Tottenham vs Newcastle result: Son Heung-min goal sees Spurs into second, five things we learned

The South Korean, only recently back from international duty, struck the winning goal ten minutes from time

Tottenham moved second in the Premier League as Son Heung-min once again proved their hero.

The South Korean, only recently back from international duty, struck the winning goal ten minutes from time as Mauricio Pochettino's men stayed well in the hunt for the top four and, whisper it, the title.

Here are five things we learned:

1. Son shows his class

Harry Kane's absence would hurt any team but for much of this one Spurs' lack of a genuine striker loomed large. With Fernando Llorente finally dropped Pochettino opted for a more is more approach up top with Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela and Son as his front three.

It looked like it wouldn't pay off, however, as the hosts struggled to fashion clean cut chances for much of the contest. But then up popped Son, firing in a skidded shot that showed all the hallmarks of a Kane finish. And not before time.

2. Lucas lacking

Maybe it was because he was out of position, maybe it was because he's out of form, but this wasn't one of the Brazilian's finer outings. Tasked with filling Kane's unenviably large boots he failed his audition with a missed first-half header indicative of an afternoon to forget.

3. Newcastle need Almiron

Newcastle toiled and defended doggedly but when it came to the crunch they lacked the cutting edge in the final third to truly trouble Spurs.

They will hope that £20m man Almiron can add that. A quick and technically excellent forward option, his debut cannot come soon enough for the Magpies on this evidence.

Dubravka was impressive once again (Getty Images)

4. Dúbravka’s moment to forget

Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka has been one of Newcastle’s best players since signing on the cheap from Sparta Prague.

He was having another fine game here, too. Encouragingly quick off his line, the 30-year-old was helping to frustrate Tottenham’s rejigged attack with a solid display and some good saves.

So what a shame that he was directly responsible for Newcastle’s defeat. Son’s low shot did bounce at an awkward moment, true, but Dúbravka still allowed the shot to wriggle underneath him. He should have done better.

5. Hugo no longer the boss

The French international was once one of the finest keepers in the Premier League. But those times appear in the past after a season to forget at times. He did nothing particularly wrong here today but the dominant figure of years' past appears to be long gone.

And it's not as if he's without competition. Paulo Gazzaniga has shown himself to have all the tools to be a top flight goalkeeper in the cup competitions this year. Maybe he'll get his chance to prove it sooner rather than later.