Tottenham kicked off the Nuno Espirito Santo era perfectly on Sunday night and countered with a 1-0 win over Manchester City on the premiere day of the Premier League season.
Son Heung-min scored the only goal in a game where Jack Grealish made his league debut for the citizens. This summer’s arrival Cristian Romero also enjoyed a cameo for Spurs, while Harry Kane – who is desperate for a move to City – watched from the stands.
Billed as the title of the opening weekend, Neutral will not have had it as much as some of the other games on offer – but it was still an interesting meeting.
Here’s some of the most important things from Spurs’ surprising win …
Mendy had a tough game / Michael Regan / Getty Images
Given how much money Pep Guardiola has put on defenders since taking over at City, the fact that the left-back is still something of a problem area is unforgivable.
Defensively, Benjamin Mendy (once again) was pretty hopeless against Spurs, losing 10 of his 14 duels and dribbling past on four occasions. Son targeted him from the start, a tactic that every other Premier League forward will use if they go against Mendy this season.
The sooner Oleksandr Zinchenko returns to the starting lineup, the better.
Son got the perfect start / James Williamson – AMA / Getty Images
Tying Son Heung-min to a new contract was the best thing Tottenham did this summer.
The South Korean continued where he left off last season on Sunday and scored a huge goal to win the match. When he ran away on the counter, he finally got the ball back, bumbled Nathan Ake and bent an attempt into the far corner.
Tottenham may lose Harry Kane before the transfer window closes, but in Son they have one of the best players in the Premier League.
Tanganga was excellent / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Japhet Tanganga has been in the Tottenham squad for a while, but this season he can make the right-back position his own.
He definitely did not do his first team chances any damage against City, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling shackled with an aggressive display. He was extremely lucky not to get carded – committed four fouls in the first half – but his methods proved to be effective.
Matt Doherty is probably stronger going forward and Serge Aurier who makes another unlikely resuscitation can never be ruled out, but Tanganga has probably jumped to the front of the queue for big games now.
De Bruyne made a big impact after coming on / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Kevin De Bruyne is not fully fit, which means he was only relying on an 11-minute cameo against Spurs.
His appearance may have been fleeting but he made an immediate impact, noticeably increasing City’s pace and picking out some fantastic passes.
De Bruyne’s condition must be handled carefully, but getting him back on the team is a priority. No one else in the City midfield knows the same magic.
Grealish had no dream debut / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
With just a few minutes on the clock in north London, Jack Grealish picked up the ball between the lines and started driving, eventually bundled over by Oliver Skipp.
It was a reminder of what he can do but unfortunately for City, this moment did not set the tone for the rest of his afternoon. Although he continued to pick up the foul, he did not really click with Raheem Sterling.
The potential is there for the duo to strike up an unstoppable partnership along the left side over time. But against Spurs, they often got in each other’s way.
The couple must have time to work out the subtleties of their new partnership.
Spurs created a damn atmosphere / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Holding on to their lead towards the end of the match, Tottenham fans serenaded their players with all the songs that have been tragically missing from Premier League football over the past year and a half.
Throughout the procedure, the amount of capacity increased a visceral edge to the procedures, forcing some players to make uncharacteristic mistakes.
Home advantage is definitely back with a bang. Let us hope that we will never again have to endure the choice between deadly silence and breathed crowd noise.
