Familiarity can so often be wonderfully reassuring but, for Newcastle United, it all too frequently provokes depression. There was to be no exception to this general Geordie rule on Sunday when the sight of Mike Ashley with his arms determinedly folded in the directors’ box simply served as a reminder of how badly the club’s owner has let Rafael Benítez down in the transfer market this summer.

As if that were not sufficient, a moment of mindless, all too typically self-destructive stupidity from Jonjo Shelvey – namely stepping on Delle Alli’s ankle straight in front of the referee – at the outset of the second half saw Benítez’s side reduced to 10 men.

Goals from Alli and Ben Davies consequently enabled a visiting team who had hitherto struggled to undo Newcastle’s defensive organisation to rediscover the benefits of what some fear has become an almost stifling familiarity.

After a summer of total transfer market frustration Mauricio Pochettino is desperate to introduce a few new faces ahead of a potential title challenge but, despite playing well within themselves, his existing crew were too good for their newly promoted hosts.

In some ways the first half went reasonably well for Newcastle; Rob Elliot’s goal was barely threatened, Christian Atsu’s pace periodically troubled the young debutant Kyle Walker-Peters, Dwight Gayle looked lively if not exactly subtle and Pochettino’s mounting frustration seemed highlighted when he ordered Moussa Sissoko and Christian Eriksen to swap flanks. Arguably, most reassuringly of all, the Tynesiders defended very well.

Yet there was still plenty to worry Benítez. Foremost among his concerns must have been Shelvey’s struggles to touch the ball, let alone unleash a penetrative play-making pass but Newcastle’s collective penchant for forfeiting possession far too cheaply can hardly have represented a cause for optimism either.

It did not help that Paul Dummett’s early attempt to intercept Sissoko left the home left-back hamstrung. That injury prompted Jamaal Lascelles’s introduction, with Benítez’s club captain swiftly proving his worth courtesy of a difficult block to prevent the impressive Mousa Dembélé from driving a shot into the bottom corner.

The substitution interrupted Newcastle’s initially ferocious tempo and, inexorably, Spurs began controlling the pace - and dominating possession. Benítez’s best hope appeared to rest with getting men behind the ball and thwarting his guests before using the pace of Atsu and Gayle to accelerate behind Pochettino’s high defensive line on the break.

Sure enough one such counter-attack did conclude with Walker-Peters tripping the striker in the area. Had a linesman not flagged for offside against Gayle, it would have been a penalty. No matter; the novice right-back may not quite be the new Kyle Walker but Walker-Peters did sufficient good things to suggest he has an extremely bright future.

The home bench suffered further disappointment when Harry Kane – then rivalling Shelvey in terms of minimal impact on events – was rightly shown a yellow card for catching Florian Lejeune late with an unfortunate tackle from behind which Benítez thought worthy of a red. The centre-half, newly recruited from Eibar, hobbled off and was replaced by Chancel Mbemba as Newcastle’s defence underwent yet another revamp.

That unit’s enduring efficiency ensured a slightly soporific ending to a first 45 minutes characterised by unusually abundant sunshine, a cacophony of piercing boos greeting St James’ Park old boy Sissoko’s every touch and Ashley’s looming directors’ box presence.

Earlier Sky had released excerpts of a pre-recorded interview with Newcastle’s owner featuring an admission that he had been “naive” in sacking Sam Allardyce and an apology to Chris Hughton for his treatment of the club’s former manager.

If that “sorry” was long overdue, Shelvey owed a very big apology to a lot of people after his idiotic 48th-minute sending off. With Alli prone on the turf after conceding a free-kick and cheekily pushing the ball away from his adversary, the midfielder stood on the England creator’s ankle, directly in front of Andre Marriner.

Decisions are rarely more straightforward and the referee wasted no time in reaching for his red card. With Lascelles beginning on the bench, Benítez had made Shelvey captain for the afternoon but, now, the Spaniard deliberately looked away as he trudged off.

Newcastle’s 10 men soon fell behind. Like Kane, Alli had endured an uncharacteristically ineffective start but he issued a belated reminder of his talent by registering that opening goal.

It arrived at the end of a hallmark Spurs passing move, concluding with Kane picking out Eriksen whose cross was met by Alli’s left foot and a stretching finish far too good for Elliot after the scorer had darted between Lascelles and Mbemba.

If Alli’s run had been timed to perfection so, too, was Ben Davies’s dash into the box as Pochettino’s left-back, claimed the second goal with a low, six-yard shot following slick first-time passes, from Kane and Alli and the increasingly excellent Eriksen’s deception of the home defence by shaping to shoot himself.

Anxious not to be eclipsed, Kane then hit a post before seeing a ’goal’ disallowed for offside. His moment will come - but Newcastle’s horizon looks ominously clouded.

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