Plenty of rotation
The headline news from Antonio Conte's Tottenham team selection was the decision to name Son Heung-min on the bench against Leicester City. After enduring a rather frustrating start to the campaign with no goals in his first eight games, there has been plenty of speculation about the South Korean's spot in the Spurs team for a few weeks now, especially with Richarlison catching the eye.
As well as Son dropping out of the XI, Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies also missed out on the team, with the Welshman's absence down to injury. Davinson Sanchez, Clement Lenglet, Ryan Sessegnon and Dejan Kulusevski were the players to come into the side in their place.
Making it clear that he would be rotating his team over the coming weeks due to the amount of games on the schedule, this was the first time when the head coach had made a handful of alterations to his XI. He did do likewise against Fulham at the start of the month, although he did clarify after the game it was only really two changes in total as Romero, Sessegnon and Rodrigo Bentancur are regulars in his side.
READ MORE: Spurs player ratings: Super Son makes hat-trick point, Sanchez struggles but Bentancur dazzles
Kulusevski impact
Conte's decision to name Kulusevski on the bench for three straight games was a rather perplexing one, given what he brings to the Tottenham team. Making a huge impact following his January switch from Juventus to help the team seal a top-four spot, the Swede carried on from where he left off last term in the opening four Premier League games as he contributed one goal and two assists.
However, the amount of options available to Conte in attack saw the boss elect to name the 22-year-old on the bench in order to bring Richarlison in. Rather than the ex-Parma loanee remaining sub for just one game, in the end, it turned out to be three as he was left out of the Champions League matches against Marseille and Sporting CP.
Reinstated to the team on Saturday against Leicester, it was no surprise at all to see the attacker have a huge say on proceedings as he teed up Harry Kane for the equaliser. As ever, it was Kulusevski cutting in from the right and swinging in a sublime ball for his teammate to nod home from close range.
Tottenham does look so much better when Kulusevski is in the team.
Richarlison's role in the second goal
Given the nod on the left instead of Son, Richarlison once again made a big impression for Tottenham following a bright start to the contest. Linking up extremely well with Sessegnon in the opening few minutes after playing him in with an inch-perfect pass, the Brazilian continued to catch the eye with an energetic display.
Having restored parity through Kane's header, the Lilywhites took the lead 13 minutes later courtesy of Eric Dier's header from Ivan Perisic's corner. While it will be the England man and the Croat who get all the credit for the goal, Richarlison also deserves the plaudits for his role in the second of the game after some persistent play by the corner flag.
Chasing a lost cause with the ball in Timothy Castagne's favour, the summer signing managed to nip in ahead of the Belgian before somehow winning a corner with a neat flick that rebounded over the full-back and went out of play. The ex-Everton star got a big cheer for his play from the home fans, which was fully deserved after managing to create something out of nothing.
Shaky Spurs
Perhaps looking like the ideal game to bounce back in after their European defeat in midweek with Leicester City at the foot of the league table, it looked anything but going on the first 45 minutes in N17. While plenty of opportunities were there for Spurs, notably from set-pieces, Leicester had a number of their own thanks to some poor defensive play from the hosts.
Their own worst enemy at times, after losing possession in dangerous positions outside their own box, the Foxes cut through Spurs' midfield and backline with ease far too often. Tottenham were unusually so open at the back, and it always gave Brendan Rodgers' side plenty of hope that they could leave the capital with something after their wretched start to the campaign.
Sanchez's failure to control an early ball was perhaps a sign of things to come, with the Colombian guilty of conceding a penalty seconds later after diving in to try and win the ball off James Justin so early before eventually clipping him. Leicester may have had a few lucky bounces at times, but they also had clear opportunities on goal through Patson Daka and James Maddison.
The Foxes were also guilty of giving Tottenham several chances on goal, with Spurs looking likely to score with every set piece that came their way. Rodrigo Bentancur robbing Wilfred Ndidi of the ball before going on to score summed up just how baffling the game was at times before it was Spurs' turn to cut through Leicester at will following Son's arrival on the pitch.
Tottenham may have secured all three points and scored goals for fun in the process, but Conte will not want to see a repeat of their defensive display again.
How Tottenham players celebrated Son's goal
Son's wait to score his first goal of the 2022/23 campaign is finally over. Introduced not long after the restart as he entered the fray with Romero, it was in the 73rd minute when the South Korean made the net bulge with a stunning strike from distance.
Scoring a spectacular goal in the same fixture back in May, this one was just as good as he collected Bentancur's pass and ran at Leicester's backline before curling an unstoppable effort into the top corner beyond Danny Ward. The sound in the stadium when it went in said it all, as did the moment when the 30-year-old was introduced off the bench.
An understated celebration from Son as he did his classic camera pose rather than going wild after breaking his duck, the rest of the Tottenham team were over so quickly to celebrate in a huddle with him. They realised what the goal meant to him, and all were intent on sharing the moment with him.
Not initially joined in the celebrations by Romero and Lenglet, who was on the sideline getting a drink and receiving instructions, both made their way over to Son shortly after. The Frenchman was the last over as he and Son shared an embrace and walked back to the halfway line following his screamer.
Not content with just the one goal, Son added an incredible second not long after completing his hat-trick with a low finish. Clearly needing a goal to rediscover his form, Son is up and running for the season and opposition teams will not want to come up against him if his 30-minute cameo is anything to go by.
The North London Derby is next up for Tottenham...
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