This report was updated on 17 September 2026. Tottenham Hotspur have lost their opening two Premier League matches of a season for the first time in 15 years, after a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United. The result leaves Spurs without a point and without much to show in front of goal, just two games into the campaign.
Second-half goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa settled the contest, and neither was seriously threatened by a Tottenham response. The defeat has sharpened scrutiny on a side still finding its identity working under Roberto De Zerbi, and it prompted a blunt assessment from former England goalkeeper Rob Green.
Updated introduction: Tottenham hit 15-year low after Newcastle loss
Losing your first two league matches of a season is rare for a club of Tottenham’s stature, and it had not happened in 15 years before this weekend. The manner of the defeat to Newcastle will worry supporters as much as the result itself.
Spurs were without winger Savio, who missed out through muscle fatigue rather than a more serious problem. Omar Marmoush started in attack, while Mohammed Kudus, Dom Solanke and Mikey Moore all had to settle for places among the substitutes as De Zerbi searched for a way to unlock Newcastle’s defence.
Matthias Jaissle’s side rode out an early scare when goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek was called upon to save a first-half header from Jan Paul van Hecke. It proved to be the closest Tottenham came to troubling the scoresheet for long periods of the afternoon.
Rob Green delivers damning assessment on Tottenham attack
Speaking on the BBC after the final whistle, Rob Green did not hold back on Tottenham’s toothless display. “It feels like Tottenham could play all night and not score,” he said, summing up an afternoon in which Spurs struggled to fashion clear chances.
Green went further when asked to explain the performance. “It just hasn’t been their afternoon. They’ve tried, but the quality just hasn’t been there,” he told the BBC, pointing to a lack of composure and invention in the final third rather than a lack of effort.
According to Rob Green on the BBC, the problem was never about application. Tottenham pressed and pushed men forward, but the finishing touch simply was not there when it mattered.
What Rob Green’s verdict reveals about Tottenham’s offensive struggles
Rob Green’s verdict points to a Tottenham attack that is short on quality in the final third, not short on trying. His comments on the BBC frame the problem as one of execution rather than shape or endeavour, with promising moves repeatedly breaking down at the crucial moment.
That reading is backed up by what happened at the other end of the pitch. Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek was rarely tested all match, needing only to beat away that first-half header from Jan Paul van Hecke. Spurs did not create enough after that to trouble him again, a pattern consistent with the club’s ongoing attacking dilemmas through the summer transfer window.
Newcastle, in contrast, made their limited openings count in clinical fashion. Anthony Elanga broke the deadlock in the second half, before Yoane Wissa turned in a close-range finish after a header down by Nick Woltemade doubled the lead under manager Matthias Jaissle. Green’s assessment suggests Tottenham’s issue is not a shortage of possession or opportunity, but a shortage of the finishing quality needed to turn pressure into goals.
For a club with attacking options such as Marmoush, Kudus, Solanke and Moore all available on the day, the inability to convert pressure into goals will be the most concerning part of Green’s verdict for supporters.
What happens next: Nottingham Forest test ahead for De Zerbi’s side
Tottenham now turn their attention to Nottingham Forest, who arrive on the back of a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. De Zerbi will be looking for a reaction after two damaging defeats, and for the attacking quality that Rob Green found so lacking against Newcastle.
Selection will again come under scrutiny following recent line-up decisions in midweek, with the manager needing his forward options to deliver when a result is on the line. Fuller detail on Rob Green’s original comments, along with the match reaction from Newcastle, can be found in Read Tottenham’s original verdict report.
Until Tottenham find a way to add quality to their attacking play, verdicts like Green’s are likely to keep following defeats. Forest at home offers an immediate chance for De Zerbi’s players to answer their critics.
