Tottenham Hotspur made it two Premier League wins from two under Thomas Frank this afternoon, with a tremendous victory over Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Lilywhites claimed a superb 2-0 win away from home, making it five goals scored and back-to-back clean sheets during the early stages of the Dane’s tenure.
Such a performance repeated the feat from the 2024/25 campaign, winning against Pep Guardiola’s side away from home for the second successive season.
The result is one thing, but Frank will be delighted with his players - evidently executed the game plan perfectly with their counter-attacking and pressing play forcing the Citizens into various mistakes.
Numerous players stood out during the triumph, with the new boss seemingly making an immediate impact in the role and finding a settled side in North London.
How Spurs’ 2-0 win over Man City unfolded
Brennan Johnson opened the scoring for Spurs at the Etihad, making it two goals in as many Premier League outings after finding the net against Burnley seven days ago.
The goal epitomised the direct nature of the Lilywhites against Guardiola’s men, with a ball down the channel leading to a squared pass across the box - before the Welshman put Frank’s men ahead.
Such a goal was originally flagged as offside, but after a VAR check, the visitors burst into a one-goal lead in the 35th minute - just as the side did at the Etihad last season.
However, there was no doubt about the second effort, with Pape Sarr closing down an under-hit pass from James Trafford - forcing the opposition into a mistake, before Joao Palhinha pounced on the loose ball to fire the side into a two-goal lead.
The Portuguese international was making his first league start for the Lilywhites and has certainly staked his claim for a regular place in the side after such a showing.
He’s not alone in that department though, with one other starter deserving of an extended run in the starting eleven after his own performance against the Citizens.
The 9/10 Spurs star who now looks undroppable
It may be early days in the new manager’s spell at Spurs, but he’s already demonstrated he’s able to get the best out of the current crop of players - as seen by the 100% win record in England’s top-flight.
The Dane’s men restricted the hosts to minimal chances in dangerous areas, something that’s no mean feat - after they scored four times at Wolves on the opening day.
Defensively, the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven managed to impress, preventing the potent Erling Haaland from pulling off a single effort on target.
However, the solidity at the back allowed for turnovers and counter-attacks to be created, which saw Richarlison impress once more at the top end of the pitch.
The Brazilian started in the number nine role, but ran the opposition ragged, often running the channels - which saw him register the assist for Johnson’s opener.
Along with his assist, his underlying stats also highlight the quality he provided, despite being unable to add to his two-goal haul from last weekend.
He made just 29 touches during his 78-minute outing, but many of which were as a result of the Brazilian providing the out ball to play off in their direct play.
The 28-year-old also registered three efforts on goal, notching eight touches in the opposition box - the most of any player on the pitch between both teams.
Richarlison’s excellent showing saw him also win two fouls, whilst coming out on top in six of the duels he entered - topping off his workmanlike performance at the Etihad.
As a result of his showing, he was handed a 9/10 match rating by Football Insider’s Ben Palmer - putting the icing on the cake on what was a superb outing for the former Everton star.
After such a performance, Frank simply can’t drop the Brazilian, with his arrival evidently handing the forward a new lease of life in his own career in North London.
If he can continue his impressive start to 2025/26, he can certainly nail down the number nine position as his own - potentially playing a huge part in any success this campaign.