Barclays Premier League

FT: NEWCASTLE 2 TOTTENHAM 1

Newcastle get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start and inflict a debut defeat on new Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas. The winning goal was created and scored by Hatem Ben Arfa, who tricked his way between two Spurs defenders and induced an ill-judged tackle by Rafael Van der Vaart, producing the penalty from which he netted ten minutes from time. Newcastle had taken the lead nine minutes into the second half with a piece of magic from Demba Ba, who collected a loose ball and curled a delightful shot into the far corner beyond the despairing dive of Brad Friedel. It was the Senegal striker's first goal in the Premier League since February 5. Spurs levelled 15 minutes from time with ace goal-poacher Jermain Defoe stabbing home from close range after the home side had failed to clear an Aaron Lennon cross from the left. Spurs will feel more than a little hard done by, having hit the woodwork twice in the first half through Defoe and Gareth Bale.

LAST-CHANCE SALOON

Spurs win a free-kick wide on the right. Rafael Van der Vaart delivers and Krul claws the ball away under extreme pressure.

INTO STOPPAGE TIME

There will be a minimum of three minutes of stoppage time.

TOTTENHAM SUBSTITUTION

Harry Kane makes his Premier League debut in place of Sandro.

NEWCASTLE SUBSTITUTION

Demba Ba is replaced by Gabriel Obertan.

AMBITIOUS EFFORT FROM JONAS

Gutierrez hits a curling shot from 25 yards which is tipped over by Friedel.

GOAL: NEWCASTLE 2 TOTTENHAM 1

Hatem Ben Arfa takes the responsibility himself and slots home with ease past Brad Friedel.

NEWCASTLE PENALTY

Hatem Ben Arfa squeezes past two Tottenham defenders and is tripped by Rafael Van der Vaart. It's a Newcastle spot-kick.

MORE ON THAT GOAL

Newcastle left Aaron Lennon in acres of space on the left. He floated a cross to the far post and although it was too high for William Gallas, the ball bounced off Santon and begged Defoe to poke it home from all of two yards.

GOAL: NEWCASTLE 1 TOTTENHAM 1

Jermain Defoe levels for Tottenham.

DEFOE DENIED

Defoe forces Krul into a safe low to his left, but the Dutchman is equal to the task.

MORE ON ANITA

Anita has three Holland caps to his credit and joined Newcastle from Ajax in a deal costing 6.67 million of your English pounds.

NEWCASTLE SUBSTITUTION

Vurnon Anita comes on to make his debut, replacing Yohan Cabaye.

PERCH TO THE RESCUE

A fine last-gasp piece of defending from James Perch takes the ball off Lennon's foot, just as he was getting ready to shoot.

TOTTENHAM SUBSTITUTION

Gylfi Sigurdsson is replaced by Rafael van der Vaart.

RARE EFFORT ON GOAL

According to STATS, (https://twitter.com/STATS_Football), that Ba shot was the first on target in the game by Newcastle.

WHAT A FARCE

The two-way radio taken by Alan Pardew to help him communicate with the bench is not working. So messages are having to be relayed manually. It's all a bit 20th century.

FINGER STINGER

Benoit Assou-Ekotto lets fly with a 25-yarder which Krul beats away comfortably enough.

PARDEW IN HOT WATER

Alan Pardew actually pushed the linesman in protest at that earlier decision and he has been sent to the stands.

WIDE FROM SIGURDSSON

Newcasrtle are adamant that the ball went out, but the linesman waves play on and Gylfi Sigurdsson curls a shot wide.

WELL WORTH THE WAIT

Demba Ba had gone 14 games without a goal. The drought is over.

MORE ON THAT GOAL

Kyle Walker misjudged a headed clearance from a Danny Simpson cross from the right and Ba collected the loose ball before bending home a right-footed shot into the corner. That's a special goal.

GOAL: NEWCASTLE 1 TOTTENHAM 0

Demba Ba gives Newcastle the lead.

BALE SURGES FORWARD

Gareth Bale runs powerfully at the Newcastle defence, but after beating two players he overruns the ball and the danger is gone.

TOP MARKS FOR HBA

If someone is going to prise open this well-marshalled Tottenham defence, it looks like being Hatem Ben Arfa, who looks the only Newcastlle attacking player with any idea this evening.

MISPLACED PASS AGAIN

Hatem Ben Arfa attempts to profit from a slip by Benoit Assou-Ekotto down the Newcastle right, but his cross fails to pick out a Newcastle striker.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING?

None of the last 57 league meetings between these sides has ended 0-0.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Tottenham get the second half under way.

