Tottenham Hotspur avoided an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat last night, subsequently claiming a 3-0 victory over League One Doncaster Rovers.
The win keeps Thomas Frank’s hopes of claiming a trophy in his first year as Lilywhites boss alive, with a trip to face current holders Newcastle United awaiting them in round four.
It may have only been against a team two divisions below them, but the Dane will have been impressed with the relentless nature of the performance, which saw the Lilywhites have 55% possession.
Such an outing gave numerous fringe players a chance to stake their claim for a regular role in the starting eleven, with the Dane having some incredible strength in depth currently at his disposal.
However, the victory also allowed one other player to finally get the opportunity he’s craved to feature in his natural position after being forced to operate in an unnatural role as of late.
Xavi Simons’ performance against Doncaster
After joining in a £52m deal from RB Leipzig during the summer transfer window, Xavi Simons became a player with huge expectations at Spurs, but he’s so far struggled to reach the levels many hoped for.
He’s mainly operated in a wide left role, but he was handed a start in a more familiar central role against Doncaster last night - taking advantage of the opportunity handed his way.
The Dutchman featured for a little over an hour, but had a huge impact on proceedings - as seen by the underlying stats that he produced in North London.
Simons created seven chances and won four fouls - with both tallies being the most of any player on the pitch - subsequently highlighting the threat he posed to Grant McCann’s side.
He also completed 97% of the passes he attempted, with four of his efforts being into the final third - allowing him to create one big chance in the process.
Whilst he was unable to register a goal or assist last night, the 22-year-old looked a constant nuisance in the number ten role, with Frank needing to stick with him in such a position.
However, one other first-team player managed to impress, now arguably being just as important as the Dutchman, given his own impressive display against Donny last night.
The Spurs star who is becoming as important as Simons
Given the sheer volume of competitions this season, Frank needs to have every Spurs player up to scratch to try and allow for success in various tournaments.
His side have already claimed wins in three separate competitions in 2025/26, with the side already impressing in the Premier League, Champions League and the Carabao Cup.
Simons has started all but one game since making his big-money move to join the Lilywhites, but the Dutchman has rapidly developed into a key player for the Dane as a result of his creativity.
However, he’s not the only summer addition who’s already impressed in North London, with Joao Palhinha immediately exceeding all expectations placed upon him after his loan move to the club.
The Portuguese international joined from Bayern Munich, but to the disappointment of many, with the 30-year-old not seen as the man to improve the first-team squad.
He’s already scored twice despite his deep-lying role, with his latest effort coming against Doncaster last night - producing an incredible acrobatic effort which opened the scoring.
Palhinha also featured out of position at centre-back, but still managed to thrive, producing numerous incredible figures that helped the Lilywhites claim a crucial victory.
The former Fulham star completed 63 passes, at a completion rate of 90%, with the former of the two stats the most of any player who featured during the contest on home soil.
Despite his defensive role, he also managed to complete four passes into the final third, able to provide those ahead of him with the chances to impress in front of goal.
However, Palhinha dominated without the ball, making two tackles, six clearances and one interception - helping the Lilywhites keep their fifth clean sheet of the 2025/26 campaign.
As a result of his showing, the loanee was handed a superb 9/10 match rating by The Standard’s journalist Matt Verri, further showcasing how impressive he was during the victory.
After such a display, Frank simply can’t afford to drop the Portuguese international from his starting eleven, with the experienced talent on a phenomenal run of form in the first team of late.
Should he continue his current impressive form for the Lilywhites, there’s no reason as to why Palhinha can’t be as undroppable as Simons, with the pair able to catapult the side to new heights in the months ahead when operating together.