Newcastle 0-2 Tottenham Player Ratings: Terrific Toby

Alli nets the winner – football-talk.co.uk

Opening day goals from Dele Alli and Ben Davies saw Tottenham ease to a 2-0 win at 10-man Newcastle – but how did players on both teams fare? Here’s our ratings.

Newcastle United

Rob Elliott – made a superb close-range stop early in the second half to deny Harry Kane. Might have done better for the second goal though and his distribution can improve. 4

Javier Manquillo – the only member of the back-four who stayed in his favoured position, but his positioning for both of Newcastle’s goals could be questioned. 4
Ciaran Clark – fared surprisingly well when shifted to an unnatural left-back position. Supported Atsu well on occasions. 8
Florian Lejeune – impressed prior to his unfortunate injury. Toon fans will be hoping it isn’t too serious. 6
Paul Dummett – reliable defensively before he picked up a bad injury due to Kane’s challenge. 6

Isaac Hayden – solid in the first half but after Shelvey’s red card, he suffered from a lack of cover around him as the midfield became overrun. 4
Jonjo Shelvey – his stamp on Alli cost Newcastle the game. They may well have got a point or three were it not for that moment of stupidity. 1

Matt Ritchie – also made a stupid challenge on Alli, which brought him only a yellow card. Worked hard defensively but was marked out of the game by Davies. 4
Ayoze Perez – lacked his usual pace and stamina as the game largely bypassed him. May have been substituted earlier were it not for first half injuries. 2
Christian Atsu – Newcastle’s one bright spark throughout, managing a late shot on target from distance that forced a save from Lloris. 7

Dwight Gayle – asked to chase long balls and was not given the type of service he thrives on. Barely touched the ball and was taken off with a quarter of an hour to go. 3

Jamaal Lascelles (on 6) – guilty of ball-watching at times in the second half. 3
Chancel Mbemba (on 34) – defended reasonably well in tough circumstances. 6
Mikel Merino (on 74) –showed some nice touches, considering he was brought on as part of a damage limitation act. 6

Tottenham Hotspur

Hugo Lloris – did not have to work too hard for his clean sheet and his kicking might have been better. 5

Kyle Walker-Peters – looked solid defensively, composed in possession and he made some good forward runs. Looks capable of replacing his similarly named right-back predecessor. 7
Toby Alderweireld – mopped balls up tidily and always picked out a man in a navy blue shirt. 9
Jan Vertonghen – had Gayle on toast all afternoon and showed good leadership qualities. 8
Ben Davies – his lung-busting second half runs gave Eriksen and Alli the space to combine. Stole the former’s thunder with a ruthless finish to tie the game up. Are you watching Danny Rose? 8

Eric Dier – guilty of sitting too deep in the first half, which may have been a factor behind the slow tempo. Improved after the break as the team got further up the pitch. 6
Moussa Dembele – carried the ball forward well, especially in the second half and was devilishly hard to shake off the ball. 7

Moussa Sissoko – did little to trouble his old employers and was substituted early in the second half. 3
Christian Eriksen – came closest for Spurs in the first half and played a perfect ball to the back post for Alli’s goal. 7
Dele Alli – superbly timed run for the goal and had a hand in the second. The reckless fouls on him from Shelvey and Ritchie highlight, partly, that he’s a player opponents fear. 7

Harry Kane – endured a frustrating first half. Forced a fine save from Elliott in the second half and hit the post late on, meaning that August goal eludes him. 6

Son Heung-Min (on 57) – offered more in terms of off-the-ball movement than Sissoko, even if he wasn’t on the field when Newcastle had 11 men. 7
Victor Wanyama (on 81) – his return to fitness is a boost for Spurs. 6