NEWCASTLE: Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli were on target as Tottenham Hotspur began their Premier League campaign with an entertaining 2-1 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday.
All three goals came in a frantic opening 20 minutes on Tyneside with Vertonghen and Alli heading goals for the north London team, who finished third last season, on either side of an 11th minute equaliser by Joselu.
The only surprise was that, after Alli’s 18th-minute winner, there was no further score with both keepers, Martin Dubravka and Hugo Lloris, forced to make a string of impressive saves.
Newcastle’s Venezuelan forward Salomon Rondon nearly enjoyed a dream debut after coming off the substitutes’ bench but his late effort was deflected on to the crossbar after a desperate block from Vertonghen.
Spurs were starting the season away from home for the eighth consecutive campaign. Only Burnley have had a longer sequence of road openers in English top-flight history, with nine matches between 1888-89 and 1896-97.
Spurs won 2-0 the last time they travelled to St James’ Park in August last year. Newcastle beat Spurs 5-1 on the final day of 2015-16 but have now lost the other four of their last five home matches against the Londoners.