Bowden's rare chance
Antonio Conte was forced to make a change to his Tottenham plans to face Newcastle United with Sergio Reguilon absent from the matchday squad. A regular in recent weeks due to Ryan Sessegnon's injury, Emerson Royal was the man to come in as the head coach handed him a big chance.
Having kept things the same in terms of his squad recently, Reguilon's omission opened up a gap for academy player Jamie Bowden to come into the Spurs matchday 20. Impressing in his loan spell with Oldham Athletic earlier in the season before returning in January, the midfielder was expected to head out on loan to a team in a higher division but instead remained with Spurs.
A player many will remember after he joined in the celebrations at the Etihad Stadium following the team's Champions League quarter-final triumph over Man City three years ago, Bowden was in fact on the bench last campaign under Jose Mourinho in the Europa League against Wolfsberger AC but didn't get on. Bowden's place in the squad saw him join fellow youngsters Harvey White and Dane Scarlett on the bench.
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The wing-back change
Amid previous issues with his wing-backs, it appeared last month that Conte had decided on Matt Doherty and Sessegnon as his first-choice on either flank. However, an injury to the former Fulham man against Everton in March had seen Reguilon restored to the XI.
With the Spaniard missing out against Newcastle, Conte opted to start Emerson on his preferred right side with Doherty shifting over to the left. Doherty has looked to be getting back towards his best on the right recently but the switch to the opposite flank had a major impact on his attacking play to begin with as he's not a natural on the left.
All of Spurs' movement in the first half was all too predictable as it either came through the middle or the right, with Spurs not tending to use the left. Doherty, quite simply, needed to find a way to attack and become a force in the game as he has been in recent weeks.
Amid their first-half struggles from the left, Doherty had a big impact on proceedings after the restart as he headed home from Harry Kane's cross to give Spurs the lead. He then got an assist to his name as he cut in from the left and picked out Emerson to prod the ball home.
Sanchez holds back Paratici
Conte was not happy at all on a number of occasions throughout the first half with a handful of decisions going against Tottenham. Fuming at four official Graham Scott after Dan Burn appeared to push one of the Spurs players when Newcastle were in the box and looking to score, he was then raging when a free-kick was awarded following a challenge by Doherty on Ryan Fraser.
Clearly believing that it wasn't one, Conte raced out of his technical area and had a pop at the fourth official as he made his feelings clear. Managing director of football Fabio Paratici was also not impressed by some of the decision making and vented his frustrations at half-time.
Confronting Scott at the entrance of the tunnel, the Italian was speaking to the official for a good 10-15 seconds and in the end Spurs substitute Davinson Sanchez had to come in between the pair to try and calm the situation down. The Colombian did manage to get hold of the ex-Juventus man and guide him down the tunnel.
Warning sent out to Arsenal
Tottenham's form in 2022 has been incredibly patchy to say the least but they are finding their stride at exactly the right time in the season. Previously winning a game and then crashing back to earth with an almighty bang following a defeat, Spurs put an end to their inconsistent form prior to the international break with two successive Premier League victories.
The 3-1 triumph over West Ham gave everyone a lift going into the international break, although Conte and his players would no doubt have liked to carry on their momentum. Not exactly starting well in N17 with Fabian Schar giving Newcastle the lead with a low free-kick, Ben Davies' strike was huge for Tottenham as it turned the game on its head and they went on to score for fun in the second half.
The Lilywhites caused the visitors major problems after the restart and the team looked to be back to their very best with confidence flowing through their veins. Now at the business end of the season, the result has definitely sent out a major warning to rivals Arsenal in the race for a Champions League spot as they have leapfrogged them into fourth and are now two ahead of them on goal difference.
Impact from the subs
A number of Tottenham players enjoyed very good international breaks, most notably Steven Bergwijn. Scoring three goals in two games for Netherlands, the winger had certainly given Conte something to think about coming into the game. The form of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski meant that the Dutchman again had to settle for a place on the bench, however.
His chance did arrive in the final ten minutes as he replaced Emerson and he took his opportunity with both hands as he netted the team's fifth of the afternoon. Linking up with fellow sub Lucas Moura as he was put through one-on-one with Martin Dubravka, Bergwijn netted with one of his first touches to cap off a good fortnight.
As impressive as Spurs have been in attack in recent weeks to lift themselves into top-four contention, Conte still needs those on the periphery of the first team to contribute as he will need to turn to them in the run-in. With his starting XI flourishing at present and the subs contributing, it really is a recipe for success for Tottenham as they look to return to Europe's premier competition after a two-year absence.
