A sign of things to come? Tottenham summer arrival voted MOTM in Conte debut vs Vitesse
Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has been unveiled as the supporters’ Man of the Match, owing to his performance in the club’s meeting with Vitesse on Thursday night.
Son amongst the goals
Spurs were of course back in action 24 hours ago.
In the club’s first outing on the back of Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal and the ensuing appointment of Antonio Conte, the Lilywhites got their Europa Conference League campaign back underway, in a meeting with Dutch outfit Vitesse.
Conte’s men headed into proceedings aware that nothing but a victory would suffice, in their bid to keep the club’s continental campaign alive beyond the turn of the year.
And, when all was said and done, despite making things as difficult as possible for themselves, this is what Tottenham managed.
After surging into a 3-0 advantage courtesy of Heung-min Son, Lucas Moura and a Vitesse own goal inside the opening half hour, the hosts looked well on their way to a comfortable three points:
✅ First goal of the Antonio Conte era
Just 14 minutes in, Son delivers the goods 🔥 #UECL pic.twitter.com/0XP4sqHLUX
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 4, 2021
But Vitesse soon came roaring back, pulling not one, notching not once, but twice before the half-time whistle had even sounded.
In the end, though, the comeback efforts of the visitors came up just short, as a trio of 2nd-half dismissals (one for Spurs, two for Vitesse) failed to make a telling impact on a 3-2 final scoreline.
Emerson rewarded
On the back of proceedings coming to a close in north London, the underwhelming nature of their side’s display, as a whole, gave rise to heavy criticism being aimed in the direction of a number of Tottenham’s stars on Thursday.
The likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp were widely targeted, amid a shaky (to put it kindly) start to the Antonio Conte era.
On the flip-side, however, amid the chaos in the capital, there were also several individual performances on the part of the hosts worthy of commendation.
And, on Friday, one such performer has seen his efforts duly rewarded by the club’s supporters.
As revealed across Tottenham’s social media platforms, on the back of a public vote, Emerson Royal secured the prize for Man of the Match versus Vitesse:
Your Man of the Match! 👑 pic.twitter.com/fNGtSg2GRi
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 5, 2021
Brazilian international Emerson, a summer arrival in north London, was fielded in a right-wing back role by new boss Conte last night, a role which he will be expected to continue in moving forward under the Italian.
And the early evidence proved altogether encouraging, with Emerson’s attacking vigour, particularly early in the action, having proven crucial to Spurs’ eventual victory:
Another strong showing, @Emerson_Royal22. 💪
🧮 @KumhoTyreUK pic.twitter.com/PvEWDrBvfO
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 5, 2021
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