English FA Premiership/ Newcastle United 3 Tottenham 1: "Anxious?" asked Martin Jol rhetorically. "I felt anxious before today." So we enter the final stretch and Tottenham Hotspur, fourth in the Premiership since December, a placing were it retained in May that would give Spurs a whiff of European Cup football for the first time since 1962, are starting to sense other smells in their nostrils: Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, tension.

The visitors plonked Michael Carrick in front of a back four that had lost Ledley King to a twisted ankle. About 15 yards ahead of Carrick was Edgar Davids. Glued to the touchlines were Jermaine Jenas on the right and Aaron Lennon on the left. In between was a lot of space and Newcastle's front six set about exploiting it.

In the first half-hour Newcastle scored three but it should have been five. Scott Parker was missing but Lee Bowyer filled his position and had arguably his best game in a black and white shirt, converting Newcastle's best team goal of the season in only the second minute.

Nine minutes later Davids pulled back Bowyer in the area. Mike Dean waved play on but Jol might have been expected to order Jenas and Davids closer to Carrick. Perhaps the fact Robbie Keane equalised with a header on 19 minutes made Jol think all was satisfactory but that assessment disregarded Lennon's excellence to set up Keane. Lennon left Stephen Carr with twisted ankles; but it was not a team goal.

A rollicking first half was now in full swing and more space for Nolberto Solano 20 yards out meant a fierce shot that Paul Robinson could only parry. Shola Ameobi got to the rebound ahead of Robinson and Anthony Gardner. That was followed quickly by another Newcastle attack and again Davids fouled Bowyer in the box and Alan Shearer drilled in the penalty.

This was turning into possibly a season-shaping defeat and yet Spurs persisted. Justification for Jol might have come with Keane's 45th-minute shot that cannoned off Shay Given's crossbar and Tottenham's manager was equally disappointed with Dean that a foul moments earlier by Craig Moore on Carrick did not bring a yellow card and a sending-off.

After Jenas rounded Given in the 53rd minute it seemed Spurs were back in contention. But, remarkably, Jenas missed the open goal and six minutes later Keane hit the woodwork again. Then Michael Dawson, booked earlier for clattering into Shearer, grasped the famous number nine shirt as Shearer wheeled away. Unlike the Moore incident, Dean felt this was worthy of another yellow and Dawson was off.

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