At a glance, Tottenham Hotspur's 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday might look more favourable due to hosts captain John McGinn's red card after the hour mark, but Spurs were sublime and this must not detract from the performance.
James Maddison and Brennan Johnson had already fired the visitors ahead early into the second half after quelling the intensity before the break, with Ange Postecoglou's enterprising approach creating a natural attacking flow that, at its best, overpowers team.
The early stage of the 2022/23 campaign saw this, but after much ebb and flow across recent months, Tottenham are now mounting a concerted charge toward top-four qualification, just two points behind Villa now (with a game in hand).
Maddison and Micky Van de Ven have attracted the most effusive attention after joining last summer, but Johnson popped up with a big moment at Villa Park to continue his fine run of form.
Brennan Johnson's season in numbers
Last season, Johnson plied his trade with Nottingham Forest after playing a talismanic role in Steve Coopers' side's promotion to the Premier League, keeping them up and earning attention from a plethora of top outfits, moving to Spurs for £47.5m on deadline day in September.
The 22-year-old is blessed with pace and directness and is competent across both wings, having also played up front in the past, and after a recent burst of form, he has taken his Lilywhites tally to four goals and six assists from 21 matches in the Premier League.
Aston Villa (A)
4-0 win
88'
1
0
Crystal Palace (H)
3-1 win
27'
0
2
Wolves (H)
2-1 loss
19'
0
0
Brighton (H)
2-1 win
28'
1
0
Everton (A)
2-2 draw
64'
0
0
Brentford (H)
3-2 win
45'
1
0
The Wales international was always regarded for his fleet-footedness and ability to pull defenders away from the like iron filings to a magnet, and now his effectiveness in decisive moments is improving.
A real talent for Postecoglou's side, Johnson is not the only summer signing to have gone under the radar somewhat; not within Spurs circles, of course, but while Destiny Udogie has been noted for his excellent start to life in the Premier League by the mainstream, he's performing at an elite level and deserves all the plaudits.
Destiny Udogie's impact at Spurs
Udogie actually became a Tottenham player in 2022, completing a £15m transfer from Udinese but remaining with the Italian club for the 2022/23 campaign. He linked up with the London club at the start of Postecoglou's reign and has not looked back.
As per FBref, Udogie ranks among the top 10% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 9% for progressive carries, the top 13% for successful take-ons, the top 14% for tackles and the top 7% for interceptions per 90.
It's quite the rounded skill set for one so young, so inexperienced in arguably the toughest division in the world, but he's excelling, and at 21 years old the space for growth is frightening.
The Italian's 63 tackles in the top-flight this term is the fifth-highest of any defender, while his 87% pass completion rate and average of 6.2 ball recoveries per game speaks of his technical ability and energy.
Provided with an 8/10 match rating for his performance at Villa Park by football.london's Alasdair Gold – who noted that the fourth-placed outfit struggled to contain him – Udogie is shaping into quite the player and his recent displays have illustrated just how good he is.
Heung-min Son, as journalist Ollie Spencer notes above, was the main man against Villa and chipped in with a goal and two assists – all in a day's work, right? – but Tottenham supporters know of the South Korean's prowess by now; the world knows the Spurs skipper is one of the very best the game has to offer.
Udogie's here, he's the real deal. He might have penned a deal with Tottenham one year before Postecoglou's appointment, but the Australian is the man sculpting him into a fearsome full-back, a player with every bit the swagger and style of a world-class star.
