Tottenham Hotspur turned Crystal Palace into mince meat on Saturday afternoon in front of the home faithful, dominating a one winged Eagle 2-0 to make it three straight wins for a Spurs side that had previously been doomed to a winless start and probably the worst luck of any club in European football.
But Spurs are slowly getting healthier, dealing with far less xG madness, and clicking to an even greater extent with their new and old faces meshing wonderfully into the tactical vision that is Roberto De Zerbi's possession football.
Dejan Kulusevski did not start, of course, for Tottenham, but he was quietly another positive for the Lilywhites, providing another moment of zen with a cut inside and a nifty shot into the top corner that worked Dean Henderson into a save.
Dejan Kulusevski is still working his way back
It was but a moment and Kulu did not have much more than 15 total minutes of action against Crystal Palace, but it was a moment that showed Kulu is still carrying a threat off the bench and making an impact for Tottenham Hotspur.
After a devastating injury to his knee cartilage that nearly cost him his career and led many, including the man himself, to wonder if he would ever be the same again, watching the Swedish international cut inside and carve himself a shot on target from pretty much nothing was a sight worth praising and even cherishing from a Tottenham perspective.
But there is no reason yet to think Dejan Kulusevski can be pushed into more action than that. With Luca Williams-Barnett coming off the bench and dazzling with his own rendition of Ankara Messi on the hapless Crystal Palace defense, Spurs have another impact player to spell James Maddison, Omar Marmoush, or whoever the No. 10 is against Leeds United.
And Kulu himself is not yet fully back to his old self and probably not yet 75 percent of it either. He is having great moments in spurts but is not yet fully in his element, skating by defenders, or putting in the sort of shots and passes with the oomph that would make everyone drop the game plan.
So the plan is the same. Keep bringing in Kulu every game for 10-20 minutes, let him cook, let him have those moments where he helps Tottenham put the game away or do something dangerous, and see how he progresses before gradually adding more.
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