At least it was not quite as bad as last year for Tottenham. Almost exactly 12 months ago, Antonio Conte’s interim managerial successor, Cristian Stellini, presided over a 6-1 defeat here that served to confirm things were seriously awry in north London and set in motion a chain of events concluding with Ange Postecoglou breathing new life into the team.

The Australian’s rescue and reform act remains a work in progress but seemed to be generally working pretty nicely, until Tottenham suffered a relapse on Tyneside sufficiently severe to threaten their hopes of Champions League qualification.