Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur stood out for all the right reasons in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday according to The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke.

THE LOWDOWN: POSITIVES FROM DEFEAT

On a day when Antonio Conte's team shipped a second consecutive loss, there was indeed a couple of positives to take from the game, aside from the 17 shots which were fired towards Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Harry Kane was a bright spark, chipping in from nowhere yet again with his striker's instinct to add yet another goal to his extensive back catalogue, but others argued that Bentancur stole the show and has been "carrying the team" in recent weeks.

THE LATEST: PITT-BROOKE PRAISES BENTANCUR

The Uruguayan's performances of late have seen him pick up some well deserved plaudits from Tottenham supporters and some in the media.

In The Athletic's matchday discussion on Sunday, one Spurs fan singled out the 25-year-old for praise, saying: "Bentancur seemed like the only one trying things."

Pitt-Brooke was in agreement and issued a strong claim about the former Juventus man, stating: "Bentancur carrying the team at the moment."

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THE VERDICT: GREAT BUSINESS

Tottenham's success in luring Bentancur from the clutches of Turin giants Juventus on January's transfer deadline day has proved to be a sensational piece of business by Fabio Paratici.

Arriving as part of a double deadline day deal from Juventus alongside loanee Dejan Kulusevski, the Uruguayan has really come into his own under the guidance of Conte, with his efforts on Sunday emphasising his impact in the Spurs team as he once again shone.

Among Tottenham players, the 25-year-old completed the most dribbles in Sunday's match (four), had the most tackles (six) and won the most duels with an outstanding total of 12, cementing his status as a prolific asset out of possession.

Nor was that fine performance in isolation - as per WhoScored, he is Spurs' third-best performer this season, leading the charts for tackles and interceptions per game - so it's not hard to see why Pitt-Brooke feels that Bentancur has been "carrying" the team of late.