Jan Paul van Hecke put on a playmaking masterclass when Tottenham Hotspur locked horns with Crystal Palace. The 26-year-old centre-half, whom the Lilywhites signed from Brighton for £52million in the summer, pulled the strings to excellent effect on Saturday night, and he even etched his name onto the scoresheet for good measure.
Once Jean-Philippe Mateta was given his marching orders, following a nasty challenge on Micky van de Ven, Van Hecke grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and laid a siege on Pierre Sage's side. The Eagles retreated to the confines of the 18-yard box, shuffling left then right, forcing Tottenham to thread the eye of a needle.
Spurs eventually broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark when Archie Gray converted a corner, heading the ball over Dean Henderson back towards the front post. The former Seagulls defender doubled the lead in the second half, scoring a header from a seated position inside the six-yard box after his initial attempt was parried onto the crossbar.
Van Hecke delivered the knockout blow, but it was his playmaking masterclass that exhausted the Crystal Palace backline, landing jab after jab to the midriff. With little defending to do, the Netherlands international lowered his guard and took to the centre of the ring.
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On Saturday night, Van Hecke enjoyed a match-high of 160 touches, completing 143 of his 151 passes; rather impressively, 62 of those successful passes were played into the final third. The Dutchman also managed to create three chances single-handedly.
His fellow countryman was just as impressive. In fact, Van de Ven was faultless, completing 100 per of his 123 passes, including the 53 which were zipped into the final third. He, too, created three chances, while also winning four aerial duels.
Together, they've grown to become a pillar in the Tottenham starting lineup, playing a key role in this season's upturn in performances. Van de Ven was already settled at Hotspur Way, but Van Hecke has hit the ground running.
Back in June, when Johan Lange prised the defender away from the Amex Stadium, he was immediately tasked with helping De Zerbi implement a new build-up strategy, rather than keeping the ball out of the net.
Van Hecke had previously worked closely with the Italian on the south coast, where he first earned plaudits in England for his ability to slice through high-pressing opposition with line-breaking passes.
Upon welcoming him to Spurs, De Zerbi boasted that he would revolutionise his side's ability to play out from the back. The Lilywhites boss said: "Jan Paul is someone I know very well from our time together at Brighton, and I'm delighted to be working with him again.
"He is a strong, intelligent centre-back who is brave in possession and plays with personality. Those are important qualities for the way I want our team to set up.
"Off the pitch, he is mature, a leader and has a hunger to learn and improve every day. Jan Paul has made great progress over the past few years, and I believe he can develop even further here at Tottenham Hotspur."
Despite some poor results in the early stages of the season, having only just climbed into the top half of the table, Van Hecke has prided himself on being one of the leading progressive passing centre-backs in the Premier League.
With the Dutchman at the back, De Zerbi has finally been able to translate his ideas onto the pitch, and he's beginning to reap the fruits of his labour...