Goals from Pedro Porro, Heung-Min Son and Mikey Moore ensured that Tottenham Hotspur would keep their unbeaten run in pre-season going, as they edged a victory against Vissel Kobe at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.
Although the scoreline may have been slightly tighter than expected, it is worth remembering that The Lilywhites' Japanese opponents are currently 25 games into their J-League campaign, whilst the English side are only three matches into their Premier League preparations, and the entirety of the starting eleven were yet to play more than 45-minutes in their opening two pre-season outings.
Despite a leggy first half, which may have been partly down to scorching conditions and jet lag, considering Spurs only arrived in Asia four days ago, its was another good showing from Ange Postecogou's men, who sealed a victory with two minutes of the ninety to spare.
Here are the main talking points.
Another excellent display from Mikey Moore
Although this may be a very cliché thing to say amongst the Spurs fanbase at present, you simply cannot ignore the fact that Mikey Moore is a very special talent, which The Lilywhites have at their disposal.
Scoring the winner in the capital of Japan means the youngster takes his pre-season tally to two goals and one assist in three official games, whilst in unofficial behind closed doors games against Cambridge United and Japan's u20 national team, he has also notched two goals.
When the winger arrived to the playing field on the hour mark, he instantly made his mark on the game. Silky dribbling in tight areas, electric pace and a deadly attacking ability, culminating in match-winner which was assisted by fellow academy star Jamie Donley.
Speaking after the game, Ange Postecolgou had this to say about the stunning 16-year old: "Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in. He’s earned his spot on the roster at the moment — he did at the end of last year.
He’s been good in all the games - he probably should have had three tonight, to be fair - but he did take his goal well by being in the right areas. All we can do is keep allowing him to develop."
It's safe to say the manager and the fans have seen the potential, now it's up to the player to ensure he keeps working hard and striving towards the end goal - following in the footsteps of the likes of Harry Kane and co. and becoming a superstar in North London.
Headache for Postecoglou
The Australian Head Coach now has a major headache to deal with, but it's a good issue to have.
With the academy stars shining in pre-season so far, Ange Postecoglou now has a major headache to contend with as he looks to improve and finalise his squad for the 2024/25 season in the coming weeks.
As Tottenham are set to fight on all four fronts in the upcoming season, the former Celtic boss will need a large squad to ensure he can meet expectations and progress as far as possible in all competitions.
Whilst Spurs are yet to dip into the transfer market for any marquee signings, Postecoglou now has a decision to make - does he opt for homegrown talents which are proving their worth, or does he look to purchase some experienced, big money names in the remainder of the summer transfer window.
Mikey Moore has added a goal contribution in every pre-season appearance, whilst Will Lankshear has impressed up front - two positions which Spurs were in dire need of strengthening following the end of the 2023/24 season.
In defence, Djed Spence appears to have knuckled down as is taking the chance given to him by storm, and is continuing to offer hope that he can finally match the expectations placed on him by fans when he first joined in 2022.
Nineteen-year old Jamie Donley, normally deployed in midfield, has unusually been selected at left back during the three pre-season contests but has looked very assured in that role, leaving Postecolgou with multiple options in that area. That means Spurs, who have been rumoured to be interested in a left-sided defender this summer, will not ned to spend in that role and can put the money towards different options.
With the North London side heavily rumoured to be in the market for a winger and striker, these issues may have already been solved with players already on their books. Although the names mentioned above are still raw, perhaps Postecoglou could look to embed them into the first team squad in the new season, especially with plenty of opportunities in the UEFA Europa League and Carabao Cup.
Bissouma back to his best?
Yes, it's only pre-season and it's important not to get carried away, but the Yves Bissouma's performances in a white shirt have looked very promising so far.
Less than a year ago, he was comfortably the best performing midfielder in the Premier League, but after his red card in the first half at Luton away, his form took a turn for the worse and he never recovered his early season form, often struggling in the final 28 games of his second season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, in his first two 45-minute cameos in wins against Hearts and Queens Park Rangers, the Malian has looked sharp and has offered plenty of glimpses of his elite ability that we saw at the start of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham career. He even broke his duct in a Spurs shirt with an impeccable goal at Loftus Road, just over a week ago.
Bissouma was at the centre of the majority of The Lilywhites' build up play during his first half appearance, keeping the ball moving and starting attacks with his powerful, penetrating runs from deep. The deep-lying, tough-tackling has an immeasurable partnership with Pape Matar Sarr, with the duo often starring when lining up together.
If the former Brighton and Hove Albion man can get back to his best, stay fit and keep his performances consistent throughout the entire season, then Tottenham will have a beast in their midfield and Ange Postecolgou will have a very strong option available.
'Ange ball' is back
The second half of last season was torrid for Tottenham Hotspur and Head Coach Ange Postecoglou, who said Spurs had "lost their identity", as his side suffered a horrendous injury crisis following their November collapse against Chelsea.
They were missing Micky van de Ven and James Maddison until January, Heung-Min Son jetted off to the Asian Cup, Richarlison struggled to maintain fitness and Destiny Udogie's season ended early due to needing surgery.
However, in pre-season we have seen a return of the fast tempo, possession-based build up play which wad first offered to fans during the early months of Postecoglou's reign. Spurs dominated proceedings in their opening game thrashing of Hearts and in the first half at QPR, they did exactly the same.
Both goals scored in that game epitomised the Australian's philosophy, and in Japan, he would have been extremely pleased with the manner in which Tottenham scored all three goals to beat one-time J-League champions Vissel Kobe.
The opener saw Pedro Porro end up in the centre of the penalty box, whilst Spurs' second goal, which gave them the lead, was a move we have seen so often. Brennan Johnson, who has largely impressed so far in the new campaign, found captain Son with a low cross, and he calmly finished past Daiya Maekawa.
In training, the boys from N17 can often be spotted perfecting a low bye-line cross for an easy finish from close-range, and Mikey Moore's winner saw their work on the training pitch put into action in a game scenario. Jamie Donley, playing on the left of the back four, broke into the box before finding Moore, who scored an open goal to win the game.