Tottenham flip script smash Southampton in 4-1 opening day win
By Aaron Coe
The goal was what it took to sharpen those loose touches and tidy up the poor passes. Spurs then picked their game up a notch and show their class.
Tottenham takes over the game
Even before conceding, the combinations that would unlock Southampton were beginning to connect. Whether Emerson Royal, Harry Kane, and Dejan Kulusevski linked up on the right or Heung-min Son, Ryan Sessegnon, and Ben Davies linked up on the left, Spurs could move the ball up and down the flanks with ease.
More important than the movement up and down the pitch was the much-improved service coming from the wide areas into the box.
First, Kulusevski picked up where he left off, creating chances last season. Kulusevski cut in from the right flank onto his left foot and teased a perfect ball to the back post.
Sessegnon, who started over new signing Ivan Perisic, had perfect timing and rose up, out-battling Kyle Walker-Peters, as he headed the ball past Gavin Bazunu to level the score at 1-1.
Following the first goal, Tottenham started to click.
A longball from Hojbjerg to Son led to a nice save from Bazunu and a corner for Spurs. Saints could not clear that corner, and eventually, the ball was recycled back to Son, who made Southampton pay.
Son cut in from the left on his right foot and curled a ball toward the near post. Simultaneously, Eric Dier – still up from the corner – came flashing into the box, dipping his head and deflecting the ball into the far corner for the 2-1 Spurs lead, which the home team never did relinquish.