Moments you may have missed: Spurs 4-1 Southampton

It’s a new season and, after we kick-started our campaign in style with a 4-1 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon, it is time to launch a new feature on tottenhamhotspur.com - Moments you may have missed.

Across a matchday, there is always so much going on and, occasionally, some notable or intriguing moments can go under the radar – especially when you open the season with such a commanding victory and end the weekend at the top of the table!

So, as we look back on our triumph over the Saints, here are some things you might not have seen on the day.

Key highlights: Spurs 4-1 Southampton

1. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

On the back of his outstanding performance, against Southampton, which saw both score and provide an assist in the same game for the third time in his Spurs career so far, Dejan Kulusevski was voted as your Player of the Match – and it could be said that his fine display was inspired by the reception he received from those in the stands before the game.

As the players warmed-up on the pitch ahead of kick-off, the ABBA song Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! rung out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - a song that Spurs fans repurposed last season in tribute to Dejan. As that resounded around the bowl, our fans chanted their version of the number for Deki, and it was clear he appreciated their support, smiling back and applauding the Spurs faithful.

2. Respect shown to returning Walker-Peters

It has become common practice by our supporters to show their appreciation to former Spurs players who return to play against us, and that was the same for Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters on Saturday.

Kyle, who came through our Academy before going onto play for our first team 24 times between 2017 and 2020, was given a warm round of applause by our supporters as his name was read out in the bowl as part of the pre-match team news. Later, as he was substituted in injury time at the end of the second half and walked behind the North Stand goal towards the dugouts in the East Stand, Spurs fans got to their feet to applaud the England international once more.

3. New boys given warm welcome

Following a busy summer of incomings at Hotspur Way, Saturday presented an opportunity for fans to see our new signings in competitive action for the first time.

Against Southampton, three of our six summer arrivals made their debuts for the Club as Ivan Perisic, Clement Lenglet and Yves Bissouma were all introduced from the bench in the second half. And, to make the trio feel right at home as they entered the pitch for the first time in Lilywhite, Spurs fans got to their feet to give our new boys a warm welcome to north London.

4. Standing ovation for Ryan

Ryan Sessegnon might not have enjoyed the easiest of journeys so far in his Spurs career, but his performance, and the appreciation shown towards him by the crowd as he exited the field, on Saturday would have meant the world to him.

A player who has had his fair share of injury battles since signing from Fulham in the summer of 2019, Ryan was hard at work this summer strengthening himself ahead of the new campaign as he looked to build upon some very promising showings at left wing-back last season. That work certainly told against the Saints though as the 22-year-old looked full of confidence, enjoyed a great battle down the left flank with Walker-Peters and went on to score his first ever Premier League goal for us, heading home our equaliser on 21 minutes.

Then, when he was replaced by Perisic on 66 minutes, the stadium got to its feet to salute the England Under-21 international’s efforts and influential performance.

5. Kulusevski skill

As aforementioned, supporters named Dejan Kulusevski as their Player of the Match for his outstanding performance against the Saints. A goal and assist from the Swede show just how much of an impact he had on the result, but there was so much more to his performance other than his creative numbers that really left a mark on the minds of our fans – no more so than a mesmerising piece of skill that he produced on 70 minutes.

To kick off the move, Rodrigo Bentancur clipped a ball towards the Sweden international down the left channel, Mohamed Salisu attempted to head clear, but the ball looped back into our number 21’s path. Battling with Moussa Djenepo, Deki used his strength to hold off the Mali international before taking the ball down and into a yard of space with one touch. Then, after a step over with his right foot, he then knocked the ball past Djenepo with the other foot, skipping over his challenge before bursting into the box.

6. Bentancur’s crucial counter-stopping challenge

While we enjoyed such a dominant performance in front of goal, it was just as important for the team to remain strong at the back against the Saints – and a challenge from Rodrigo Bentancur embodied that on 73 minutes.

As we put pressure on the Southampton goal with a fifth goal in our sights, a clearance from defender Jack Stephens put us on the back foot as it set away Joe Aribo down our left flank. Starting several yards ahead of Rodrigo, it looked like the winger would be able to progress into our half but, with the Uruguayan showing such intensity and determination to close down our opponent, he managed to not just catch up with Aribo, but also execute a superb challenge that both stopped the forward's progress and sent the ball out of play to allow the rest of the team to re-establish our formation.