Tottenham Hotspur turned in another thorough performance at mid-week in the League Cup, avoiding any potential letdown - like many of their colleagues in the Premier League Big Six - with a professional 3-0 win over Doncaster.
Joao Palhinha and Brennan Johnson were the two goal-scorers for Spurs (the other goal was an own goal), but the real standout of the evening for Tottenham was someone who didn't score a single goal or even have a huge statistical output.
The 19-year-old center midfielder Archie Gray came to Tottenham from Leeds last summer with a lot of hype, but he didn't really get to show what he could do in the Ange Postecoglou system, which mostly made use of Gray as a makeshift center back. And when he did get a rare start in the middle of the park, he was left helplessly exposed by the cavernous gaps that Big Ange facilitated.
Under Thomas Frank, Gray drew the start on Matchday 1 and impressed against Burnley, but this match against Doncaster was the teenager's first real appearance since then. And once again, the England youth international made the most of it.
Gray looked like a classic holding midfielder for Spurs. He was difficult to dispossess, accurate with his passing, and more than competent at progessing the play and keeping Tottenham in full control of the match.
Obviously, Gray will have to be tested against much more difficult opponents for a Tottenham midfielder, but he still stood out above his peers, forming a great pivot with Palhinha that should get more trust from Frank against bigger opponents.
Tottenham were interested in signing Gray because of his quality on the ball, and he showed that ability against Doncaster, who couldn't touch him. Gray's ability to consistently stand out for good reasons this season on the two occasions that Frank has trusted him thus bodes well for future opportunities.
Going forward, Gray is now one to watch, as Frank will have to make use of the full depth of his midfield options this season. Gray, alongside fellow teenage sensation Lucas Bergvall, has as much long-term upside as any of them, and what Tottenham will like the most is his ability to keep the ball and turn it into progress forward up the pitch. That's the name of the game for Spurs, and, well, that's exactly what they signed Gray to do for them in the future.