The Sun

WHATEVER Ange Postecoglou said on the training ground this week worked a treat.

Because five days after Tottenham's dreadful finishing cost them dearly at Leicester, they looked a different team in front of goal.

Imagine how good they will be when Dominic Solanke returns from injury.

Even after Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson missed early sitters, helped by debutant Wilson Odobert's explosive start, this was never ending up like Monday.

Because Everton never win in August and Spurs were brilliant.

The visitors were so bad that even Yves Bissouma scored for his first Tottenham goal and in doing so took his first steps to making amends with Ange Postecoglou.

The week after being dropped for the trip to Leicester for his shameful inhaling laughing gas video, Bissouma let his feet do the talking with a stunning opener.

While he owed plenty to Dejan Kulusevski's terrific footwork, Bissouma's finish was not bad either, flying in off the bar.

His response was an apology to the Spurs fans and a hug for Postecoglou.

Bissouma's moment of magic came less than 24 hours after the Tottenham boss asked him to start his redemption act.

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And this was the perfect response.

But if Jordan Pickford could do nothing about Spurs' opener, their second was a horrible moment for the England goalkeeper.

For all his heroics over the years, Pickford has never quite been able to eradicate this type of moment from his game.

He had earlier looked unbeatable as he kept out Tottenham time and time again.

But he almost single-handedly chucked the game away for Everton when he switched off midway through the opening period.

In seemingly no danger from a simple Michael Keane pass, Pickford took a needlessly heavy touch under pressure from Son Heung-min, allowing the South Korean to nip in for his first goal in August since 2021.

The Tottenham man will not score an easier one all season.

For Everton, it was latest nightmare moment in what is already turning into a campaign of them – even just two games in.

But Spurs are never home and dry under Postecoglou, so those inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be forgiven for getting anxious when the Toffees enjoyed a promising late spell at the end of the first half.

After all, it was appearing to be a carbon copy of this exact fixture back in December.

On that occasion, Postecoglou's side also led 2-0 and looked like blowing Everton away, but ultimately needed some Guglielmo Vicario heroics in the end to hang on to a narrow victory.

There were some more hairy moments with Vicario forced to keep out Jesper Lindstrom, while Spurs' vulnerability from set pieces was put to the test by a physical Toffees outfit.

But just when those anxiety levels seemed to be rising, Romero decided enough was enough and put the result beyond doubt.

Tottenham have so often looked exposed from dead ball situations during Postecoglou's reign but showed they can also do some damage themselves.

Maddison sent over the delivery and Romero leapt above everyone else to power past Pickford on his 100th appearance for the club.

Spurs' centre-backs were not finished there though.

Micky van de Ven, clearly feeling left out, won the ball back on the edge of his own box before using his lightning speed to quite literally run the entire left of the pitch before picking the perfect moment to release the unmarked Son.

And when you give the Tottenham captain that type of space, there is often only one outcome.

Son needed no second invitation as he confidently fired under Pickford to make it four, putting the Everton fans that had stayed finally out of their misery.

Four goals and a clean sheet, it was like Tottenham from 12 months ago.

It was also their biggest victory in front of their own fans since thumping Leicester 6-2 under Antonio Conte almost two years ago when Maddison was in the away dressing room that day.

And Tottenham badly needed this result.

The season might be just two games old, but they travel to Newcastle next weekend before welcoming bitter rivals Arsenal to N17.

Throw in a date at Old Trafford before the end of September for good measure, failing to get over the line here could have made for a slow start to the season.

As it was, there was only ever going to be one winner here, the only thing up for debate was how many Spurs would get.

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PAPE MATAR SARR embraces the Star Boy nickname he goes by at Tottenham’s training ground due to his astronomical talent.

But the Senegalese international believes there are loads of kids ready to shine in Ange Postecoglou’s rejuvenated squad.

Sarr is only 21 but has become a senior head in Postecoglou’s midfield on account of the club’s strikingly young signings this summer.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18, arrived from Leeds and Swedish side Djurgarden respectively for a combined total of £38.5million.

Two more teenagers were bought for the wide positions in Wilson Odobert, 19, and Yang Min-Hyeok, 18 — though the South Korean prodigy will not arrive until January.

Then there is 17-year-old whizkid winger Mikey Moore, who many rate the most exciting player to come through Spurs’ academy in a decade.

