Three points and a better performance
Previously getting the points but maybe lacking the performance, things came together for Antonio Conte's Tottenham side on Saturday afternoon after they secured a 2-1 victory over Fulham. Apart from the opening day win over Southampton, Spurs have often been second best on the pitch and that has left fans extremely frustrated given the players they have at their disposal.
Having needed Ryan Sessegnon to utilise his pace and nip in to stop Andreas Pereira getting his shot away inside the first three minutes, Tottenham burst into life after that and controlled proceedings. Harry Kane was at the heart of things and he forced Bernd Leno into a low save after a sharp turn on the edge of the box to lose his marker.
Richarlison, on his home debut, saw a header from Son Heung-min's cross deflected over, before the pair reversed roles and the South Korean saw an effort get a slight touch and go over after some brilliant play from his teammate. He was then to go even closer not long after as Kane produced a sublime ball to pick out his run and it resulted in the 30-year-old striking the crossbar from close range.
READ MORE: Every word Antonio Conte said on Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Son training struggles and Kane
It was certainly a question of when the goal would come rather than if. Thankfully it was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who found the back of the net ten minutes prior to the break after bursting towards the box and teaming up with Richarlison before firing into the bottom corner.
Chances would continue to come Spurs' way after the restart, with Kane and Eric Dier going close before Hugo Lloris was called into action to keep out Aleksandar Mitrovic's deflected effort. Seeing Leno deny Sessegnon with a low save, the crucial second goal came through Kane after the goalkeeper parried the left wing-back's attempt into his path 15 minutes from time.
However, Mitrovic's rocket of a strike seconds after Richarlison had struck the post at the other end of the pitch gave Fulham hope going into the final seven minutes, with the visitors then almost restoring parity only for Lloris to produce some heroics to stop the Serbian's deflected effort looping in. Unfortunate to see a Richarlison goal disallowed in the dying minutes, the 2-1 full-time scoreline maybe didn't reflect the balance of play, with Tottenham producing their best display since the opening day and on another they would have scored three or four.
Conte was certainly pleased with the team's performance in N17, but he did make it clear that one aspect of their game they have to improve on is taking chances after creating so many against the newly-promoted outfit.
"For sure the performance, yeah I like the performance. Also against Southampton we had a good performance," said the Italian. "If I have to find a situation that we need to improve, it is to be more clinical because when you create so many chances, you have to score but we scored two goals disallowed, then the crossbar.
"Yeah, I enjoyed a lot to see my players play the ball with quality and personality. Also to see the three strikers, Richy, Harry and Sonny, work very hard for the team with the ball and without the ball. They give us a lot of quality with the ball and a lot of danger for the opponent because they moved very well and yeah, I am really pleased for our performance today."
Amid questions over their performance in the past four games, Spurs demonstrated to everyone just how good they can be when everything clicks. Now it is about maintaining that level and hopefully surpassing it on Wednesday against Marseille in the Champions League.
Hopefully this is the start of Tottenham getting great results and delivering great performances. Given the amount of missed chances that Conte pointed out in his post-match press conference, one team is going to be in for it over the coming weeks when everything comes together and Spurs bury their opportunities.
Debutants wow Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham fans finally got their wish on Saturday with Richarlison handed his full debut for the Lilywhites. Really catching the eye off the substitutes' bench in the previous four league games, supporters made their feelings crystal clear when his name was read out and greeted by a deafening cheer.
He didn't disappoint at all in his 90 minutes on the pitch and the only thing that was missing from his performance was a goal. Full of energy and making life incredibly difficult for the visitors with his play in the final third as well as his desire and willingness to win the ball back, he showed plenty of glimpses of why the club were so keen to splash out £60million on his services.
Teaming up well with Son Heung-min on a couple of occasions, the Brazilian also did likewise with Kane as they linked up two or three times alone in the first half and demonstrated that they already have quite the understanding. Richarlison may have had limited pitch time with his fellow attackers since joining two months ago but the early signs of a devastating new attacking partnership are extremely exciting.
"I'm using him in all the three positions in the front. A number 9 and number 10 on the right or the left. In the previous game he played in Son's position and today he played in Deki’s position today," said Conte on Richarlison settling in with ease.
