As the problems mount for Newcastle United and Alan Pardew, and European qualification becomes a distant memory and ambition, Tottenham Hotspur remain on course for their Champions League challenge.

Outplayed, out-fought and out-paced, Newcastle were unable to cope with the constant wave of Tottenham attacks on a miserable night at St James’ Park in which they suffered their fourth successive league defeat since 1987.

When the FA Cup defeat by Cardiff City is included it is five in a row, but unhappy Newcastle fans who poured out before the end have stopped counting.

They were fortunate they were not counting goals into double figures as they were repeatedly torn apart by a rampant Spurs side who are now just six points behind Arsenal, and on the trail of fourth-placed Liverpool.

Only some slightly wayward finishing, and another inspired performance from Tim Krul, the hero of Newcastle’s November win at White Hart Lane, kept the score down for Tim Sherwood’s men.

But the Spurs boss was ‘delighted’, as his beaming smile throughout and at the final whistle indicated. The football, the goals, the raucous non-stop support from the heavens, nothing, even news of Steven Gerrard’s late penalty, could hide his joy at a rare win on Tyneside, Spurs’ first in eight league visits.

Sherwood said: ‘We’re delighted. From the first whistle to the last, we were very very good and because of our start we set the tone. This is a difficult place to come as our record here suggests, but we silenced the crowd.

‘We’re not nervous. I’m certainly not, and the players don’t seem to be. When you get a few goals up you’re allowed to play with freedom but I want them to play with that sort of freedom in every game.

‘It is very tight up there. I see it going down to the last month of the season, that’s for sure. It’s going to be tough for everyone to maintain the run that we’re all having. We seem to be not climbing above anyone at the moment.

‘Liverpool are doing excellent and we’ve just got to make sure we keep breathing down their necks. You would say they’re favourites but we think we can put a charge together. We’ve got to believe that. ‘

While the enthusiastic Sherwood looked like a man who could have stayed on the freezing sidelines all night, the final whistle couldn’t come soon enough for Pardew.

He may have wanted to avoid the torrent of abuse from the remaining home fans or perhaps he just wanted to get into the dressing room to give his players a dressing down. Mathieu Debuchy and half-time substitute Paul Dummett were the only players, he said, to emerge with any credit. Presumably he meant outfield players, as Krul was outstanding again. And had to be.

As social media sites went wild with calls for Pardew to go, he angrily denounced his players’ performances, cancelling any prospect of a rest during their self-enforced break.

‘I do not want to watch a performance like that in my 150th game in charge of Newcastle,’ he said. ‘Spurs were good but that doesn’t interest me. My team has to be better than that.

‘It was a tough night, but the performance was not good enough. We were dominated from start to finish.

‘I have made my views very clear in the dressing room and that is where they will stay. I need to give a message to our fans that that was not good enough and we need to make sure it is good enough for our next game against Aston Villa.

‘Of course I am not happy. This is a game where you, as a manager you expect life and limb to be given on the football pitch. That is what I gave as a player and that is what I expect. That is what the fans expect and if you drop you will suffer as we did.

‘The players better get the message because they will get it loud and clear this week.’

Pardew was presumably referring in particular to the sight of Hatem Ben Arfa, Papiss Cisse and Moussa Sissoko meandering back on halfway from an attack which broke down with some awful, lazy passing. As they did so, Spurs nearly added a fifth, indicating the damage had already been done.

Krul denied Andros Townsend on that occasion, and the Dutchman was also at his best to keep out efforts from Adebayor, Paulinho, Aaron Lennon and Nabil Bentaleb. But he was left too exposed too often.

Adebayor gave Spurs a 19th minute lead after Lennon’s clever flick created space for Bentaleb whose cross was tapped home.

Their second came just eight minutes after the re-start when Adebayor was given the freedom of Tyneside to fire in a low shot.

The Holland No 1 was unable to control of the ball due to its sheer force and Paulinho was quickest to reach the loose ball and sidefoot it into the bottom of the net.

Tottenham’s third came eight minutes from time, after Hugo Lloris made two fines stops from Yoan Gouffran and Papiss Cisse. They were Newcastle’s best chances and Tottenham made them pay.

A long range shot from Andros Townsend was well saved again by Krul but the ball flew out to Adebayor who hit a bouncing effort out of the Newcastle keeper’s reach.

Goal of the night came from Nacer Chadli who played a quick one-two with Bentaleb and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

—Daily Mail