Add in Destiny Udogie, 21, and two 23-year-olds in Brennan Johnson Micky van de Ven — plus Sarr — and Postecoglou looks to be putting together a team with scary potential.

On his Star Boy moniker, Sarr said: “I take all that positively. It’s a source of pleasure because it’s not easy to be star boy in a group like we’ve got.

“It can’t be for no reason that they call me that and I work every day to make sure I deserve that and that I won’t let them down.

“But to be honest, there are loads of star boys in our team.

“You can see with the group we’ve got this year, we’ve got a lot of really, really great players. I’ll just keep working hard to make sure I merit it.”

Postecoglou, whose side take on Everton at home today, is into his second season as Spurs boss.

That normally means party time if his record at previous clubs is anything to go by — he won titles in his second campaign at all three teams he managed beyond a first season.

Repeating those successes in Australia with Brisbane Roar, in Japan with Yokohama F Marinos and in Scotland at Celtic would be some feat.

That is given the sky-high level of competition in the Premier League and it’s been 63 YEARS and counting since Spurs won the top flight.

Even more so when you consider the relative inexperience the Aussie has in his young squad.

Pundit Alan Hansen famously said “you can’t win anything with kids”. But Sarr buys into another old adage: If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

Asked if Tottenham can win the title given Postecoglou’s second-season knack, the former Metz midfielder laughed and replied: “The way I see it, there are no 17-year-olds, no 20-year-olds. When I look at football, all footballers are the same.

“It’s not just certain teams that can win, it’s the team that has the talent, who works hard, that has the skill.

“If you have that, regardless of whether you have young players or old players, that’s going to be the team that wins.

“There are a lot of young players at Tottenham and I guess I’m a little bit older than them so I try to help in my own way, I try to impart the experience that I’ve got.”

Sarr has been bowled over by Bergvall since the blond Swede with the movie-star looks pitched up in N17.

Tottenham fought off Barcelona to complete an £8.5m move for Bergvall on deadline day in February, though the teenager did not arrive in North London until July.

The one-cap Sweden international caught the eye in pre-season and then impressed off the bench in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Leicester.

Asked which of Spurs’ new faces has impressed him most, Sarr said: “Lucas. I really love his style. He’s never under pressure when he’s on the ball. Technically, he’s fantastic.

“He’s bound to be one of the world’s top players. He’s got all the assets. With work, he’ll get to the very top.”

Sarr admits Spurs were taught a valuable lesson at the King Power as Jamie Vardy’s leveller made them pay for wasting a number of chances.

But the youngster is confident the team will keep on carving out chances in an attacking system under Postecoglou he prefers compared to that of former boss Antonio Conte.

Sarr added: “In Conte’s system, we weren’t playing so much with the ball in midfield.

“I love the system we play now because it means I get to attack, I get to defend. This is what I want to do.

“We need to be more decisive in front of goal. But I’m sure we can put that right and have a great season.”

DOMINIC SOLANKE has been ruled out of Tottenham's clash with Everton on Saturday due to an ankle injury, manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.

The striker, 26, made his Spurs debut in their 1-1 draw against Leicester on Monday after arriving from Bournemouth in a deal worth £65million.

But he picked up a knock in the game that has forced him to delay his first home game in front of his new fans.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou said: "Dom picked up a knock in the last game.

"He got through the game but it flared up the day after. He’ll miss tomorrow [Everton].

"It's an ankle injury. He copped it fairly early on when someone went over his ankle."

Richarlison could lead the line in Solanke's absence, but Postecoglou may opt to move Son Heung-min into the centre instead.

It is safe to say many fans were furious with the news after selecting him for their fantasy football teams.

One reacted to the news by simply saying: "FPL is so back."

While another joked: " Sooooooo…… erm……. wildcard?"

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A third replied: "Solanke over Jota already a disaster then."

And a fourth added: "Prime fantasy football right here 😂."

Meanwhile, Postecoglou also offered updates on other Tottenham players, confirming Rodrigo Bentancur will miss out after suffering a nasty concussion against Leicester.

However, Pedro Porro has recovered from his knock and Yves Bissouma is back in the fold after the club suspended him from their Premier League opener for filming himself inhaling laughing gas.

