The centrefold in yesterday's match programme featured the Tottenham Hotspur team dressed up in Santa outfits. Unfortunately they forgot to wait until Christmas Day before handing out the gifts.
Poor marking at a corner allowed Newcastle to equalise 13 minutes from time. And though it was a deserved reward for United's collective spirit after going behind, George Graham was disappointed to be forced into a replay on Wednesday week.
Tottenham could have sewn up the game in the first half, creating three good chances, but Newcastle kept in there, might have opened the scoring themselves through Duncan Ferguson early in the second half and, after equalising, created plenty of chances to win.
What a difference a manager makes. Ruud Gullit's Newcastle collapsed 3-1 at White Hart Lane in their second league game this season. Yesterday the refusal of Bobby Robson's revitalised team to roll over after going behind kept them on course for a third successive appearance in the FA Cup final, having beaten Tottenham in last season's semi-finals.
Robson was rightly pleased with his players' commitment. "Since I've taken over we've got organisation back in the side, the work ethic is up and the players playing to their potential," he said. `'We've lost just one match in 11." Newcastle's tireless performance was even more impressive given the exertions and disappointment involved in losing out narrowly to Roma in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
As is the case for Tottenham, the FA Cup is now United's only realistic chance of winning silverware so the replay of the only all-Premiership tie of the round promises to be a cut-throat affair.
After last month's league clash at St James's Park, David Ginola and Tim Sherwood were reported for allegedly making inflammatory gestures to the crowd; Sherwood was suspended yesterday, but the Frenchman let his feet do the talking with a typical piece of impudent skill to set up Tottenham's goal.
The home team's shortage of strikers meant that Ginola started the game up front. And it took him just six minutes to unleash a 20-yard dipping shot which forced Steve Harper into the first of a series of vital saves. On 20 minutes he blocked Allan Neilsen's header then seconds later denied the Dane again.
A superb Ginola cross helped break the deadlock. Slowly Newcastle had begun to wrest the midfield initiative from Tottenham and Ferguson, making a rare start after injury, could have put United ahead just after the break when he headed Robert Lee's cross into the ground and over the bar.
But 10 minutes later Tottenham went ahead. Ginola's little jink wrong-footed his marker Laurence Charvet and Ginola speared in a cross which Steffen Iversen diverted into the net with a diving header.
But Newcastle kept fighting, switched to three forwards and Tottenham increasingly found it difficult to retain possession. Suddenly Ian Walker was under more pressure than at any time as the otherwise anonymous Shearer went close, Kieron Dyer shot just over, then, on 78 minutes, Gary Speed headed home Stephen Glass's corner, with Justin Edinburgh identified as the man who failed to pick him up.
Despite missing Les Ferdinand, Darren Anderton, Willem Korsten and yesterday Oyvind Leonhardsen, Tottenham's revival under Graham is still impressive. They fight to the end and are not seventh in the Premiership for nothing.
But the changes wrought by the 66-year-old Robson are something to behold. Newcastle's last two final appearances were so embarrassing few neutrals would have welcomed a third. Not any more.
TOTTENHAM: Walker, Young, Campbell, Perry, Edinburgh (Armstrong 81), Fox, Freund, Nielsen, Ginola, Iversen, Dominguez (Vega 81). Subs Not Used: Baardsen, Clemence, Gower. Booked: Nielsen, Freund. Goal: Iversen 57.
NEWCASTLE: Harper, Dabizas, Charvet, Helder (Glass 64), Barton, Dyer (Ketsbaia 76), Speed, Lee, Pistone, Ferguson (Gallacher 64), Shearer. Subs Not Used: Given, Hughes. Booked: Helder. Goal: Speed 77.
Referee: G Poll (Tring).
