The Magpies started the brighter but found themselves trailing heading into the interval, Fabian Schär gifting possession back to Spurs in a dangerous area and Son Heung-min afforded the room to work a low shot into the near corner of the net.

Matt Ritchie’s thunderbolt got United back on level terms, but parity lasted less than five minutes, as Kane got on the end of Steven Bergwijn’s floated cross from the right.

Kane helped himself to another in the final minute of normal time after Erik Lamela’s effort was saved, wrapping up a third consecutive win for Spurs at St. James’ Park following their 5-1 hammering on the final day of the 2015/16 season.

Miguel Almirón twice threatened for Newcastle early on, gathering Emil Krafth’s ball in and seeing a left-footed strike blocked before blazing Ritchie’s low corner high of the target after Spurs switched off. Jonjo Shelvey had an even better chance on 17 minutes, ghosting into the heart of the visitors’ penalty area but only able to nod Ritchie’s precise cross harmlessly over the top. Midway through the half, Allan Saint-Maximin – looking lively as ever – called countryman Hugo Lloris into action with a shot with the outside of his right boot.

However, United shot themselves in the foot shortly before the half-hour mark. Schär’s heavy touch was cut out by Lucas Moura, who worked the ball across to Giovani Lo Celso. He, in turn, found Son, and after DeAndre Yedlin stood off, the South Korean international picked out the bottom corner with an accurate strike. Son nearly had a second just minutes later, with Martin Dúbrvaka forced into an acrobatic stop after Krafth’s deflection threatened to divert the attacker’s shot into the top corner.

The Magpies nearly equalised before the break through Dwight Gayle, who headed Shelvey’s right-wing cross onto the far post. After the interval, though, United got the leveller their overall display merited at that point, Ritchie thumping the ball past Lloris after Serge Aurier’s attempted clearance landed straight at the wide-man’s feet.

The pendulum looked like it could swing either way at that point, but it was José Mourinho’s side who swiftly got themselves back into the ascendancy. The Portuguese had only just introduced Bergwijn to the fray, and the former PSV Eindhoven winger made an instant impact by delivering a searching ball into the area from the right, with Kane applying the finishing touch after rising above Krafth.

Newcastle looked a little flat after that. Saint-Maximin tried to beat Lloris from range but failed to keep his effort down, before Valentino Lazaro – whose determined run had helped set up Ritchie’s equaliser – thrashed the ball into the side-netting after gathering possession deep on the right.

A second equaliser wasn’t to come, though, and it was England striker Kane who had the final say, heading the ball into an empty net – and hurting himself in the process – after Lamela’s strike from a tight angle was parried by Dúbravka.