New signings made to wait
Tottenham fans wanting to see the club's new signings in Antonio Conte's starting XI vs Southampton would have been left slightly disappointed by his selection on the opening day. Bringing six new players to north London, all of whom along with Pape Matar Sarr were introduced to the crowd ahead of kick-off, five of them were named on the Spurs bench as Richarlison missed out altogether through suspension.
Amid doubts over Yves Bissouma's fitness after tweaking his hamstring against Roma, the new signing was fit enough to make the squad and was joined there by Ivan Perisic, who himself has been working his way back to fitness following a calf issue. Clement Lenglet also missed out on the XI as Ben Davies got the nod in the back three after his recent ankle injury, with Fraser Forster and Djed Spence taking up two more spots on the substitutes' bench.
Perisic did come on for his Tottenham debut in the 66th minute, replacing Ryan Sessegnon, who received a standing ovation for his performance. A couple more debuts followed in the closing stages as Lenglet and Bissouma replaced Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur but there was to be no Spence as he remained on the bench.
A winning start for the Lilywhites, Conte just now needs to decide if any of his new signings come into his starting XI next week at Chelsea. It's a tough call to make after a fine start in the capital.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings: Kulusevski, Sessegnon and Dier superb as Spurs go top of the table
Sessegnon learning from error
Falling behind with only 12 minutes on the clock as James Ward-Prowse netted from the edge of the box, Conte's men weren't behind for long as Sessegnon netted nine minutes later. In the right place to powerfully head home Dejan Kulusevski's inswinging delivery, the wing-back was incredibly happy to score moments after not gambling at the back post.
Bentancur had swung in a lovely cross on his right foot, with Sessegnon electing against attacking the ball in the six-yard box as Kyle Walker-Peters cleared unchallenged. He was visibly angry with himself after not throwing himself at the ball and doing exactly what Conte wants from his wing-backs when a cross comes in from the opposite flank.
Seconds after not taking his opportunity, the ex-Fulham man made sure he got the better of Walker-Peters this time around to get on the end of Kulusevski's cross. It was an emphatic finish from the 22-year-old, who was a standout player in the 4-1 win.
Kane fumes with Son
Having seen two defenders net Tottenham's first two goals of the season, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were intent on getting their names on the scoresheet. The latter had a fantastic chance just before half-time after jinking his way into the area following a brilliant run.
Opting against shooting and instead going past an extra player to make his way into the middle of the box, the South Korean then got his effort all wrong when he decided to let fly. It was nowhere near the target as he shot high and wide of Gavin Baznu's goal.
Kane was in acres of space when Son burst into the box but his teammate opted not to pass to him despite him taking up a much better position. Tottenham's No.10 was not happy at all with Son and duly let him know as he gave him an earful a couple of times after he had shot wide.
Kulusevski's major impact
Kulusevski really is a joy to watch for Tottenham. Playing a major role in Tottenham securing a Champions League berth last term with some incredible performances in the run-in, the Swede started where he left off in the opener against Saints.
He was a constant menace down Tottenham's right wing, causing problem after problem for the Saints defence as he looked to wreak havoc in the final third. Registering five goals and eight assists in the final few months of last term, Kulusevski didn't take long to get his first assist of the campaign as he put in a brilliant cross for Sessegnon to finish at the far post.
Looking to pick out his teammates at every opportunity, the Sweden international almost had another assist to his name shortly after the restart after once again picking out Sessegnon. The goal his performance deserved arrived just after the hour mark, curling the ball into the bottom corner in style after Emerson Royal had teed him up.
He was simply immense on a brilliant day for the Lilywhites.
Righting a wrong
Southampton delivered a major blow to Tottenham's top-four aspirations the last time the sides met back in February. On course for a 2-1 win, the visitors struck twice in the final 15 minutes to clinch all three points and hand Spurs a mountain to climb in the race for a Champions League spot.
With Conte's men looking to push on even further this time around, it's vital that they beat the likes of the south coast club at home so they don't lose ground on Man City and Liverpool at the top. It was a rather one-sided affair at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the hosts having plenty of opportunities to extend the scoreline.
Losing against Chelsea and Wolves either side of that Southampton defeat in February, the two aforementioned teams are next up for Tottenham. It's now time for Conte and his team to right some more wrongs from last season.
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