HT: NEWCASTLE 0 TOTTENHAM 0

It's goalless at the break. The beauty of football is its continual ability to surprise. Who would have predicted QPR 0 Swansea 5 or West Brom 3 Liverpool 0 earlier in the day. And who would have said this would have been a dull, uninspiring 45 minutes played between two sides who look undercooked for the start of a new Premier League season. The closest we have come to a goal was an excellent snap-shot by Jermain Defoe which came back off the foot of the post and a header by Gareth Bale which hit the top of the Newcastle crossbar. At the other end there was the fortuitous deflected effort off Demba Ba which rolled just wide of the Tottenham goal. Otherwise there has been very little to get the pulses racing, though there is no question the visitors have been the better team.

NEWCASTLE BOOKING

Johan Cabaye is booked for hauling down Gareth Bale.

INTO STOPPAGE TIME

There will be a minimum of two minutes of added time.

FIRING BLANKS

Newcastle's three-man wrecking crew of Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa have been largely impotent in this first half.

DEFOE MISSES THE TARGET

Defoe torments the Newcastle defence again, but shoots well over from 20 yards.

SPURS HIT THE CROSSBAR

Lennon does wonderfully down the right and stands up a delightful cross to the far post. Bale rises well and thumps a header against the Newcastle crossbar.

DEFOE HITS THE POST

Jermain Defoe jinks past Steven Taylor and gets in an early shot with barely any backlift which beats Krul and comes back off the foot of the post.

MISS BY A MILE

Tiote shoots from distance. It's wide. Very wide indeed.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC?

It's a little surprising, to say the least, to see William Gallas made Spurs captain considering the poor example he set at Arsenal. AVB is his own man, that's for sure.

IT'S A KRUL GAME

Gylfi Sigurdsson whips in a dipping free-kick which Tim Krul gets a hand to, even if it did appear to be going just wide of the post.

SIMPSON ESCAPES

Danny Simpson fells Gareth Bale again and is incredibly lucky not to collect a second yellow card.

ALMOST A FREAK OPENER

A hopeful long-range shot takes a wicked deflection off Demba Ba and the wrong-footed Brad Friedel is happy to see it roll agonisingly wide of his right-hand upright.

A SLOW BURNER

Hatem Ben Arfa aside, Newcastle have just not got going so far. Spurs look sharper, although the first quarter has been disappointingly dull.

TOTTENHAM BOOKING

Ben Arfa goes on another mazy run and this time induces a reckless tackle from Sandro. Yellow card.

FANTASY FOOTBALL POINTER

I appreciate he's not starting today, but Jan Vertonghen scored eight goals in the Eredivisie last season, the most by any defender in the top leagues of England, Spain, Holland, Germany or Italy. He's worth keeping an eye on.

NEWCASTLE BOOKING

Jake Livermore is booked for a mistimed tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa.

IMPENDING NEWCASTLE SUBSTITUTION

Cheik Tiote has been unable to shake off that knock. He is about to be replaced by Vurnon Anita. Hold everything, Tiote has now asked for another five minutes to see if he can run it off.

NEWCASTLE BOOKING

Danny Simpson is booked for hacking down Gareth Bale on the left. It's as clear a caution as you are likely to see.

GOING FOR A SONG

Good news for the Spurs fans amongst you. Arsenal's influential defensive midfielder Alex Song has just signed for Barcelona, agreeing a two-year deal.

CHANGE ON THE BENCH

Shola Ameobi pulled his hamstring in the warm-up. Roman Amalfitano will take his place after Newcastle were unable to find Sylvain Marveaux to tell him he was playing.

ESCAPE FOR NEWCASTLE

Spurs break quickly from their own half. A mis-hit from Sandro puts Gylfi Sigurdsson in the clear, but the flag goes up for offside. Replays show the Icelander was definitely onside.

SLOW OUT OF THE BLOCKS

Newcastle have started slugglishly, Tim Krul having his clearance charged down by Jermain Defoe a case in point.

FINE TO CONTINUE

Tiote has treatment and returns to the pitch.

INJURY WORRY

Cheik Tiote makes an excellent block tackle on Kyle Walker, but appears he might have damaged his hamstring in the process.

NEW SEASON, SAME WHINGE

This match was supposed to kick off at 1730BST. It's hardly surprising we are four minutes late in getting under way as the teams did not enter the arena until 1729BST. Sorry, referee Martin Atkinson, that's simply not good enough.

A HUDDLE BUT NO HUDDLESTONE

Spurs players got into their familiar huddle before the game. No Michael Dawson or Tom Huddlestone today for the visitors. Both are fit but have been deemed surplus to requirements.

HERE WE GO

Newcastle get the game under way, attacking the goal to our left.

TEAM NEWS

Most of Newcasltle's walking wounded have been passed fit, with the exception of defender Fabricio Coloccini, who has a thigh problem. James Perch gets the nod ahead of James Williamson in central defence. Gylfi Sigurdsson makes his debut in central midfield for Tottenham, but another new signing Jan Vertonghen has to make do with a place on the bench. William Gallas captains Tottenham today.

