Harry Kane's second-half strike earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win over Newcastle United this evening and secured them a top-four finish in the Premier League.
There was a tense atmosphere at Wembley with fifth-place Chelsea having closed the gap to two points, but their slip up at home to Huddersfield Town opened the door for Spurs.
Newcastle had the better of the first-half chances as Jonjo Shelvey struck the post with a wicked free kick, and Dwight Gayle headed over the crossbar from close range.
Kane's classy finish into the top corner on 50 minutes eased the nerves in the Spurs camp, and they closed out a victory which saw them climb above Liverpool into third.
Relive how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
It is squeaky bum time for Tottenham Hotspur in the top-four race, with Chelsea having crept up behind them and to within two points. The 'b' word has been thrown Spurs's way yet again, but Mauricio Pochettino's boys have the chance to ease the nerves with Newcastle United's visit tonight.
Spurs have won just one of four league matches since their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United, to open the door for Chelsea. However, victory over the Magpies would lift them above Liverpool and into third in the table, putting them in pole position for this weekend's final round of fixtures.
SPURS: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Wanyama, Sissoko; Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane
Subs: Vorm, Rose, Alderweireld, Foyth, Lamela, Lucas, Llorente
Subs: Vorm, Rose, Alderweireld, Foyth, Lamela, Lucas, Llorente
NEWCASTLE: Dubravka; Yedlin, Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett; Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy; Perez, Gayle
Subs: Darlow, Manquillo, Haidara, Hayden, Murphy, Merino, Joselu
Subs: Darlow, Manquillo, Haidara, Hayden, Murphy, Merino, Joselu
After switching to a three-man defence for Saturday's stoppage-time defeat to now-relegated West Bromwich Albion, Pochettino reverts to a back four and makes three changes in personnel, with Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, both tipped to leave Spurs this summer, back on the bench.
Ben Davies is recalled at left-back and Son Heung-min is recalled at the expense of Erik Lamela. With Mousa Dembele injured and Eric Dier missing through illness, Moussa Sissoko gets a start in midfield alongside Victor Wanyama, against the club who pocketed £30m when he moved to Spurs.
Despite limping off minutes before Jake Livermore's dramatic winner at The Hawthorns, Jan Vertonghen has shaken off an ankle injury to take his usual place in Tottenham's defence. The Belgian made the PFA Team of the Year and is in with a great shout of being Tottenham's Player of the Season.
Tottenham fans have been clamouring for January signing Lucas Moura to see more action after a few bright cameos. The Brazilian winger has only started once in the league since joining from Paris Saint-Germain, with Pochettino seemingly bedding him in ahead of a greater impact next campaign.
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez handed out a few opportunities which were squandered on Saturday as the Magpies lost 2-1 to Watford, so has gone back to the exact lineup that started the club's four successive wins from March 10 to April 15. Jacob Muphy and Javi Manquillo both drop out.
The two players who are brought back in by Benitez are Matt Ritchie and DeAndre Yedlin, who spent a couple of years on the books at Tottenham, only making a single league appearance as a substitute. The American has taken his chance at the top flight this time around with both hands.
On-loan striker Islam Slimani won't play again this season after being charged with violent conduct for kicking out at West Brom's Craig Dawson. Dwight Gayle is the benificiary of the Leicester City striker's ill-discipline as he partners Dwight Gayle in an agile and tireless forward line.
Ciaran Clark and Christian Atsu both started the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at St James' Park in the opening-day reverse fixture in August, but are still absent for the visitors. Harry Winks and Serge Aurier are a couple of Spurs players who join them on the injury list for tonight's match.
A red card for Jonjo Shelvey played a pivotal role when these two sides met on Tyneside, after which Dele Alli and Ben Davies scored to earn Spurs victory. The midfielder was sent off at Everton in December too, but the penny seems to have finally dropped with just one yellow card in 17 outings.
