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highlighted the subscriptions our members get the most value from. Newcastle United secured a rare away victory on Tuesday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Newcastle ran out 2-1 winners over Spurs in midweek, which proved to be the final straw for the Tottenham board who promptly sacked Thomas Frank as first-team boss. The Magpies have been poor travellers this season, recording only their third league win away from home in north London. But, Eddie Howe's men managed to get over the line thanks to goals from summer signings Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey.
Thiaw's opener came on the stroke of half-time, but minutes earlier Newcastle believed they had taken the lead, only to see Joe Willock's well-taken strike ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee. Offside was called on Willock's run in behind the Spurs defence, judged to have timed his burst forward a fraction too early.
After consulting with the VAR at Stockley Park, aided by the semi-automated offside system in force in the Premier League, referee Anthony Taylor cancelled Willock's opener, much to the dismay of the Newcastle midfielder. The decision proved immaterial to the result but replays showed just how close Willock had come to being given as onside. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. It was the player's forehead which was deemed to have infringed, positioned ever so slightly ahead of Spurs defender Micky van de Ven's shoulder, which served as the last line. The call was a harsh one and among the closest seen in the Premier League this season, leading Willock to comment on the decision via his social media channels. The former Arsenal man offered a comical retort on his Instagram story the morning after Newcastle's eventual victory. ? Joe Willock on Instagram following his disallowed goal v Spurs ? pic. twitter. com/EPwc B3mlp SFebruary 11, 2026 Accompanied by a screengrab of the semi-automated offside call, Willock wrote: "If only I got a trim before the game", suggesting he should have gone for a haircut, highlighting how fine the margin of offside was. Willock scored with his head during the Magpies' recent 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League but is still in search of his first league goal of the 2025/26 campaign. Joe joined Four Four Two as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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