Late Drama Leaves Newcastle Empty-Handed
It felt like déjà vu at St James’ Park — and not the good kind.
Newcastle United looked set to hand Tottenham Hotspur yet another miserable night on Tyneside when Anthony Gordon restored their lead late in the second half.
Newcastle fans even echoed familiar chants across the stadium:
“It’s happening again! Tottenham Hotspur — it’s happening again!”
But this time, history flipped. Instead of another Spurs collapse, the match ended with heartbreak for the home side as Cristian Romero produced a stunning 95th-minute overhead kick to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Just like against Liverpool in August and Arsenal in September, Newcastle conceded in stoppage time to a top-six club — a pattern that is becoming increasingly damaging to their season.
No Premier League side has lost more points from winning positions this season than Newcastle: 11 points gone.
Had they held onto leads against Spurs, Brentford, West Ham and Arsenal, Eddie Howe’s team would incredibly sit top of the league. Instead, they find themselves floating in 13th, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal — a costly gap created largely by their inability to close out matches.
Howe summed it up:
“Historically we’ve been very good at seeing games out… we must find that again quickly because it’s costing us important points.”
Spurs Show Fight, Newcastle Show Frailty
For a moment, it looked like Newcastle had solved their late-game issues at home.
After their collapse against Arsenal in September, they rebounded with six straight victories at St James’ Park in all competitions.
Dan Burn confidently wrote in his programme notes:
“Under the lights at St James’, I always fancy our chances.”
And to be fair, Spurs arrived vulnerable — just one win in seven matches.
Newcastle even fixed their away form recently with a 4-1 win at Everton.
But despite goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Gordon restoring their momentum, Newcastle once again allowed Spurs back into the game. Nine minutes of added time proved too much for a team rattled by past endings.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank praised his team’s mental strength:
“To go behind twice and come back shows everything about our character.”
Fear, Hesitation, and a Gifted Goal
Newcastle will bitterly regret the manner of the final equaliser.
On a night when Spurs barely threatened, the hosts handed them their opportunity with a defensive lapse.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, standing in for the injured Nick Pope, punched away a corner weakly, sending the ball looping back into danger.
Romero — unmarked, unchallenged, and given far too much time — set up an overhead kick that floated through a crowd of black-and-white shirts before sneaking past a slow-reacting Ramsdale.
Silence swept St James’ Park.
The moment evoked painful flashbacks:
• Liverpool’s 100th-minute stunner in August
• Arsenal’s 96th-minute blow in September
Eddie Howe admitted the issue might now be psychological:
“Sometimes it becomes a fear of conceding — and then you do concede.”
He added that Newcastle must learn when to attack to defend leads, and when to lock down games with better organisation.
Also Read: Chaos at the Cottage: Can Man City Overcome Their Defensive Meltdown?