If this was a archetypal sensation of beingness without Harry Kane for Tottenham, possibly that imaginable isn't truthful terrifying aft all.
At slightest not portion Son Heung-min is inactive astatine the club.
Son netted a second-half victor Sunday arsenic Tottenham opened the Premier League play with an awesome 1-0 location triumph implicit defending champion Manchester City — the squad that has spent the summertime trying to bargain its talisman striker.
New Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo near Kane retired of his squad altogether amid continued speculation astir a pending determination to City, but inactive ended up with a connection triumph connected his debut.
Son finished disconnected a speedy counter-attack successful the 55th infinitesimal and Tottenham efficaciously neutralized City's galore attacking threats successful beforehand of a packed location stadium of astir 58,000 fans.
"I deliberation this means a batch for us, for the commencement of the season," Son said. "First game, with the fans finally, it's conscionable an unthinkable performance."
Kane's lack was the large pre-game talking point, though Nuno said the determination was made solely due to the fact that the England striker lone returned to afloat grooming connected Friday aft his holiday.
Son insisted the Tottenham players had nary difficulties putting each the speculation aside.
"We are each professionals. We wanted to absorption connected this game," Son said. "Obviously, Harry is so, truthful important for us. But let's see."
Based connected this performance, City mightiness request Kane much than Spurs bash — particularly aft letting Sergio Aguero permission connected a escaped transportation this summer.
This was the last crippled of a crowd-pleasing opening Premier League play and City was the lone large rubric contender that failed to commencement with a win. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool each opened with large victories connected Saturday.
City dominated possession but struggled to interruption down a disciplined Tottenham side, which was contented to beryllium backmost and hold for opportunities to counter.
"You spot the stats, the volition to make chances, to make overmuch more," City manager Pep Guardiola said. "Unfortunately we were not objective enough."
City's grounds signing Jack Grealish showed aboriginal flashes of his abilities — breaking guardant successful the opening minutes to gully a escaped footwear conscionable extracurricular the country — but missed his champion accidental to people erstwhile his changeable from a choky space was easy saved by Hugo Lloris successful the 75th.
Riyad Mahrez had City's champion accidental of the crippled successful the 35th erstwhile helium met a transverse from Raheem Sterling but changeable wide aft failing to cleanly link with the ball.
Son had already threatened connected a mates of counterattacks by the clip helium enactment Spurs ahead. The South Korea planetary collected the shot down the close flank, drove astatine defender Nathan Ake and past chopped wrong to crook a debased changeable wrong the acold post.
Steven Bergwijn had a large accidental to treble the pb connected different antagonistic conscionable earlier the hr mark, but changeable wide.
Guardiola brought Kevin De Bruyne disconnected the seat successful hunt of an equalizer and the Belgian forced a prevention from Lloris with a dipping changeable from region successful the 84th.
Tottenham volition anticipation it was the benignant of show that could assistance person Kane to enactment astatine Spurs aft all. And Nuno insisted helium expects to soon person the striker backmost successful the team.
"Look, Harry is 1 of the champion players successful the world, honestly," Nuno said. "So we are precise fortunate to person him. So helium has to get acceptable and assistance the team."
HAMMERS FIGHT BACK
In Sunday's aboriginal game, West Ham doubly came from a extremity down to bushed Newcastle 4-2 successful an entertaining brushwood astatine St James' Park.
Callum Wilson enactment Newcastle up successful conscionable the 5th infinitesimal and the crippled continued astatine a furious gait until the last whistle, with West Ham scoring 3 unanswered goals successful 14 second-half minutes to get the win.
Aaron Cresswell scored the visitors' archetypal equalizer successful the 18th infinitesimal but Newcastle retook the pb 5 minutes earlier the extremity of an entertaining archetypal fractional arsenic Jacob Murphy headed location a transverse from Matt Ritchie.
West Ham deed backmost again 8 minutes aft halftime, with Said Benrahma heading successful astatine the backmost station pursuing a transverse from Michail Antonio.
West Ham past got a punishment erstwhile Antonio's header deed the station and landed successful beforehand of Murphy, who was adjudged to person brought down Pablo Fornals successful the country successful an effort to wide the ball. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman saved Antonio's penalty, but Soucek converted the rebound successful the 63rd.
Antonio netted the 4th conscionable 3 minutes aboriginal aft a speedy counter.
"It was a truly bully game, if you were a neutral you would person said it was a bully crippled of football, plentifulness of enactment astatine some ends," West Ham manager David Moyes said.
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