Shelvey's improved form in his partnership with Mo Diame has been critical in Newcastle climbing away from relegation trouble. The Magpies are in 10th on 41 points, but have dipped in form since securing their safety by losing three matches in a row for the first time since December.
Another key figure in Newcastle's post-Christmas upturn has been Perez, who has four goals in his last six Premier League appearances, which is as many as in his previous 48 top-flight matches. The Spaniard has previous against Spurs too, scoring a 90th-minute winner at White Hart Lane in 2015.
While St James' has been a fortress this season, particularly against bottom-half teams, the Magpies have struggled on their travels with just one win in six attempts, although that did come at Leicester City on their last away day, with that duo Shelvey and Perez on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win.
In fairness to Newcastle, they have had a difficult run of away fixtures, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool among their last six destinations. The Magpies have only won once in 50 Premier League away matches against sides starting the day in the top four, losing 41 of those.
Their record at Wembley makes for even more miserable reading, with six defeats on the bounce at the home of football since the club last lifted a trophy with FA Cup glory over Man City in 1955. Their last trip to Wembley was in April 2000, when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final.
Tottenham too had a Wembley curse prior to this season, but they have done as well as they possibly could have in their temporary home. They have only lost twice in the league here all campaign - against Man City and Chelsea - and have beaten eight out of 10 of the bottom-half teams.
Across fixtures at both White Hart Lane and Wembley, Spurs have won their last 17 Premier League home games against promoted sides since a 2-1 defeat by Norwich City in April 2012. Brighton and Huddersfield were both on the end of 2-0 defeats here earlier this season.
However, that West Brom result has the potential to rock the boat somewhat, particularly considering that Spurs have tailed off in two of their previous three seasons under Pochettino. It was Tottenham's second defeat in four league matches, having previously only lost one of 18.
Their 1-0 reverse to the Baggies also marked the first time in 24 Premier League matches that Spurs had failed to score, dating back to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in November. Another blank tonight would see them go consecutive league games without scoring for the first time since May 2015.
Tottenham's trouble in front of goal, only by comparison to their prolific form either side of Christmas, could be attributed to Harry Kane's lack of sharpness since returning from injury. Only three of the striker's 42 goals for the season for club and country have come in his last 10 appearances.
Kane will not be short of motivation to rediscover his shooting boots tonight. The 24-year-old is four behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in the race for a third straight Golden Boot, and one goal would take him above sixth-placed George Hunt (138) in Tottenham's all-time scoring charts list.
UPDATE: As well as this clash at Wembley, there are three other Premier League matches tonight as champions Man City host Brighton, Arsenal visit Leicester and Chelsea entertain relegation-threatened Huddersfield. Those latter two matches have just kicked off - follow them with our live scores.
HEAD TO HEAD: Newcastle have won three consecutive Premier League away matches against Spurs, with Tottenham's last home win against the Magpies inspired by Gareth Bale back in February 2013.
Spurs could secure their first league double over Newcastle since the 2004-05 season, although the last time these two sides met in May, already-relegated United thrashed Tottenham 5-1.
As well as Spurs fans, plenty of FPL managers will be looking to Kane to save their season tonight!
RT if you need these two to score BIG to save your Double Gameweek 🙏#FPL #DGW37 pic.twitter.com/tpuFqyKEM5 — Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 9, 2018
Less than five minutes until kickoff at Wembley, where Neil Swarbrick is our referee tonight. That might be a good omen for Spurs, as he was in charge when they thrashed United 4-0 in 2014.
PREDICTION: They might not have been at their flamboyant best in recent weeks, but Spurs need to grind out a result tonight and I fancy they will, with Newcastle having relaxed slightly since securing their top-flight status for next season. It could be nervy, but I'll go for a 2-1 Spurs win.
KICKOFF: Rafael Benitez's side get the game underway at Wembley, which is far from full for the first whistle. Perhaps some Spurs fans dare not look as their season reaches crunch time.
Kane ventures into the box and tries to work the ball onto his left foot for a shot. Lascelles sticks a leg out loosely but there was no chance of the Spurs striker going to ground, even though the opening eventually came to nothing.
