Jacob Ramsey fired Newcastle United to a rare away win to give head coach Eddie Howe a timely boost and keep the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank.
Both bosses had to field questions about their positions in the build-up to this crunch Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following a poor run of results.
Frank did not hide the fact his injury-hit side were “desperate” for their first league victory of 2026 while Howe, similarly, called on his players to show “our feeling of how important this is to us” after a run of just one win in eight games in all competitions.
It was Howe’s team who delivered for their manager on a night a section of Spurs supporters chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning” in Frank’s direction as chief executive Vinai Venkatesham watched on.
Newcastle, who lined up without a recognised striker, took the lead through an unlikely scorer in defender Malick Thiaw in first-half stoppage time.
Guglielmo Vicario managed to parry Thiaw’s initial header from Anthony Elanga’s cross, but the Newcastle centre-back was quickest to react and got there ahead of Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray to stab the ball into the net and send the away end into raptures.
Spurs, to their credit, briefly rallied after the break and the hosts drew level from their first corner of the night when Xavi Simons’ delivery was headed back across goal by Sarr and Gray hooked the ball into the net.
Frank punched the air on the touchline as the stadium erupted around him, but Spurs were not level for long.
Anthony Gordon danced his way into the box and fed Ramsey, who picked out the bottom corner with a clever first-time finish to score his maiden goal for the club following his summer move from Aston Villa.
Newcastle held out to win just their third league game on the road this season and move up to 10th, while Spurs slip to 16th.
Spurs analysis: Another damaging night for Frank
It feels like a long way back for Spurs boss Frank.
That may seem a curious statement to make about a manager who led his side to automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, who only took charge last summer and who has had to contend with an ever-growing list of absentees.
But Spurs are sleepwalking into a relegation battle.
They have failed to win any of their past eight Premier League games for the first time since 2008.
Frank will be mightily relieved that Benjamin Sesko scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Manchester United to prevent West Ham moving within three points of his side in the table.
But this was still a damaging defeat for Tottenham.
On a night Howe’s players fought for him, Spurs’ response was too brief and they were only level for four minutes.
A grandstand finish never looked on the cards.
By the time the fourth official’s board went up, thousands of supporters had tellingly left.
A section who stayed chanted that Frank was “getting sacked in the morning”, before the full-time whistle was greeted with loud boos.
Newcastle analysis: Howe savours crucial win
Jacob Ramsey scored his first goal since finding the back of the net for former club Aston Villa against Preston North End in March 2025
