There were a lot of positives to take from Tottenham's 2-1 victory against Fulham, with some solid individual performances and a cohesive team display. The win means Antonio Conte's side are still unbeaten this season and sit level on points with Man City in third place.
The Italian made five changes to the team that drew to West Ham during the week, handing Richarlison his first start and Clement Lenglet his Premier League debut. Spurs had 23 shots with 10 on target in N17, and dominated large spells of the game.
The likes of Harry Kane and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg will be talked about because of their impacts with goals. Richarlison and Lenglet will be praised for their performances as new arrivals.
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However, one player who may not get as much recognition as he deserves is Rodrigo Bentancur. The Uruguayan made the move to north London in January from Juventus along with Dejan Kulusevski.
Both made an immediate impact on Conte's side and Bentancur had to step-up quickly, filling in next to Hojbjerg with Oliver Skipp being out injured. This allowed the central midfield partnership to grow and as the second half of the season went on, the duo built a strong on-field bond.
This season there is more competition for Bentancur, with Skipp returning to the matchday squad and Yves Bissouma making the move to Tottenham this summer. After a blow to the head in the 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest, the Bentancur was dropped for the West Ham match, replaced by the new arrival.
Bissouma hasn't been in N17 long and will likely need more game time to continue developing, something Conte pointed out after the clash at the London Stadium. "He needs to work, go totally into the idea of football," the Italian explained.
"He's a step behind Bentancur and Hojbjerg. The same for Skipp working with me all of last season. I'm pleased with what I've seen during the game and we're talking about a player with good skills and who is strong physically with a good engine."
During Wednesday's match, there were multiple moments of sloppy play, the team switching off and seeming a bit less controlled than they had previously shown - perhaps understandable in a London derby against West Ham. However, Saturday's win improved in all those areas and Bentancur was one player who had a noticeably positive display.
The 25-year-old was composed on the ball and made an impact at both ends of the field. Bentancur had 90.9% passing accuracy, producing two key passes and two clearances.
His ability to remain calm but also effectively support the defence and try and help Tottenham's attack make him a valuable player in the Spurs side, which was fully evident against Fulham. Conte saying that the midfielder is a step ahead of Bissouma clearly highlights the boss' thoughts on the January arrival.
Bentancur's absence from the starting line-up for the first time since February highlighted his importance and the impact he has had on the Tottenham side so far. It wasn't a shock to see the midfielder back in the line-up on Saturday, but did also indicated further the work Bissouma still has to do.
Bentancur's influence is only a further boost for Conte, with his January arrivals continuing their consistency shown from the second half of last season and the new arrivals stepping straight in to try and impress. The Lilywhites have a busy fixture schedule, with a return to Champions League football on Wednesday and Conte needs all of his players ready to step up and step in whenever needed, as rotation is inevitable.
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