Antonio Conte delight at Spurs display and warns new boys face fight for places

Antonio Conte was delighted with Tottenham’s style during their opening-day 4-1 win over Southampton and warned his new signings they must fight to earn a place in his starting line-up.

A busy summer for Spurs where they brought in six players increased the optimism and excitement around N17 before kick-off, but James Ward-Prowse’s 12th-minute opener for the visitors threatened to spoil the mood.

Instead it kicked the hosts into gear with Dejan Kulusevski in imperious form and it was his cross which allowed Ryan Sessegnon to head the equaliser. Eric Dier made it 2-1 before half-time and Kulusevski wrapped up the scoring with a brilliant fourth two minutes after Mohammed Salisu’s own goal.

Spurs boss Conte said: “The reaction was really good because we kept calm, we continued to play in the way that we know, to believe in what we tried before in this week before playing Southampton.

“We won three important points but the most important thing was the way we got three points, with really good football, with the ball, without the ball, with important pressure, also the way we decided to win the ball after we lost it was another important aspect.

“We are working to implement football knowledge over the last season. For sure today we have seen this team has seven months of work on its back.”

Sessegnon finished the 2021-22 campaign strongly but has competition for his spot in the form of Ivan Perisic and yet met the challenge head on with a fine effort in the 21st minute only his second goal for Spurs since a big-money move from Fulham three summers ago.

Injuries have blighted the England Under-21 international in recent seasons but Conte believes he is ready to kick on and was pleased with his goal having failed to gamble