On Bentancur, Postecoglou said: "Absolutely not [will he play against Everton].

"Irrespective of concussion protocols, with any kind of head injury we’re always going to be more conservative. We’ll take our time with Rodrigo and make sure he’s 100 per cent."

He then went on to add: "Biss [Bissouma] is available. We’ve got some options there. The idea of bulking up the squad in pre-season is we have some options.

"He’s available for selection. The bridge-building continues."

The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.

The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.

A capacity of 100,000 is expected.

It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.

The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils' current home.

United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.

They plan to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a second venue.

They will scale it down to a 30,000-seater that can then be used for the women’s team and academy matches.

That would mean the history remains with statues and the Munich clock and memorial plaque all most likely staying in their current positions.

The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.

Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.

The target is for completion by 2030.

JAMIE O'HARA has slammed Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for his stoppage-time outburst during their 1-1 draw at Leicester.

The Italian shot-stopper berated debutant Lucas Bergvall after the 18-year-old's error forced Vicario into making a late save.

Late substitute Bergvall lost the ball from deep in the 90th minute, allowing Leicester's Wilfred N'didi to get a shot off at Vicario.

After forcing a corner, Vicario, 27, sprinted towards the worried-looking youngster, pointing and waving his arms to give him an earful.

And former Spurs midfielder O'Hara was left fuming with the "bang out of order" verbal tirade.

O'Hara told Grosvenor Sport: "I really liked Lucas Bergvall when he came on, he was really bright and really comfortable on the ball

"He looked like James Maddison, the way he was drifting into pockets. He wanted the ball over the pitch and performed well.

"I’m really annoyed with Guglielmo Vicario, because of the way he dug Bergvall out when he gave the ball away and conceded that chance.

"Not one Spurs player was showing for it. The way he came out, all guns blazing, shouting at the young lad – that’s bang out of order!

"Vicario is meant to be a leader, but he wasn’t shouting at Christian Romero when he left Jamie Vardy free in the six yard box for a free header.

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"I hated that as a player, and if it was me, I would’ve turned around to him and put him in his place.

"Bergvall is going to be a top player for Tottenham. Vicario needs to sort himself out and not do that again because that is poor leadership."

Many Spurs fans were split by Vicario's criticism, particularity towards such a young new arrival.

Some thought his hairdryer treatment towards the teenager was unnecessary, while others felt he was showing the leadership skills needed for the Premier League.

Bergvall joined Tottenham over the summer from Swedish side Djurgarden.

The midfielder signed a five-year deal at the club after his £8.5million transfer was confirmed.

Rubbish Romero

O'Hara later added: "Romero for Leicester’s equaliser was awful!

"Vardy is one of the most clinical strikers the Premier League has ever seen – he has eight opening game goals.

"And Romero walks past him and gives Vardy space in the six-yard box with a free header! Come on, Romero is a World Cup winner, he needs to do better."

Meanwhile Vicario told The Athletic this summer: "I’m one of the oldest players in this group.

"It’s just my second year, but I feel like I have more responsibilities than last season. It’s a big honour for me to have this opportunity to be with the young players more and to speak with them."

JAMES MADDISON says he could never hate Gareth Southgate.

Even though he broke his heart by leaving him out of England's Euro '24 squad this summer.

Instead, Maddison intends to harness the searing pain of that rejection to fuel his anger and frustration at being snubbed by his nation.

And use it to inspire him to reach greater heights than ever before this season.

"I was devastated to miss out on the Euros," confessed the straight-talking Spurs midfielder in his first interview since England lost to Spain in the final… without him.

At 27, Maddison was in his prime, yet he was one of three high-profile shock omissions from Southgate's 26-man squad when he named it in June - along with Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire.

It's taken time for the hurt to heal.

"I trained really well in the build up. I trained well with England as well," Maddison revealed.

"We had the warm-up game against North Macedonia and I felt I played well in that, so it was disappointing to miss out.

"But you've got no choice other than to accept it because you can’t change it, once it’s happened.

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"Gareth's a great man and I had a good chat with him about it.

"I was disappointed. He explained his reasoning. It was never personal.

"He’s a good person. We have a great relationship.

"I messaged him not long ago to congratulate him on his managerial career with England.

"There’s no hatred towards him.

