season Premier League – Too inflated by expectations to settle for a Europa League place, not proactive enough in the market to get back into the Champions League orbit – a response had to be crafted. It was not a glowing retort. If Ange Postecoglou is sometimes accused of tactical idealism, Tottenham have always seemed more willing to be resolute than lavish.

Perhaps rightly so. It is not easy to forget that Spurs had lost by a margin of at least four goals on three of their last eight visits to St James' Park and by an aggregate score of 10-1 over the past two seasons, the sort of results that provoke an almost existential crisis and see the away shirts worn on the days in question consigned to the dustbin of club infamy. Bringing Pape Sarr into midfield as an extra layer of protection, with Dejan Kulusevski pushed further forward, was perhaps a nod to those recent horrific stories.

Postecoglou might have regretted not having more muscle at hand without Solanke, without Richarlison and without Micky van de Ven in defence. After Radu Dragusin had made way for Harvey Barnes to concede a corner inside the first five minutes, he stood up to dust himself off: it almost seemed to indicate that Spurs were set for an afternoon of entrenchment, although had Joelinton or Barnes’ early efforts gone in they might have been about to be buried under another Geordie onslaught.

However, visitors to N17 have not had relentless misery in recent times. Spurs were also the first guests after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took over in October 2021. coming away with a 3-2 victory after conceding an early goal to Callum Wilson. This time, with sporadic home concern about what the future might hold for the first time under PIF, one wondered whether the visitors could once again capitalise with cool clarity.

Although Spurs had well quelled the early storm – the chant echoing from the visiting fans was “keep the Saudi boys quiet” – it was not a very adventurous first half and ultimately did them little good when Barnes’ delightfully deft finish put Newcastle ahead against the run of play. The highlight of that gradual visiting dominance had been a pair of Sarr shots from distance blocked by Nick Pope, a lack of incision that Howe must have felt comfortable with.

There's no point pretending to be what you're not, and the more typical Postecoglou plan emerged with Spurs trailing and Brennan Johnson replacing Sarr at half-time to repeat the lineup that crushed Everton last weekendexcept Dragusin, who replaces Van de Ven.

The impact was immediate, with Odobert firing over the bar after receiving Johnson's deflected cross. Amid a flurry of Spurs shots, the equaliser came from another Johnson pass, with Dan Burn firing the Welsh striker's cross into the roof of his own net.

However, Groundhog Day was underway and Joelinton picked apart the Spurs defence all too easily with a simple pass to send substitute Jacob Murphy through to set up Alexander Isak's winner.

Postecoglou may reflect on the missed 45 minutes, given the difficulty of controlling his side in the second half. Then again, he may simply be glad that the experience away to Newcastle is behind him for another season.