Son gets to the byline and delivers a cross which Dubravka punches directly into the danger area. The ball does not quite fall for Alli nor Eriksen and United survive a mistake from their goalkeeper, who has otherwise been outstanding since arriving in January.
Spurs break down the left through Sissoko and Alli, whose return ball to the Frenchman is not brought under control as he drives into the box, a sight which will be all too familiar to both sets of fans. Kane was in a good position square if Sissoko could have found him.
SHOT! A silly foul from Kenedy, on Wanyama who was running into trouble. Tottenham's defenders come forward but it is a double bluff as Eriksen tries to bend a shot into the far corner, which Dubravka is alert to, punching it away and Newcastle clear.
CHANCE! Perez shoulder barges Vertonghen off the ball on the edge of the Spurs box - the Belgian wants a free-kick but referee Swarbrick deems it to be a fair challenge. The Spaniard aims for the bottom corner but Hugo Lloris is down to save an effort that was lacking power.
Vertonghen may still be feeling the effects of that ankle knock because he has started this game very poorly. A soft clearing header falls to Gayle on the edge of the box, and a panicked Sissoko clips the forward right on the edge of the area to give Newcastle a free-kick of their own.
POST! Shelvey whips the set piece around the wall and it cannons off the post and behind safely for a goal kick, with Lloris beaten. That is the sort of goal that the midfielder could have done with to grab the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate.
This kind of start will have done nothing to calm the nerves of the Spurs fans who did brave the trip to Wembley. With Sissoko and Wanyama in midfield, you might expect them to take some time to get into their passing rhythm, but they have been very open defensively too.
Kenedy's pass through to Perez beats the offside trap but Davinson Sanchez has the pace to make up the ground and quell the danger. He is not the complete article yet, the Colombian, but his extra speed gives Spurs a safety net that the otherwise excellent Alderweireld does not.
The early sloppiness is proving contagious through the Spurs lineup as Trippier now short changes Eriksen to allow Diame to pounce and launch a Newcastle counter. It might be when the midfielder leaves his defensive post that Spurs are best poised to strike the other way.
Eriksen is having to come very deep to get the ball, which shows how comfortable and organised Newcastle have been in their defensive shape so far. The Dane might as well be playing alongside Wanyama, which would allow Poch to throw on Lamela or Lucas for an extra threat.
CHANCE! Both of Tottenham's corners so far have been poor, cleared at the near post. Although the second of them falls to Wanyama, who slices at his snap-shot from 15 yards out, harmlessly over the crossbar.
SAVE! The visitors work a short corner really well, teeing up Shelvey for a cross which is met by a well-directed header from Lascelles which Lloris pushes away on the stretch. He made some crucial saves in the recent win over Watford and Spurs needed their captain again there.
CHANCE! Another decent headed chance here for Newcastle, with Gayle getting in between Sanchez and Trippier just outside of the six-yard box, only to send his header over the crossbar. Wembley lets out a groan of concern and agitation at this start that Spurs have made.
Son makes a good run into the right channel but Lejeune is alert and cuts out Trippier's through ball.
The only player who looks like making something happen for Spurs is Eriksen, whose cross from deep falls to Kane at the far post. It is a very difficult left-footed volley for the striker, one which he would have done well to score even on top form, and he scuffs it across the area.
SHOT! The frustration of a lack of movement in front of him prompts Vertonghen into taking on a 30-yard shot which Dubravka holds into his chest. The Belgian defender has gone five years without a Premier League goal. Tonight would be a great time to end that drought.
The service through midfield for Spurs is just far too slow. This has happened before with the partnership of Wanyama and Sissoko, neither of whom are renowned for their passing. Pochettino needs to make a change to get Eriksen and Alli more involved in proceedings.
Kane lines up a free kick from 30 yards out but surprises everyone by shifting it right to Trippier, whose cross into the box is just over the striker. It eventually connects with Sissoko's head but bounces into the ground and safely into Dubravka's gloves.
