Tottenham Hotspur have been dumped out of the Carabao Cup as some players failed to perform on a disappointing night up north.
Tottenham Hotspur have exited the Carabao Cup at the second hurdle, having previously defeated Doncaster in a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Spurs had some good spells in their third round tie against Newcastle United, but failures to be clinical and to defend well ultimately cost them a place in the competition.
Here are the five winners and losers from the disappointing defeat which has confirmed it will not be Tottenham who visit Wembley Stadium on March 22.
Pedro Porro was named Tottenham captain
Pedro Porro might not have been named in the leadership group Thomas Frank created, but he was named Spurs captain for the second time on Wednesday night. The right-back had already worn the armband in Tottenham’s previous Carabao Cup tie.
Porro did not have his best game against Newcastle, but he did fire in a cross which could have been an assist if Richarlison had his shooting boots on.
One standout moment from Porro was after the game when he called Djed Spence and Randal Kolo Muani back from the tunnel to go over and applaud the travelling supporters.
Randal Kolo Muani looks match fit for Spurs
Muani’s loan move has not gone according to plan. The centre forward was supposed to provide injury cover for Dominic Solanke, but ended up with fitness issues himself.
However, the France international looked bright off the bench last night and a run which began in his own half could have led to something, had the referee not got in the way.
It is good to see Muani looking sharper and he needs to follow this up with his first Tottenham goal.
Lucas Bergvall was electric for Tottenham
Lucas Bergvall has not been given enough minutes this season and it will be an injustice if he does not start against Chelsea after his performance on Wednesday.
The midfielder successfully completed all six of the dribbles he attempted, won eight of his ten ground duels and accurately placed 95 per cent of his passes.
Most of Tottenham’s attacking play in the first half went through Bergvall and he is putting some of his teammates to shame.
Now, let’s take a look at the three losers from Newcastle 2-0 Tottenham…
Antonin Kinsky failed his Spurs audition
There is an argument that Antonin Kinsky should be offered some leeway, considering he only made his second start of the season against Newcastle. However, he is out training most days and should have done better last night.
It is hard to blame Kinsky for the hosts’ opening goal, as it was the unprepared Tottenham defence which allowed Fabian Schar a free header. Kevin Danso must take some responsibility for the second goal as he carelessly gave the ball away, but Kinsky made a mess of things.
The backup goalkeeper left his net only to completely miss the ball in the air, providing Nick Woltemade with the opportunity to double Newcastle’s lead shortly after the second half began.
Guglielmo Vicario had two very strong performances against Monaco and Everton respectively and there should be no debate on him starting Premier League matches now.
Richarlison was poor in front of goal
Richarlison might struggle to finish a Happy Meal based on his showing last night. The striker started the season so well, but right now he is only keeping his first-team spot due to a lack of other available options.
Frank gave Richarlison the nod up front after he secured a good headed assist against Everton at the weekend, but his contributions against Newcastle were under par.
The 28-year-old was slow to arrive in the box and wasted a number of chances, causing Spurs supporters to once again demand his sale at the nearest possible opportunity.
In Richarlison’s defence, he did win a combined nine aerial and ground duels, which was more than any other player. However, this cannot compensate for the failure to be clinical.
Xavi Simons played another lacklustre performance for Spurs
Xavi Simons was not Tottenham’s worst attacking player against Newcastle. That dishonour goes to Brennan Johnson, who was absolutely hopeless on the right wing.
Despite this, Simons once again failed to make an impact for Spurs and he will be held to a higher standard. After all, the 22-year-old was supposed to be the marquee signing of the summer and an adequate alternative to Eberechi Eze.
Simons does not appear to be an attacking threat and at the moment it is hard to see why he should start ahead of either Bergvall or Pape Matar Sarr.
READ MORE – Tottenham fans left divided over Antonin Kinsky after rare chance to impress against Newcastle