GRAEME Souness has spoken extensively of how much Newcastle will miss Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer in the next few weeks but, after yesterday's defeat to Spurs, the Newcastle boss will surely be musing on how the absence of another key name could wreck his side's season.

Steve Harper's first-half howler gifted Spurs a one-goal win at White Hart Lane but, perhaps more significantly, the goalkeeper's error-strewn display set alarm bells ringing ahead of Thursday night's UEFA Cup re-match with Sporting Lisbon and next weekend's FA Cup semi-final.

With the Magpies treading water in the bottom half of the Premiership, the club's latest league reverse hardly amounts to a disaster.

But, with two cup games in the space of the next seven days set to make or break the campaign, Harper's battered confidence could have far graver consequences later this week.

With Shay Given struggling with a hip injury, the 30-year-old is almost certain to start in both the Jose Alvalade and Millennium Stadiums.

Harper is experienced enough to cover for Newcastle's established number one but, after shipping four goals at home to Fulham in his only previous Premiership outing this term, his sudden loss of both focus and form is a major cause for concern.

His 42nd-minute error allowed Jermaine Defoe to settle a game that was going nowhere, extended Newcastle's winless sequence of away games to eight and underlined just how valuable Given has been during his eight years on Tyneside.

The defeat maintained the Magpies' unenviable record of taking just one point all season from games in which they have been behind but, while Harper must bear the brunt of the responsibility, he was hardly helped by his team-mates' insipid display.

Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson was not tested at all and, with the likes of Nicky Butt and Laurent Robert strolling aroud in the sunshine, Newcastle's utter lack of urgency handed the home side three points on a plate.

The tone of Harper's day was set in the fifth minute as his horribly sliced clearance sent Butt's backpass spiralling out for a corner.

That was bad enough, but worse was to come at the end of a first half in which Spurs dominated both possession and territory without ever really threatening a breakthrough.

Celestine Babayaro's 42nd-minute backpass should not have posed any serious problems but, without even looking at what was in front of him, Harper duly drilled it against the retreating Simon Davies.

The ball broke kindly for the loitering Defoe and, while Harper recovered to get a hand to the striker's shot, it was not enough to prevent the ball rolling into the unguarded net.

Ironically, the goal came just as Spurs looked to be running out of ideas following an opening period in which Newcastle's defenders restricted the home side to a series of speculative strikes from distance.

Andy O'Brien dealt with the aerial threat of Fredi Kanoute, while Jean-Alain Boumsong's awareness ensured the lively Defoe would not be given space behind the visitors' back four.

The result was a game of midfield cat-and-mouse, with the home side stringing pass after pass together in the central third but rarely threatening to convert their superiority into a goalscoring chance.

Michael Brown, Andy Reid and Michael Carrick all fired wide of the target before the break, with Anthony Gardner also heading over following Stephen Kelly's right-wing free-kick.

Newcastle's attacking was even more restricted, although Shola Ameobi came close to breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute.

The striker muscled onto Jermaine Jenas' cross at the back post but, while his header across goal beat Robinson after bouncing into the turf, it also cleared the crossbar by the narrowest of margins.

Harper's error ensured that miss would prove costly, and Newcastle were dealt a further blow when Alan Shearer was left in the dressing room at half-time after suffering a dead leg.

Without their leading scorer, Newcastle lacked the kind of cutting edge that could have seen them exploit an unexpected lack of urgency from the home side after the break.

The Magpies dominated possession, but an absence of belief meant they never looked like hauling themselves back into the game.

Spurs were far from fluent in the second half, but that hardly mattered when Newcastle had neither the desire nor the sense of adventure to throw bodies into the box.

They continued to suffer sporadic scares at the other end, with O'Brien suffering another crisis in confidence three minutes after the break.

The Republic of Ireland international failed to control Robinson's long clearance but, after Defoe latched onto the loose ball, Jean-Alain Boumsong's last-gasp sliding challenge prevented the Spurs striker extending his side's lead.

It wasn't just Newcastle nerves that were fraught though, as Robinson and Ledley King got themselves into a mix-up that almost presented the Magpies with a barely-deserved leveller shortly before the hour mark.

Neither Spurs player took responsibility as the ball broke free on the edge of the 18-yard box but, with the goal at his mercy, substitute James Milner seemed to be oblivious to the opening as he lobbed wastefully over the crossbar.

That was as good as it got for the visitors, with Spurs cruising home despite dropping far too deep during the last 15 minutes.

Davies went close to adding a second, shooting over the top after O'Brien had cut out Reid's right-wing cross, before Kanoute wasted one of the best openings of the game 15 minutes from time.

The Mali international was left in the clear after Defoe had held off the attentions of former team-mate Stephen Carr but, with Boumsong chasing back to apply pressure, he blazed over from inside the box.

Substitute Robbie Keane wasted another chance to double Tottenham's lead but, ultimately, Harper's error was the decisive factor between the two teams.

Later this week, Newcastle will hope that the goalkeeper's presence is not the decisive factor in also wrecking their two cup dreams.

Result: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Newcastle United 0.

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