There is never a boring season at Tottenham and the 2021/22 campaign was no different. There were the usual highs and lows, with inconsistency, a managerial change and new arrivals, just to name a few.
Spurs are set to have a busy summer, with the announcement on Tuesday of ENIC making a £150million investment, which will provide a major help in the looming transfer window. This comes just after Antonio Conte managed to lead his side to a top four finish, only seven months after his arrival.
This means the Lilywhites will see a return to the Champions League during the next campaign, and with the season now over, football.london takes a look at five of the standout moments from the campaign.
READ MORE: Super Son, brilliant Bentancur, mixed Emerson: Every Spurs player and Conte rated for the season
The beginning of the end
On a Saturday evening at the end of October, Tottenham were prepared to take on Man United, with both teams struggling under their managers at the time. Spurs went into the game on the back of a 1-0 victory over Burnley in the Carabao Cup, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side travelled to London following a 5-0 bashing from Liverpool.
It was 1-0 to the visiting side at half-time and it was clear Nuno Espirito Santo needed to change something. What happened next left fans stunned, as Lucas Moura, who had been one of the better players on the pitch, was replaced by Steven Bergwijn.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium filled with boos, as supporters made their feelings very clear to the Portuguese manager. Not only did the Lilywhites go on to lose the game 3-0, it was also Espirito Santo's final game in charge, leading to Conte's arrival just a few days later.
The Steven Bergwijn impact
Fast forward less than three months and Spurs were making the trip to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester. This came after Tottenham's second defeat of the month to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final home and away legs.
Conte's side had to be focused on this fixture, despite having to travel to Stamford Bridge again just days later for a Premier League clash. Harry Kane's goal kept Tottenham level until James Maddison put his side back in front in the 76th minute.
However, it was the Italian's 79th minute substitution that changed the game. Bergwijn came on and managed to score an equalising goal in the 95th minute, causing elation in the away end.
But the fun wasn't quite over for Bergwijn. Spurs were quick to get the game going again and less than two minutes later, the Dutch international found the back of the net for the second time.
That night saw some great individual performances and a solid team effort, to get a much needed three points and spark scenes that no Tottenham fan will forget in a hurry.
Antonio Conte's first deadline day
Transfer windows are always unpredictable at Tottenham and January is known for being even more difficult to do business in. It got to deadline day and after a failed pursuit for a number of players, Spurs had 24 hours to make some signings...and they did just that.
The departures of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil on loan were joined by a permanent exit for Dele Alli. These of course had an impact on the squad, but all four were struggling to get game time in Conte's regular XI. What made more of an impact were the two new arrivals: Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
The duo have both had such a positive influence on the Tottenham side, with Bentancur building a strong relationship in the middle with Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and the Swede creating a dangerous front three alongside Kane and Son Heung-min.
Although Spurs' squad depth issue isn't yet solved, the duo signing from Juventus has had a dramatic impact on the second half of the season for the Lilywhites.
Antonio Conte's Turf Moor rant
Just over a month later and Conte's raw emotion came out. Ahead of the trip to Turf Moor, Tottenham had produced another 3-2 victory, this time against Man City after Kane's 95th minute winner at the Etihad Stadium.
This made the 1-0 defeat to Burnley shortly after even more difficult to take, and the Italian made this very clear. The exact same line-up started in both matches, but they ended in very different feelings after the match.
"I don’t want to comment on the game. I wasn’t to comment only on the situation. In the last five games, we lost four times. This is the reality," Conte explained in his post match press conference.
"This is the reality, and when this type of situation happens, maybe there is something wrong. I don't want to close my eyes, I want to take my responsibility, if I have the responsibility. I am open, I am open for every decision because I want to help Tottenham.
"Maybe I'm not so good for....Maybe I'm not so good. Yes, maybe I'm not so good," he added. This caused a mixed reaction from fans but no one could deny the brutal honesty from the 52-year-old.
It was a nervy time for supporters, who didn't know what the future held for Conte, but after that rant there seemed to be a real change at Tottenham and one that you could argue helped them focus and end the season on a high.
The North London derby win
When Spurs were ready to welcome Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was built up to be one of the biggest North London Derby's in years. Earlier in the season, the fixture at the Emirates Stadium saw a lacklustre performance from the Lilywhites and Arsenal winning 3-1.
That was just one reason Spurs needed to get a better result in the reverse tie. Aside from that, it proved one of the decisive games in the top four race.
Tottenham were four points behind their north London rivals ahead of the fixture, after picking up a point at Anfield, just a few days before. After the Derby, both sides had two games remaining, so it was a crucial three points that both teams needed.
Ahead of the game the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was full of Spurs fans, who were creating an electric atmosphere, helped by the 'Dare, Dream, Do' tifo ahead of kick-off. This atmosphere continued throughout the entire match.
The incredible noise created in the stadium was matched with the performance on the pitch and it couldn't have gone better for Conte's side. Not only were the Lilywhites 2-0 up at half-time, Arsenal were also down to 10 men after Rob Holding's sending off and the second 45 minutes didn't disappoint either, with the game ending in a 3-0 victory for Tottenham.
Now it's time to hear what our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Emma de Duve believe is the most key 'moment of the season' out of the list above...
Gold's view
For me the moment of the season was one of the worst moments for Spurs under Antonio Conte.
It came in the wind, rain and hail after the final whistle at Turf Moor on February 23rd. The Italian had not said a word to his players in the dressing room after they trudged in, there was nothing he could say to them after watching the same line-up that played so well at the Etihad Stadium serve up a dire display at Burnley.
Conte came out to speak to us for his press conference and he knew he had to shake things up. He made it quite clear that he would be happy to leave the club if that was the best solution for everybody. He gave the impression of a man at the end of his tether.
Those words shook up everyone in that dressing room when they heard or read them, from the star players down to the staff around the club.
Everything changed in that moment. It's no coincidence that Spurs went on to win 10 of their final 14 matches. The fear of losing their best chance of success in years kicked them into action.
That was the night that a top four finish was secured even if it felt far from it at the time.
de Duve's view
For me, I think that game against Man United and the Moura substitution changed everything and is my moment of the season. I remember having slight confidence going into the game, with the bad form United had been in. But I obviously realised quickly that, being a Tottenham fan, confidence is easily shattered.
Sitting in the South Stand and hearing the boos ripple around the stadium when Moura was taken off, I have never been in such a toxic atmosphere at a football game.
United were struggling under Solskjaer at that point and I know many Tottenham fans also feared that if Spurs didn't get Conte, he might find his way to Old Trafford. It was a terrible performance, a terrible result and an even worse atmosphere.
I do think all five moments have had a big impact on the season but I just can't help but think that if that substitution wasn't made and the boos didn't fill the stadium to let Nuno and the board know what the fans really thought, would it have been Ole who was sacked first? Would that have meant Conte would now be at Man United?
No-one knows for sure, but I just think things could've all been so different, if it wasn't for that one change.
Which would you pick as your 'moment of the season', have your say in the comments below.
