White Hart pain for O'Brien

Any Newcastle supporter who makes a habit of such a practice will be in for a bit of a shock when they see the Premiership table this morning - they probably think the Magpies are on top of the pile. Instead, they remain in fifth place after conceding a crucial goal in the dying minutes for an incredible fourth Premiership away game in a row.

Late goals at Birmingham, Blackburn and Portsmouth had cost Newcastle six crucial points in their battle to claim a Champions League spot.

And the tally is now up to seven after Andy O'Brien's 86th-minute own goal gifted Tottenham a barely deserved 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane.

Newcastle dominated both possession and territory from first minute to last but, yet again, were left frustrated by the scoresheet, the only measure of success that counts. The result was particularly harsh on O'Brien who was made to pay for the one mistake of an otherwise exemplary defensive performance on his 200th career start.

Spurs substitute Stephane Dalmat raced onto Jonathan Woodgate's failed clearance down the right flank and, while the home side had attackers breaking into the box, there seemed to be little or no danger when O'Brien slid in to clear the ball away.

But, instead, he succeeded in steering it high past Shay Given's despairing dive to make the Magpies pay for their lack of a cutting edge. Newcastle's passing interplay was both impressive and intricate but, after having just five shots at goal all afternoon, it is difficult to have too much sympathy for Sir Bobby Robson's men.

After everything that had gone before, O'Brien's late clanger was always something of an accident waiting to happen.

Robson was forced to make two changes to the side that took Newcastle to the brink of the UEFA Cup quarter-finals on Thursday night. Woodgate replaced knee injury victim Titus Bramble at centre-half, while Lee Bowyer returned to the midfield in place of Kieron Dyer.

The Magpies had started slowly in their midweek European romp and, again, they found themselves on the back foot in the initial stages as Spurs settled quickest to the wet, greasy conditions.

German midfielder Christian Ziege forced Given into a routine early save with his curling free-kick from the right, while Ledley King also went close with a 30-yard daisycutter that narrowly missed the left upright.

Robbie Keane fed King on that occasion and the Irishman was Spurs' key figure as Newcastle's defenders failed to keep tabs on him in the early stages.

Keane played at the apex of the home side's midfield diamond and, with Jermain Defoe and Fredi Kanoute leading the line, Newcastle were short of numbers when their opponents broke.

But Keane's attacking instincts meant there were gaps up the middle when United switched play to the opposite end and, as the first half wore on, the visitors began to enjoy long passages of possession.

Laurent Robert tested American international Kasey Keller with a trademark free-kick from distance and, while Given had to be alert to thwart Ziege at the other end, Newcastle twice went close in a frantic five-minute spell before the half-hour mark.

Jermaine Jenas saw his 20-yard strike blocked by a combination of Spurs defenders but, when the ball broke to Olivier Bernard 25 yards out, the Frenchman cracked a blistering drive that Keller beat away with his legs after initially being deceived by the swerving shot.

It was questionable just how much Keller knew about the save but, while Newcastle were left disappointed by the stop, that was nothing to how they were feeling just 60 seconds later.

Aaron Hughes' surging run into the Spurs penalty area was halted when he was clipped by the retreating Mauricio Taricco but, while there appeared to be clear contact from the Argentinian, referee Howard Webb waved away the frantic penalty appeals.

Hughes clearly felt hard done by and the United defender was left berating the officials again shortly after when his side almost paid for the absence of a linesman's flag. Gary Doherty was left all alone ten yards out as the ball broke from Ziege's blocked drive but, while the Irishman is equally comfortable at centre-half or centre-forward, he certainly looked like the former as he dragged his shot horribly wide.

Craig Bellamy and Shearer enjoyed a feisty physical battle with Doherty and Anthony Gardner all afternoon but, while Newcastle's front two couldn't be faulted for effort, they were rarely afforded a clear sight of goal.

Spurs' centre-halves threw their bodies on the line to block hurried efforts from both shortly after the interval and, for all Speed and Jenas' undeniable industry in the middle of the park, Newcastle's attacking duo missed the injured Dyer's unpredictable bursts through the middle.

The home side must have felt under siege for much of the game - Newcastle's 11 corners told their own story - but while the game remained goalless they were always in with a chance from one of their rare forays forward.

And so it proved as Newcastle got out of jail once at the back - but then paid the ultimate price when Spurs pressed again four minutes from time.

Woodgate had been assurance personified for much of the opening 69 minutes but, when suddenly called upon from a Tottenham set-piece, the former Leeds centre-half burst into life to keep the scoresheet blank.

Defoe flicked Ziege's right-wing corner back across the face of goal and, with two Spurs strikers surging into the six-yard box, Woodgate acrobatically cleared from his own goalline.

That was spectacular but, when called upon to make a far easier clearance in the dying minutes, O'Brien could only find the back of his own net. More late heartbreak, and more dropped points courtesy of Newcastle's third Premiership away defeat of the season, all of which have come in London. Next weekend's home game with Charlton could go a long way towards deciding who finishes in the all-important fourth position. Whatever happens in that one, it is unlikely anyone will be leaving before the end.