MISS! After saving a scuffed shot from Gayle, Lloris releases Kane with a brilliantly early pass. It bounces perfectly for the England international, with Dubravka poorly positioned coming off his line, but it is a complete miscue from Kane into the body of the Newcastle goalkeeper. Kane would usually have the composure to bury that sort of opportunity with ease.
Shelvey tries to slide a ball into the right channel for Gayle but just overhits it, and Vertonghen ushers it out of play. The more progressive passing continues to come from the visitors though. Tottenham are devoid of idea and Pochettino needs to change things at half time.
It is all very hopeful from Spurs, as Eriksen floats a ball up towards Son that the South Korean has no intention of challenging for, never mind winning. Lejeune heads it away and that should be enough to get Newcastle through a first half which must have been easier than they were expecting.
HALF TIME: SPURS 0-0 NEWCASTLE
Tottenham have picked a pretty bad time to produce their worst 45 minutes of the season. It has been awful from the hosts, who have been open at the back and yet completely nonthreatening up top because of the speed of the transition of the ball through midfield.
Newcastle have been comfortably the better team, showcasing a typically organised Benitez defensive shape and yet creating several chances, the best of which was missed by Dwight Gayle who headed over the crossbar from close range. Jonjo Shelvey also smashed the post with a free kick.
Pochettino is not a manager to panic if things are not going well, but tonight he needs to make changes earlier than he might usually, because the midfield tandem of Sissoko and Wanyama is simply not working. They do not move the ball quickly enough and it is limiting the supply to Kane and company.
LATEST: A silver lining for Spurs is the scoreline at Stamford Bridge, where a Laurent Depoitre goal has given Huddersfield a shock lead against Chelsea. As it stands, the Terriers would be safe and a Spurs win would confirm their place in the Champions League for next season.
STATS: Tottenham have had 70% of possession but have done so little with it, with Eriksen being forced to drop very deep to attempt to influence the action. Newcastle have had seven shots to Tottenham's five, including three on target, and that Shelvey strike which hit the woodwork.
KICKOFF: The second half is underway, with no changes from either manager as of yet...
Yedlin and Dummett each knock in a good cross, the second of which is won in the air by Diame but he cannot get any power on his header, which drops a few yards wide of Lloris's post.
GOAL! SPURS 1-0 NEWCASTLE (HARRY KANE)
Wembley breathes a huge sigh of relief as Harry Kane scores his 138th Tottenham goal, few of which have been as important as this one. For the first time, the interplay around the box is too quick for the Newcastle defenders, and Son tees up Kane for a gorgeous first time finish around Dubravka and into the top corner.
LATEST: Kane's goal could not have come at a better time, with Tottenham's insurance policy of Huddersfield having conceded their lead to Chelsea, who have equalised at Stamford Bridge through Marcos Alonso. They aren't letting this top-four race go just yet!
This is much better from Spurs now. Trippier delivers a cross to Vertonghen at the back post, and the defender catches his volley sweetly but not on target. Moments later, Lascelles has to stay strong in the box to prevent Kane from getting a shot away from another Trippier pass.
A promising break for the hosts comes to an end when Son is over-elaborate in the area.
YELLOW! A frustrated Alli is booked for dissent in responding to a clear foul by Davies on Ritchie.
CHANCE! Spurs survive a scramble in the box as Perez completely miscues a really smart cutback from Dummett, in acres of space 12 yards from goal. Ritchie tries to jump on the second ball but Lloris showed quicker reactions and poked the ball away, fairly according to referee Swarbrick.
SHOT! The Magpies are continuing to pose an attacking threat due to the passing range of Shelvey, who always has several winning runners ahead of him. One of them is Kenedy, who drifts inside onto his right foot for a low shot which Lloris watches drift wide of his post.
That goal should do wonders for Kane's confidence, but he is still not at 100% sharpness, as evidenced by this heavy touch on his left foot which allows Lascelles to pounce and prevent him from getting a shot away on the turn.
