NEWCASTLE United's youngsters were perfect from the spot as the Magpies beat Tottenham 5-4 on penalties in their post-season friendly in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The game was decided by spot-kicks after the Premier League rivals had played out a 1-1 draw, with Alexander Isak cancelling out James Maddison's opener.

Here are the talking points from the MCG:

INJURY RELIEF

Both Newcastle and Tottenham headed Down Under with one real fear - injuries.

Clubs have to think outside the box to ease FFP concerns but the understandable concern was whether this game - three days after the final Premier League outing of the season - would result in any injuries.

There was one scare, with Kieran Trippier replaced after just 37 minutes, which would have been a concern for Gareth Southgate. But Eddie Howe confirmed after the game it was a planned change and that the full-back is fine.

Newcastle's starting XI in Melbourne was actually stronger than Howe has been able to name on various occasions this season.

These teams were separated by just six points this term but there's every chance Newcastle would have ended the campaign looking down on Spurs had they been able to call on the likes of Nick Pope, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron in the second half of the season. All started at the MCG, as did Bruno Guimaraes and the aforementioned Trippier and Isak. There was no Matt Ritchie or Paul Dummett in the squad as the Magpies prepare to make contract decisions on the pair.

HOW THE GAME PLAYED OUT

Dan Burn was forced to change a ripped shirt and Trippier reacted angrily to a Son Heung-min penalty claim, but there was, as expected, a distinct lack of tempo and urgency to the game.

It wasn't until the midway point of the first half that either team managed a serious effort on goal, when James Maddison's effort flashed wide. Soon after, the England international hammered Spurs into the lead, but he had a helping hand - literally. Pope was at fault, playing a pass straight into the path of Maddison but the ball bounced up and hit his hand before he weaved into a shooting position and fired high into the net.

Newcastle hardly troubled the Spurs goal but levelled on the stroke of half-time. Bruno and substitute Jacob Murphy combined to tee up Isak, who tapped in from close range.

As expected, the game was then disrupted by a flurry of changes and the second half was a non-event.

PENALTY SURPRISE

Ange Postecoglou was as surprised as the commentators when the Spurs boss discovered there would be a penalty shoot-out at full-time with the game finishing level.

Howe took a backseat and let Jason Tindall discuss the order with the players. If Newcastle weren't prepared for the shootout, it didn't show.

They scored all five of their spot-kicks through Joe White, Ben Parkinson, Amadou Diallo, Garang Kuol and Harrison Ashby.

The hero was Mark Gillespie, who had only been introduced from the bench with three minutes of normal time to play, but superbly denied Bryan Gil, who took Tottenham's first penalty.

Senior stars Burn and Bruno celebrated every successful kick with delight - and Burn charged onto the pitch to celebrate with the youngsters when Ashby slotted home the decisive penalty.

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ISAK HAUNTS SPURS AGAIN

As if Spurs needed any reminding of what Isak is capable of. The Swede tormented Tottenham and highly-rated centre-half Micky van de Ven in the recent 4-0 hammering at St James' Park.

Isak clearly wasn't in the mood to do similar here. He was a passenger for much of the first half and it's not often the forward miscontrols a forward pass as he did late in the first half.

But van de Ven wasn't to be let off the hook. In the dying stages of the opening period, Isak - heavily linked with Tottenham's rivals Arsenal this summer - was on the spot to level with what was his final kick.

He was replaced by Callum Wilson at the break, with the striker no doubt disappointed by his England omission this week. That will also have been the case with Pope, but he made amends for his error for the goal by making a stunning pointblank stop to deny Brennan Johnson shortly before Newcastle's equaliser.

KUOL'S SPECIAL MOMENT

Almost 80,000 were in attendance at the MCG and while Spurs boss Postecoglou was undoubtedly a huge draw in his homeland, so too was a Newcastle substitute.

Things haven't necessarily gone to plan for Garang Kuol since he joined the Magpies from Central Coast Mariners almost two years ago. He struggled in a loan spell at Hearts and while his Newcastle teammate Yankuba Minteh caught the eye for Feyenoord this season, Kuol was a bit-part player for FC Volendam in Eredivisie.

Regardless of his slow start at St James' Park, Kuol is a star in his homeland on the back of becoming Australia's youngest ever player to be selected for a World Cup in 2022. His participation in this mini post-season tour was celebrated Down Under.

Kuol is unlikely to be part of Howe's plans for next season and the 19-year-old would undoubtedly benefit from another loan spell, hopefully one where he features regularly. Regardless of what the future holds, the special welcome the young winger received when he was introduced from the bench 20 minutes from time will live with him for a long time to come. As will the moment he slotted in from the spot.

Newcastle XI: Pope (Gillespie, 87); Trippier (Murphy, 37), Krafth (Thompson, 78), Burn (A.Murphy, 62) (Parkinson, 87), Hall (Charlton, 78); Joelinton (White, 46), Guimaraes (De Bolle, 71), Anderson (Hernes, 78); Barnes (Diallo, 62), Isak (Wilson, 46) (Kuol, 71), Almiron (Ashby, 62)