26 mins Malbranque took O'Hara's pass down the Spurs left and angled over a cross for Darren Bent, who got in front of his marker Faye to head beyond Harper from about the penalty spot 0-1

45 mins+40 seconds Geremi was going nowhere down the United right and slipped the ball infield to Butt midway into the Spurs half, as the home side held off. He in turn laid it off left for Enrique, whose deep cross was ham-fistedly cleared by Woodgate back to Geremi on the right.

He rolled it back across the field for Nicky Butt to sweep home a low right-footer that Woodgate tried to block but missed, contriving only to unsight his 'keeper Robinson in the process 1-1 

Half time: Spurs 1 Newcastle 1

52 mins Viduka dummied an upfield pass from Beye on the edge of the Spurs box and as Martins leapt to head the ball, he was blatantly shoved in the back by Dawson. Geremi conferred with Butt before cutting a low right-footer into the net - abetted by Viduka moving his bulk from the five man wall at the right moment. Robinson was once again left flat-footed. 2-1

65 mins Martins picked up possession on the right hand touchline and cut infield, staying on his feet as O'Hara tried a two-footed lunge to block him. He recovered his balance to feed a pass to Viduka with his back to goal on the edge of the box.

The Aussie simply helped the ball on its way by back-heeling it into the box, to where Michael Owen was unmarked and looped a right-footed shot into the net from 12 yards, before running off to celebrate joyously with the away fans after turning to acknowledge his fellow strikers. 3-1

83 mins Oba's goal, Barton's creation - as the midfielder robbed a dallying opponent midway in the Newcastle half before racing to the loose ball and finding Obafemi Martins just over halfway with a low pass. The Newcastle number nine bore down on the back-tracking Tainio, ultimately leaving him in a heap on the edge of the Spurs box as he placed the ball beyond the advancing 'keeper. 4-1

An away supporter's lot isn't always a happy one and by our own standards this has been a testing season - lacking even the diversion of continental jaunts to distract from the league grind.

Ticket and travel prices are one thing, but increasingly the timing of kickoffs seem deliberately engineered to dissuade attendance. Add in a run of non-performances to that of the type we've been served up and the case for non-attendance becomes compelling....

But people still keep turning out, putting livelihoods, relationships, health & financial stability at risk. 

Happily, this was one of those days that reminds you just why you go traipsing across the nation.

There wasn't even the TV excuse for this Sunday afternoon game, unlike our recent Monday night banishment to Brum or the upcoming Saturday nighter at Pompey that shows a callous disregard for supporters.

Despite all that, hopefully enough of those who endured the likes of Wigan and a trio of Arsenal defeats were present for some first-hand payback along with cracking goals and a genuinely heartening display.

Those fans not present could at least defy Sky & Setanta's failure to show this game and find a venue to view it on dodgy foreign telly (leading to great beer-soaking celebrations and folks quite literally dancing in the streets, so we're told....) 

United once again found White Hart Lane a happy hunting ground as we won away for the first time in 2008, despite going a goal behind against the run of play. 

And unlike that 1-0 victory at Fulham in December, this was watchable.

Fielding an unchanged lineup for a third successive game, Martins and Viduka hunted up front with Owen sitting behind, Barton and Geremi shoring up left and right flanks respectively.

The confidence boost that a point at Birmingham and that elusive victory against Fulham had brought was evident across the field.

And in a week when Kevin Keegan had likened his job to that of riding a tiger, his side plucked these Cockerels and ripped them to shreds in their own back yard.
 
Sunday saw the clocks go forward and so did Newcastle, Beye hitting the Spurs crossbar and both Martins and Barton having shots on goal in the opening ten minutes.

At the other end Spurs had only sporadically been within range of Harpers goal before he made a great instinctive stop from Woodgate on 13 minutes.

Just over ten minutes later though the Newcastle 'keeper was picking the ball out of his net, beaten by Darren Bent's glancing header.

To their credit though we maintained our positive approach - no sign of heads dropping today.

Across the field there were positives to be taken, with Barton rightly singled out for praise by the manager for his contribution and stamina, while Viduka also showed the deftness and physical presence in attack that we badly missed in his absence.

And although we finished with four goals, misses from Barton, Viduka, Martins and Owen could have made this an even more enthralling and emphatic victory against an totally uninterested home side.

Michael Owen may have had little to shout about for England in midweek but his Newcastle renaissance continued as he extended his ever-present record since returning from injury in December to sixteen games.

It's all a far cry from the last time we played on this ground in 2005, when Owen broke his foot and a muted away section slumped in their seats as we meekly surrendered 0-2.

His celebrations said it all - from stony-faced at Birmingham via slightly more satisfied against Fulham to full-blown delight here in front of the away fans. 

Or maybe he was just as chuffed as we were that finally he'd received something in the way of a decent pass from a team mate - having waiting in vain for England, as he often has for us.

Delight then for coach Chris Hughton on his first return to the club he served as a player and who dispensed with his services as a coach earlier this season.

And satisfaction for owner Mike Ashley, seeing the club he bought complete a double over the one that a number of his associates are known to favour, causing big celebrations from his cronies.

However the day belonged to Kevin Keegan, who silenced doubters in the stands and press box by overseeing a competent, entertaining and disciplined display.

The most emphatic away league win of his entire Newcastle managerial career was also achieved by putting together a functioning side from what he inherited - this display and scoreline belatedly vindicating the decision not to add significantly to the squad in the transfer window.

And in a season of that's been big on drabness and misery, this was a massive and long overdue positive on a day when every player contributed to the cause.

Oba celebrated with his customary airborne acrobatics, but his manager must have felt like doing cartwheels on the touchline as a re-born United catapulted up the table in spectacular fashion.

After some challenging scorelines over the weekend, this three points nicely took the heat off us ahead of next week's home meeting with Reading and a chance to get closer to locking this season down mathematically.

However before everyone gets off our back and leaps on to the passing bandwagon, it's as well to consider the recent trophy success and consequent European qualification that caused a severe outbreak of sunbeditis here among Tottenham today.

We're well accustomed to coasting towards the end of a season - albeit never with the comfort of something ribbon-bedecked under our arms - so we of all people should be able to recognise that when it comes along.

That's not to devalue our performance, rather to try and avoid the wild media over-hyping that quickly replaced recent ritual rubbishings of the club complete with pictures of a downcast KK. 

And as an aside, the half-fit Woodgate and consistently poor Dawson may have Carling Cup gongs, but did little to inspire confidence today. Let's hope our shopping doesn't start here with the latter.

The manager spoke about memories of our 5-0 at Antwerp being invoked by this win, but by recent standards this was from another planet, never mind Belgium.

If the first part of his job upon returning to this club was to put smiles back on faces, then Kevin Keegan achieved that objective today, as well as the more serious business of collecting points.

Keep on keeping on.
 
Biffa

PS1: Rahul and his stag do crowd, hope you enjoyed it!
PS2: Big Phil in Valencia, it's stopped snowing in Morpeth...