Tottenham Hotspur's difficult start to the Premier League season deepened on Saturday as Newcastle United came from behind the run of play to win 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving Roberto De Zerbi's side pointless after two matches of the new campaign.
Goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa in the second half were enough to secure victory for the visitors, despite Spurs dominating large spells of the contest, particularly in the opening 45 minutes. Andy Robertson, Pedro Porro and Mathys Tel combined for 17 touches inside the Newcastle box before the break, more than double what the Magpies managed in the entire first half. Yet it was Newcastle who broke the deadlock just after the hour mark when Elanga spun away from Sandro Tonali and found the bottom corner with a scuffed effort.
Tonali, making his home league debut against his former club, was jeered by the away supporters throughout the match and struggled with lapses in concentration, including in the buildup to Elanga's opener. Despite showing flashes of his quality by driving forward from midfield, the Italian was unable to silence his critics on a night his old fans made their feelings clear from the first whistle.
At the other end of the pitch, new signing Omar Marmoush was handed his first start following his move from Manchester City earlier in the week, lining up in a reshuffled attack that saw Porro deployed on the right wing. The Egyptian forward showed neat touches and technical ability in the first half but could not convert his promising performance into a genuine chance, managing only one effort from close range before fading as the game wore on and Spurs' influence in the final third diminished.
The result means Tottenham remain without a win at their own stadium in the fixture, a game which has never finished goalless in Premier League history, and continues a troubling pattern from last season when they won just three home league matches.
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi revealed a separate issue currently facing the club, confirming that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all asked to leave Tottenham. Richarlison, who started the opening-day defeat at Brentford, was omitted from the squad entirely for the Newcastle game.
"Richarlison, he said too many times that he wanted to leave," De Zerbi said. "Danso came to me two days ago and said he wanted to leave. Sarr the same, but he also suffered a small injury, but he is almost ready to train. I love these players and these are great guys. I have very good relationships. But if they want to leave they have to bring the economic solution to the club and they can go, and we'll find other players."
The Italian coach, who took charge in March following Tottenham's Championship spell prior to promotion, insisted he retained faith in his squad despite the turbulent start. "I'm sorry for the fans, for the environment because after two defeats, maybe somebody can think it's the same story, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it's not like this," he said, adding that finding the right mentality remained the club's biggest challenge following a summer outlay of around £300million.
De Zerbi also acknowledged that Tottenham are still hoping to strengthen the squad before Tuesday's transfer deadline, though a move for Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo appears set to fall through, with the Dutchman reportedly close to an £85million switch to Manchester City instead.
Spurs will look to get their season up and running when they travel to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, 5 September.
Based on reporting from standard-football and independent-football.