"I knew it was a business decision and he did what he thought was best for the team.

"I didn’t agree with him - no doubt about that - I felt I could have bought something to the squad."

Maddison says it took some fatherly advice from his dad to help him deal with the bitter disappointment - and admits he has a point to prove this season.

"Of course I have something to prove," he said.

"Setbacks are set-ups for comebacks. I’ve seen that quote somewhere.

"It’s how you deal with adversity. My network around me, my parents, partner, agent, the manager - they wouldn’t let me dwell on it.

"I knew I would come back with a hunger. I knew I’d be ready by game one to have a good season.

"I want to show the gaffer, the fans, my team-mates that I can be back consistently to my best.

"I couldn’t quite find that post-injury. But it’s always about how you respond.

"My support network - and my dad especially - would never let that define me.

"Dad would never let me be upset. Even though he was upset for me, like any parent would be.

"He was hungry for the new season and I’m hungry to do well this season.

"He wanted me to use my disappointment as motivation to remind me that I can and should be at that level.

"It's about using it as fuel to be good for Tottenham this season.

"I’m desperate to be a top player for the whole season, stay fit and show everyone the best version of myself."

For 45 minutes against his old club Leicester City on Monday night, Maddison showed the watching world what England had been missing in the summer.

He found pockets of space between the lines and tormented the Foxes defence with his clever flicks and laser-accurate crosses.

After 33 minutes he shared a knowing look with Brennan Johnson before a free-kick.

Then as Leicester's players braced themselves for a shot at goal - Maddison picked Johnson out at the back post with a delicate disguised cross which the winger volleyed inches wide.

"I never ever doubt myself," he said.

"There’s always going to be outside noise. Every player has to deal with it.

"I had no doubt that in the first game of the season I was going to be ready to go and put in a good performance. I felt like I did that.

"I did some of the build-up stuff well, maybe I could have been a bit more clinical with the final pass if I’m being harsh on myself. But I’m always self-critical.

"Pre-season is pre-season but when the Premier League comes and the big games and it’s furious, it’s a completely different ball-game.

"But that’s where I thrive and I knew I was ready. I’m just disappointed we didn’t get three points.

"We should have been three or four up in the first half. If we were a little bit more ruthless we could have been out of sight.

"But I know this place better than anyone. When they get a little bit of momentum, the fans here get behind the team.

"We didn’t have as much control over the second half. But we should be getting three points at places like this.

"It’s Tottenham Hotspur, no disrespect to Leicester, of course, but they are a newly-promoted team.

"We’re a big club, what we want to achieve and what we are striving for, we need to come away with three points."

The fact that Spurs couldn't seal the deal will be seen by many as further proof that Ange Postecoglou's men are too flaky to mount a serious challenge.

Maddison disputes that analysis and said: "The only important messages we need to listen to are the manager’s. We know what we are capable of.

"Nights like this, you lot in the media will get carried away about Spurs dropping points from winning positions but it’s all outside noise.

"It’s about what we do within the walls of the training ground and our stadium.

"It’s about blocking you all out to get to what we want to achieve."

JAMIE VARDY is back with a bang, netting a second half equaliser for Leicester on his return to the Premier League.

And the 37-year-old veteran did it in typical 'Vardy style' by guzzling Red Bull, winding up the opposition and leaving fans thoroughly entertained.

The Foxes defied the odds to pull off a surprise 1-1 draw against Ange Postecoglou's Spurs side at the King Power on Monday night.

It was Vardy's 57th minute header that earned them a point, as the 26-time England international drifted in behind the Spurs defence and nodded the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Remarkably, Vardy wasn't even supposed to play the game having taken part in just FOUR training sessions ahead of the opening clash.

The bullish bagsman was injured during pre-season and a late meeting with boss Steve Cooper convinced the 44-year-old to give him a chance after an injury to fellow striker Patson Daka.

Cooper revealed after the clash: "If the game was yesterday or Saturday, he wouldn’t have played."

Adding: "It wasn’t sitting right with him that we didn’t have a fit senior striker because Patson Daka is out for three months.

"He was feeling okay in his rehab, so he came to see me and declared himself fit. Go play, boy, no problem.

"For sure, he’s not normal in terms of what he can still produce at his age and the athlete he still is.

