While it was widely expected that Unai Emery and Aston Villa would give Newcastle United a tough game, it's safe to say many were caught off guard by the weight of the result that followed on Saturday afternoon.
The 3-0 dismantling of Eddie Howe's men is something that Magpies fans haven't experienced a lot in recent memory, marking just the second time in all competitions this season they've conceded three goals in one match.
Perhaps the one saving grace came would come later that afternoon, hundreds of miles down south in the nation's capital, when a 95th-minute goal from Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara spared Newcastle blushes by making sure Tottenham stayed three points behind them in fifth.
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We know what the Magpies can do in matches with lots of inherent pressure on them - their 2-0 revenge win over Manchester United for the League Cup Final loss was enough to see that through.
However, in the past, we've seen Howe's side stumble for a period after their long runs of wins have quickly come to an end - the first time, they drew against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth before returning to winning ways against Fulham while back-to-back 2-0 losses to Liverpool and Manchester City compounded a poor end to February and start to March.
However, Spurs' away form in recent months is something that Newcastle will have on their side going into the clash at St James' Park this weekend. Across their last eight away league matches, they've won just two with no wins coming in their last four despite being up against relegation-threatened opposition - wins you'd expect a side challenging for the top four to be able to put away.
In fact, in three of those matches, Spurs have conceded goals past the 82nd minute (the other two of those deep into injury time) which have either stolen a point or, in the majority of cases, all three points away from them.
Their inability to hold on to leads or to throw them away at the worst possible moment is an invitation that Eddie Howe and company can't afford to refuse. A win over Spurs on Sunday would both propel them up to third above Man United, extend the gap to them and fifth, and bring the winning feeling back to a side whose core might've just started to shake a little.
Either way, expect late drama.
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