Mauricio's verdict on Villa

New season, same resilience. The belief of the squad shone through again as we came from 1-0 down to topple Villa 3-1 in our Premier League opener, leaving Mauricio Pochettino to praise our second half performance.

Villa took the lead on nine minutes through John McGinn and were happy to sit in, protect what they had and look to catch us on the counter-attack.

Chances came and went throughout but we kept going and finally broke through on 73 minutes when Tanguy Ndombele celebrated his debut with a goal, a precise, curling finish from the edge of the box.

Then it was all about Harry Kane. A frustrating day for the marksman all changed with four minutes left when a couple of ricochets left him 10 yards out, centre of the goal. Needless to say, the net bulged off his left foot and he was away – 2-1, first goal of the season and most importantly, his first goal at the new stadium. Harry’s second and our third soon followed, a textbook Kane low, whipped finish into the corner for Spurs goal 166.

“I’m very happy, very pleased,” said Mauricio. “It’s only the beginning of the season but to start with a win is so important.

“The plan didn’t work in the first half but in the second it worked very well. I’m very pleased with how we played in the second half. We dominated. We were much better.

“After the final of the Champions League it’s always good to feel the victory. I’m happy with the performance. We played so well in the second half and deserved the victory. I’m very pleased for the players.”

Mauricio was delighted to see Tanguy hit the target. “It’s always important for a player who is making his debut, he showed great quality and I’m very pleased for him. We still have a lot of work to do with him, but I think his quality has started to show and he is going to be great for the team.”

It was put to the manager that 60,000 fans had gone home happy after our first season opener at home since 2010!

He added: “The stadium was fantastic, our fans always the best in the world and I thank you again. After the (Champions League) final we didn’t see you for a few months and we’re always happy to share a great moment with our fans.”