"I’m not surprised but I enjoyed the fact he worked a lot to understand our ideas quickly. Now my expectations of other players, good players like Bissouma to come quickly into our idea of football. Because now we don’t have a lot of time, we play many games and I have to count on the players I have in my squad."
That wasn't all Conte said of the ex-Everton man in his post-match press conference, stating he played in an "amazing way" and that he is "a warrior, a fighter and we need this type of player". His first goal for his new club will come soon enough and it was a real shame that he couldn't mark such a positive display with one.
He was incredibly unlucky to strike the bottom of the post after Son set him up, before VAR chalked off his strike for offside after Sessegnon put the ball on a plate for him. The passion and emotion was there for all to see after he scored and it won't be the last time we see that at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the coming years.
Another player who Conte was keen to praise after the game and someone who was perhaps an unsung hero was fellow full debutant Clement Lenglet. Only coming off the bench for a matter of minutes against Southampton, the Frenchman has had to bide his time but he looked right at home in the back three.
Good on the ball and calm and composed when running out of defence with it, Conte stated that his new man played with "personality" and "quality" across the 90 minutes. It was a really solid full debut from the Barcelona loanee and he has handed his boss a very touch selection headache in the process.
Seeing Richarlison and Lenglet shine, Spurs supporters will now be wanting the same from fellow new signings Djed Spence and Yves Bissouma over the coming months. Saturday very much highlighted that the quality is there and doesn't drop when the head coach makes a handful of changes.
Things heading in the right direction for Son
The wait for Son's first goal of the season goes on but it does now seem like it will be a matter of time until he finds the net once again following such a positive display. As was the case with Richarlison mentioned above, the only thing missing from his performance was a goal.
While many were maybe expecting the South Korean to make way for the Brazil international in the starting XI, it was Dejan Kulusevski who instead dropped down to the bench. Chances were always going to come Son's way and on another day he would have taken them.
You couldn't tell from his performance that he is lacking in confidence as he looked incredibly sharp and caused Fulham a host of problems with his pace and trickery. Making such a good run between the Cottagers' centre-backs to get on the end of Kane's sublime ball, he was incredibly unlucky to strike the crossbar with Leno out quickly to give him limited space and time.
Conte even joked in his post-match press conference that his player isn't even getting the rub of the green in training at present, with Fraser Forster leaving him rather frustrated at times.
"This is not only for Sonny (in the matches), but also the training sessions. We have Fraser (Forster) that sometimes he made a fantastic save to him in the training session and sometimes he is struggling to score but this is a period," he admitted.
"I continue to tell you I am not worried because when I see this type of performance from my players, Sonny included, I am not worried. I know they are going to score many goals with these strikers."
Tottenham fans shouldn't be worried about the player going on his showing against Fulham and hopefully his barren run will come to an end on Wednesday in the Champions League against Marseille. After all, he does like a goal in Europe's premier competition at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Sessegnon makes his case
Tottenham's summer transfer business means that Conte now has plenty of competition right across the pitch for a place in his team. Whereas in the past it may not have been there for Spurs, it only bodes well for the club going forward.
Waxing lyrical about Sessegnon ahead of the game and stating that he can count on him in the Premier League and Champions League, the left wing-back showed exactly why the 53-year-old trusts him so much. Delivering one of his best performances in a Tottenham shirt, the England U21 international made life incredibly difficult for his former club with run after run down the left flank. He looked like the player who burst onto the scene at Craven Cottage and confidence was flowing through his veins.
Impressive in the first half, the player really stepped it up after the break and was unlucky not to find the net himself when Leno stopped his low drive from finding the bottom corner. He then played an integral role in the second of the day after the goalkeeper parried his effort into the path of Kane.
Initially receiving the ball from Hojbjerg's crossfield pass, the left wing-back linked up with Son and then used his pace to collect Tim Ream's poor clearance, before then showing his determination to collect his deflected strike which resulted in Kane netting. His play and desire would not have gone unnoticed by Conte.
Following his previous injury struggles at Tottenham before and after his Hoffenheim loan spell, Tottenham fans are now starting to see the real Ryan Sessegnon. Long may it continue.
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