Sixty-four minutes were on the clock when Antonio Conte rolled the dice and made his first Tottenham change against Brighton & Hove Albion. All square at 0-0 and doing nothing of note to test Robert Sanchez, Lucas Moura was introduced in place of Dejan Kulusevski.
The Sweden international has been such a pivotal player for Spurs in recent weeks after chipping in with three goals and six assists but he just didn't have an impact on proceedings as the Lilywhites struggled against the visitors. A regular starter under Conte prior to Kulusevski's January arrival, Lucas was called upon to help Spurs find the all-important breakthrough.
Introducing Harry Winks six minutes later as Rodrigo Bentancur made way, Conte's final change came two minutes from time as Son Heung-min was hooked to allow Steven Bergwijn to come on. The Dutchman, who was linked with a move to Ajax in January, did have a big opportunity not long after Leandro Trossard's goal but he, unfortunately, sliced his effort wide of the target.
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It was a surprise that the ex-PSV ace wasn't brought on earlier given Tottenham's need for a goal and his current confidence after a very good international break with Netherlands. Bergwijn does deserve more game time than he is getting at Tottenham, certainly more than the two minutes plus stoppage time he got against Brighton, but the form of the front three has left him watching on from the substitutes' bench.
The player is certainly in a better run of form than Lucas following four goals in five games in all competitions but it is the Brazilian Conte turns to first when he switches up Tottenham's attack. In the games since Bergwijn's heroics for his country, Lucas has been subbed on before him in the team's three matches.
Despite leading Newcastle United 4-1, Bergwijn came on in the 81st minute, five minutes after Lucas, but he did manage to send an important message to the boss and his coaching staff with a well-taken goal. Once again having a convincing lead as they led Aston Villa 4-0 last weekend, Lucas was again called upon before his teammate and played the final 12 minutes compared to Bergwijn's six.
Saturday's defeat to Brighton again highlighted that Spurs' No.27 is the forward Conte will plump for first and also shined a light on the Dutch international's place in Tottenham's attacking pecking order. Game time will come the 24-year-old's way in the final six games of the campaign but it's clear to see that Lucas, who the head coach undoubtedly trusts, will more than likely be the player to get the nod first despite Bergwijn's recent flurry of goals.
Scoring for fun in recent weeks with 12 goals from their last three fixtures, it was a big surprise that Spurs didn't score but also a bigger shock that they didn't even have a shot on target. Credit must go to Brighton for nullifying the team's eye-catching attack but Spurs really needed to offer more in the final third to get the job done.
"I think that Brighton was very good to close the space and we were not so good to close the space," said Conte in his post-match press conference when asked to explain no shots on target. "In the difficulty, we have to try and find the solution with a single player. Today I think we can do much better."
Set to face another tough test in their next game with Brentford flying at present, Bergwijn will be hoping he gets the opportunity to contribute across the capital as Spurs look to get back on track. Not helped by Harry Kane, Son and Kulusevski's recent form, Bergwijn needs more than the few minutes he got in the defeat against Brighton before he faces a pivotal summer decision.
