‘There are no easy games in the Premier League,’ Jose Mourinho once said.
This virtue may hold true, but it would be difficult to picture a more routine victory than Spurs’ 4-0 dismantling of Everton at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham were ahead within 15 minutes courtesy of a stunning Yves Bissouma strike that cannoned in off the crossbar while Son Heung-min doubled their advantage after Jordan Pickford took too long on the ball.
Everton, fresh off an opening weekend 3-0 defeat by Brighton, had no answers and kowtowed to an unmarked Cristian Romero who headed in from a corner.
But it was Micky van de Ven’s run, which swept the length of the pitch, to set up Son’s second and Spurs’ fourth which elicited the loudest cheer of the afternoon. The perfect way to cap a performance that underlined Tottenham’s pretensions to a strong finish this season.
Here are four things we learnt about Spurs in this match-up.
Bissouma single pivot frees up Spurs’ creators
It was clear as soon as the teams were announced at 2pm that the returning Bissouma would have a hand in determining the outcome of this match.
Having missed Spurs’ season opener at Leicester for his laughing gas indiscretion, Bissouma found himself cast alongside the forward-thinking pair of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in midfield.
The burden of defensive responsibility fell largely on his shoulders - and the Malian duly delivered a sentry’s performance, even minding to score a superb opening goal.
“I thought it was a disciplined performance from him,” managerAnge Postecoglou purred. “Not just the goal, but he had a really important job for us. We knew they play fairly direct and he had to be there to mop up second balls and intercept things.”
It was to Bissouma’s credit that Sean Dyche’s offensive game plan largely conceded the midfield battle to Spurs, preferring to loft balls over the top for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to gallop on to. Abdoulaye Doucoure has 33 Premier League goals from midfield but neither he nor Tim Iroegbunam were given an inch.
In the knowledge that Bissouma had Spurs' house in order, Kulusevski remained advanced and drifted out to the flank, while Maddison floated. The midfielder thrived in the quarterback role, spraying passes and dictating the tempo as he saw fit.
Even when the personnel shifted, the shape remained the same: Archie Gray was deployed in the six behind Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr, with Spurs scoring twice with the youngster in the pivot.
Will Postecoglou set up this expansively every time? No. But knowing Spurs have the players to execute the formation bodes well for the future.
Odobert delivers ‘exciting’ debut
Spurs’ latest signing needed only a matter of minutes to bring the supporters onside, bursting beyond Everton’s young right-back Roman Dixon before firing the ball across the six-yard box.
It was a sign of more to come as the Frenchman’s speed and guile proved too much for the young full-back. Staying wide, he kept the visitors’ back line stretched, opening up central pockets for Maddison and Kulusevski to occupy.
There was evidence enough to suggest Odobert’s partnership with left-back Destiny Udogie could bear fruit this season. The pair linked up well, picking off defenders with sharp triangles with an understanding that belied their eight-day-old working relationship.
In truth, Odobert ticked a lot of the boxes on the wide player’s debut charter, even regaining possession in his own half to the delight of the home faithful.
His decision-making suffered as he faded in the second half. Attempting to dribble out of trouble saw the winger lose possession and a misplaced cross-field pass had Tottenham’s defence momentarily flustered. Minutes under the belt will help in this regard.
Odobert offers a different proposition to his fellow wingers. Constantly looking to run at and beat his full-back, the 19-year-old’s directness and courage characterises the true difference-makers in this league.
According to Postecoglou, an "exciting" start to life in North London.
Centre-backs get it done… at both ends
To address the elephant in the room: yes, van de Ven’s mesmerising dribble for the fourth goal is probably the best assist seen by the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was a majestic run, one which had the entire arena on their feet applauding, not least the Spurs manager who later branded the Dutchman “a special footballer”.
Yet it was but the cherry on top of the icing that had been yet another assured display at the back for van de Ven.
Barring a five-minute spell of set-piece jeopardy at the end of the first period, neither he nor Romero entertained the prospect of a two-sided encounter.
The contempt with which they swatted away Everton’s incursions oozed with class.
Van de Ven showcased his arsenal of defensive weapons, an athletic scissor-kick clearance to cut out a lofted through-ball in the first half was matched by an equally impressive sprint to snuff out a breakaway down Everton’s right.
Romero’s sheer bloody-mindedness was characterised by his goal. Charging into the space occupied by the visitors’ towering centre-backs James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, the Argentinian rose highest to power in off the underside of the crossbar.
Postecoglou had recourse to both van de Ven and Romero for 27 league games last season. The closer that figure is to 38 this campaign, the better Spurs’ chances are of achieving their goals.
Pressure: Pickford's pocket picked
Perhaps it was because Spurs were shooting towards the South Stand in the first-half, but Tottenham pressed with genuine intensity from the get-go and reaped the rewards of it.
Case in point: Son’s first goal. The Tottenham skipper had sounded a gentle warning to Jordan Pickford moments earlier, rushing the goalkeeper and almost getting a toe onto his clearance.
But the lesson was not learnt and the South Korean picked his pocket to double Spurs’ advantage on 25 minutes.
There were instances of all five of Spurs’ forward players forcing Everton into errors throughout the 90 minutes, most noticeably in the first half, with the press a prominent feature of Postecoglou's philosophy out of possession.
Other clubs have taken months, even seasons, to get the press right, but this is one area where Postecoglou is unwilling to compromise. Tottenham topped the table for pressures in the final third last season with 2,935 - 591 of which resulted in turnovers.
To press high, the back line has to be prepared to step up and both centre-backs’ know what their manager expects of them.
On Saturday, van de Ven and Romero’s average positions fell midway between the edge of the area and the half-way line, with the Argentinian stationed in the opposition’s half for much of the game.
Spurs will face stiffer challenges than this beleaguered Everton side, but the players’ increasing comfort levels with their manager’s system will provide cause for enthusiasm among fans.