Jacob Ramsey fired Newcastle United to a rare away win to give head coach Eddie Howe a timely boost and keep the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank.

Both bosses had to field questions about their positions in the build-up to this crunch Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following a poor run of results.

Frank did not hide the fact his injury-hit side were "desperate" for their first league victory of 2026 while Howe, similarly, called on his players to show "our feeling of how important this is to us" after a run of just one win in eight games in all competitions.

It was Howe's team who delivered for their manager on a night a section of Spurs supporters chanted "You're getting sacked in the morning" in Frank's direction as chief executive Vinai Venkatesham watched on.

Newcastle, who lined up without a recognised striker, took the lead through an unlikely scorer in defender Malick Thiaw in first-half stoppage time.

Guglielmo Vicario managed to parry Thiaw's initial header from Anthony Elanga's cross, but the Newcastle centre-back was quickest to react and got there ahead of Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray to stab the ball into the net and send the away end into raptures.

Spurs, to their credit, briefly rallied after the break and the hosts drew level from their first corner of the night when Xavi Simons' delivery was headed back across goal by Sarr and Gray hooked the ball into the net.

Frank punched the air on the touchline as the stadium erupted around him, but Spurs were not level for long.

Anthony Gordon danced his way into the box and fed Ramsey, who picked out the bottom corner with a clever first-time finish to score his maiden goal for the club following his summer move from Aston Villa.

Newcastle held out to win just their third league game on the road this season and move up to 10th, while Spurs slip to 16th.

It feels like a long way back for Spurs boss Frank.

That may seem a curious statement to make about a manager who led his side to automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, who only took charge last summer and who has had to contend with an ever-growing list of absentees.

But Spurs are sleepwalking into a relegation battle.

They have failed to win any of their past eight Premier League games for the first time since 2008.

Frank will be mightily relieved that Benjamin Sesko scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Manchester United to prevent West Ham moving within three points of his side in the table.

But this was still a damaging defeat for Tottenham.

On a night Howe's players fought for him, Spurs' response was too brief and they were only level for four minutes.

A grandstand finish never looked on the cards.

By the time the fourth official's board went up, thousands of supporters had tellingly left.

A section who stayed chanted that Frank was "getting sacked in the morning", before the full-time whistle was greeted with loud boos.

Howe will know how opposite number Frank is feeling.

The Newcastle head coach looked crestfallen after his side were booed off following the bruising 3-2 defeat by Brentford last week.

But Howe and his players hauled themselves up off the canvas to respond just three days later.

This was a night where Howe made some bold calls.

He opted not to start either of Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa just a few months after spending £124m on the forwards.

He recalled Ramsey, in place of Sandro Tonali, and also handed the lively Anthony Elanga a chance from the off.

Newcastle's summer recruitment has rightly come under scrutiny - but Elanga, Thiaw and Ramsey stepped up when Howe needed them most.

So did the whole team, in truth.

Wobbly Newcastle have thrown away more points from winning positions (19) than any other side in the Premier League this season - but they held firm in the closing stages.

No wonder Howe savoured this win.

He even took the acclaim of the away end at full-time as Kieran Trippier pushed the head coach in front of the buoyant travelling support, who repeatedly sang his name.

Spurs host bitter rivals Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, 22 February (16:30 GMT) before Frank's side make the trip to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on 1 March (14:00).

Newcastle travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday, 14 February (17:45) before flying to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday, 18 February (17:45).