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"He’s still hitting high speeds on tests in pre-season. He’s right up there in the top category. He’s hungry and motivated."

Vardy looked like an injured and ageing star in the opening exchanges as he and his teammates struggled to get to grips with Tottenham's fast-paced 'Angeball' on their return to the top flight.

But a half-time re-fuelling did the job to allow the striker to roll back the years and remind everyone why he is a Premier League champion.

Vardy was spotted necking a can of Red Bull at the break, giving him the energy to buzz around the pitch and level the scores just 12 minutes after the start of the second-half.

His age and lack of fitness caught up with him later in the game and the superstar was ultimately hooked after 79 minutes, prompting boos from the Spurs fans in the away end.

But Vardy wasn't going to go quietly after getting stick from the travelling support, instead he gave them a gentle reminder of his career highlights.

The experienced forward pointed at the Premier League badge on his sleeve before seemingly gesturing to the Spurs fans that he has won the competition while the north London club still search for their first Prem title.

The show didn't end there either, with Vardy's fan interaction sparking some understandable backlash from the Tottenham players - including Cristian Romero.

And Vardy ensured he continued the pantomime by launching an X-rated rant towards the South American as he left the pitch to be replaced by Stephy Mavididi.

It was a vintage Vardy performance, but certainly one that was felt in the legs of the Foxes hero.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, he joked: "I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes if I am honest!"

ARSENAL fans have begged for Jamie Vardy to be honoured with a statue after his brutal gesture to Tottenham.

The Leicester City star made his return to Premier League football a memorable one after winning the Championship last season.

Vardy, 37, headed in an equaliser for the Foxes in the second half of the clash at the King Power Stadium.

His goal came just 12 minutes after the break in which he was seen drinking a can of Red Bull.

New manager Steve Cooper subbed off the veteran in the 79th minute.

As Vardy walked off the pitch, he felt grief from the Tottenham fans and Cristian Romero.

However, he responded with a hilariously brutal gesture as he pointed to the Premier League badge on his shirt.

He then put one finger up then pointed to the supporters, and made a zero with his hand as well as ticking two fingers up.

This was to reference that he had won England's top-flight while the North London club had not.

Arsenal fans spotted the moment on social media and have asked for a statue to be built in Vardy's honour.

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One posted: "Vardy reminds Spurs fans of how many Premier League titles they’ve won. That's brilliant."

A second commented: "An absolute all-time great this man is. Get his statue up."

A third wrote: "Vardy out here giving Spurs fans a quick reminder of their Premier League title count haha."

A fourth said: "This guy should have a statue made."

Another added: "Romero met his match lmao."

Pedro Porro had given Spurs the lead in the first half, but only to see Vardy cancel his goal out.

The match also saw a long stoppage after a head injury to Spurs star Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Argentine was replaced by a concussion substitute and was later confirmed to be awake and talking to medical staff.

Vardy's goal was the last of the game as the Foxes earned a vital point in their first game back in the Premier League.

After the game, Vardy admitted that he had only had a few full training sessions after suffering an injury in pre-season.

He told Sky Sports: "If I am honest, one of the Villareal players tried putting my leg into Geneva Lake.

"It was a bit of bone-to-bone contact which irritated the knee.

"All you can do is let it settle down, and I managed to get some full training sessions in."

When asked about his gesture, he said: "Well, you take a bit of stick during the game, and that is a part of football.

"As long as they can take it when I give it back, then that is all that matters."

Ange's Bentancur update

"I haven't spoken to him. It's a head injury so he's got to be really careful.

"The good news is that he is up and talking. So we'll leave it to the medical team."

Ange Postecoglou's verdict on Spurs' performance

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou told Sky: "Disappointing night for us. First-half excellent and controlled the game but wasteful in front of goal.

"Second half was the same. we started off well and once Leicester scored, the crowd lifted and we lost our composure.

"It was an issue we had last year as well, we need to keep working hard and be a bit more ruthless in front of goal.

"At times we made poor decisions. When we are that dominant we should be out of sight. We play to score goals and we didn't score. The dominance is great but if you don't score it is meaningless.

"To be that wasteful tonight is disappointing. We just weren't clinical."

"It's not our football or effort. To get results you need to be a lot more ruthless in the final third. If we don't we won't get the rewards our football deserves."