TODAY'S TEAMS

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Perch, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Cisse, Ba. Subs: Harper, Williamson, Anita, Gosling, Ryan Taylor, Shola Ameobi, Obertan. Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Livermore, Sandro, Lennon, Sigurdsson, Bale, Defoe. Subs: Cudicini, Vertonghen, Van der Vaart, Naughton, Jenas, Townsend, Kane. Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

PREVIEW

Two of last season's top-five teams meet at the Sports Direct Arena in what has the potential to be the most entertaining match of the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. You could argue that both these sides punched above their weight last time out and if you were to offer both sets of fans the same this time around they'd probably snap your hand off (Spurs fans with the proviso that fourth place this season brings with it a place in the Champions League). Why can't Tottenham push on after last season? Two reasons. First is that they are lacking a little in firepower now they do not have the on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor, who played a major part in last season's success last time out. Adebayor, remember, was credited with four first-half assists and added a goal himself for good measure in the second half as Spurs crushed Newcastle 5-0 at White Hart Lane last season. The second reason for scepticism is the new manager, Andre Villas-Boas. Perhaps the Portuguese wasn't given enough time at Chelsea, but the way the established players rebelled against him suggested AVB can rub people up the wrong way. Villas-Boas needs his side to make a good start to the season for squad harmony and to get his playing staff beliveing in him. Newcastle were a revelation last term, with a brand of open attacking football spearheaded by an irrepressible attacking front three of Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa. When you look at their line-up man for man, you realise what an incredible job Alan Pardew did in 2011-12, particularly as there were murmurings of discontent when it emerged he was the man Mike Ashley was going to turn to after he axed the popular Chris Hughton. Today's game kicks off at 1730BST, so join us around 30 minutes beforehand when we should have the confirmed team news, which will be followed by a match commentary.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle have not added any eye-catching signings to what they had last season, but if Alan Pardew can get Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba firing on all cylinders at the same time they then are going to score goals for fun. Ba's goals dried up once his Senegalese side-kick arrived in January and the pair only actually both scored in the same match once. One of the most pleasant surprises of last season was the form of Hatem Ben Arfa. We have all known for a long time that the Frenchman is an incredibly gifted footballer, but he took his game to a new level last season, producing a run of consistently high-level displays that few people thought he had in his locker. Spurs will be hopeful that Gylfi Sigurdsson reproduces the prolific goal-scoring displays from attacking midfield that saw made him one of the loan signings of the season at Swansea last season. Jan Vertonghen, the £12million capture from Ajax, is very highly rated and it will be interesting to see if the Belgian defender can come to terms with the Premier League straight away.

HEAD TO HEAD

Tottenham have the better head-to-head record in league meetings between the sides with 57 wins to 47 by Newcastle and 30 games being drawn. At St James' Park, Newcastle have 27 wins to 21 by Spurs, with a further 19 meetings ending up all square. The match on Tyneside on October 16 last season finished 2-2. Rafael van der Vaart (penalty) and Jermain Defoe twice had Spurs in front, only for Newcastle to hit back through Demba Ba and Shola Ameobi. The return meeting at White Hart Lane on February 11 was a one-sided affair, with Spurs turning in one of the best performances of that or any other recent season to come away with a 5-0 win with goals from Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Louis Saha (2), Niko Kranjcar and Emmanuel Adebayor. This has not been a happy hunting ground for Tottenham in recent seasons. They have drawn the last two and lost the last four before that. Their last victory came on August 21 2004 when a solitary Thimothee Atouba strike gave them victory. It was Atouba's one and only goal for Spurs.

EARLY TEAM NEWS

Newcastle will give late fitness tests to four key players - strikers Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba and midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa – but Fabricio Coloccini has recovered from a knock and should play. Steven Taylor and Sylvain Marveaux are available again after long-term injuries and it remains to be seen how many of new signings Vurnon Anita, Curtis Good, Gael Bigirimana and Romain Amalfitano are handed debuts. Spurs have travelled without Luka Modric, who is hoping to complete a move to Real Madrid. Scott Parker (Achilles) and Heurelho Gomes (ankle) are out but new signings Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson should make their debuts.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Taking charge of today's game is Martin Atkinson, who has been a member of the Premier League's elite group of referees since 2005 and who became a FIFA referee a year later. The West Yorkshire-based official showed nine red cards last season, one to Newcastle's Dan Gosling at Norwich. That figure was by far the most of any Premier League referee and Atkinson also brandished 85 yellow cards in 27 games for good measure. His assistants today are Peter Kirkup and Stuart Burt, while Lee Mason is the fourth official.