CHANCE! Sissoko picks out a good pass to Alli 15 yards from goal, but Dubravka reads his attempted side-footed finish into the bottom corner and makes a comfortable low save.
For the first time this evening, it feels as though Spurs have control of the match. They are pushing for a second goal with Son's influence in the game growing. Lascelles makes a good recovery here to track the South Korean into the box and block at the expense of a corner.
LATEST: Huddersfield are still holding Chelsea with 10 minutes to go at Stamford Bridge, which means, as it stands, Tottenham's place in the top four would be secured.
SUBSTITUTION: Benitez makes the first change of the match, bringing on Jacob Murphy for Kenedy, which might signal the Brazilian's last outing in a Newcastle shirt as the Magpies face his parent club Chelsea on the final day of the season.
CLOSE! Murphy nearly makes an immediate impact, showing great pace and strength to get around Sanchez by the left byline, and then cut across the path of the Colombian to engineer a shooting opportunity which he blazes over the crossbar.
YELLOW! Ritchie makes up for the embarrassment of being nutmegged by Davies by scything down the Welsh full-back at the cost of a card.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Another Newcastle changes sees Benitez swap Gayle for Joselu up top. Spurs also make an alteration as Erik Lamela replaces Son Heung-min. The home fans wait for Lucas Moura again, although the Argentine does have the defensive discipline perhaps needed for this situation.
Tottenham have gone from pushing for a second to settling for one, which is evident in the fact that a short Spurs corner soon finds itself back at the feet of Lloris.
YELLOW! A second ball from a corner nearly falls to Diame at the back post, but Trippier bravely throws himself in front of the Newcastle midfielder and takes a painful clattering for his troubles. Diame is booked, while Trippier requires some medical attention.
Vertonghen makes a crucial defensive header to cut out a Yedlin cross that was aimed towards Joselu. The American full-back should have done better after a clever reverse pass from Ritchie.
SUBSTITUTION: Trippier is unable to continue, which will be a concern to both Pochettino and Gareth Southgate. Alderweireld is on to fill in at right-back, and the Belgian gets a very warm welcome at Wembley from the fans who will be desperate for him to stay this summer.
LATEST: Another huge cheer goes up around Wembley as the fans hear news of the result from Stamford Bridge, which ended 1-1 between Chelsea and Huddersfield. If Spurs can hang onto these three points, they will have Champions League football at their new stadium.
SUBSTITUTION: Pochettino has another injury concern here with Wanyama forced off with what looks like a hamstring strain. Danny Rose is on which might mean a reshuffle, although the left-sided player is more than capable of deputising in midfield for a short period.
YELLOW! Lamela leaves his foot in on Joselu and picks up a yellow card.
CHANCE! Rose has a chance to wrap things up when he is released into the box by a reverse pass from Lamela, but he is on his weaker right foot and a tame effort is straight at Dubravka. Alli set that up with a beautiful switch of play to the Argentine.
There will be FIVE minutes of stoppage time for Tottenham to see out here...
YELLOW! Newcastle players do not like being nutmegged! Yedlin enters the book late on for a hack on Lamela after some showboating by the South American substitute.
The ball has spent all of added time thus far safely in the Newcastle half.
A foul from Rose near the halfway line gives Newcastle one last chance to sling it into the box...
FULL TIME: SPURS 1-0 NEWCASTLE
The full-time whistle at Wembley signals a third successive top-four finish for Spurs. It was not pretty, with Newcastle giving as good as they got, but it was enough for Mauricio Pochettino's men, who climb above Liverpool into third heading into the final round of fixtures. On the night, Newcastle were unlucky not to take a point but the three were much more precious to Spurs on this occasion.
That's it from me. You can read our match report on the action at Wembley here, and catch up with the rest of tonight's results here. Thanks for joining Sports Mole this evening, and be sure to return on Sunday when another memorable Premier League season comes to a conclusion. Until then, goodbye...
