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Tottenham Hotspur turned the Theatre of Dreams into the Theatre of Nightmares for Manchester United on Sunday, inflicting a 6-1 defeat on the hapless hosts who were down a man and trailing 4-1 before half-time.
In the process, Tottenham Hotspur recorded their biggest-ever win at the venue on a surreal Sunday in the league on a day when champions Liverpool also crashed to a 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa.
It seems that Jose Mourinho has finally managed to kickstart the project that Daniel Levy brought him in for, albeit almost a season late.
The Spurs team that steamrolled United on the weekend before the lengthy international break may finally pose a serious challenge for the Premier League title this time in a season that is unlike any other. Here are five reasons why Tottenham Hotspur might be a title contender in the EPL this season.
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5 reasons why Tottenham Hotspur are genuine title contenders in the EPL this season:
#1 Jose Mourinho is finally showing his magic
After his dream job at Manchester United ended in bitterness, many said that the Special One's reign at the top of the game has come to end. A disappointing and often bitterness-laced first season at Tottenham Hotspur ended in a disappointing 6th-placed finish as it seemed that Mourinho's detractors were right.
A home defeat on the first day of the season added to the clamour against one of the most decorated managers of the game. But since then, Spurs have looked like a different side.
A fluent thrashing of Southampton was followed by impressive wins in the League Cup and in Europe before Mourinho's boys set Old Trafford on fire. Jose Mourinho, it seems, has finally found his mojo at his new club, but only time will tell if he is able to sustain it and for how long.
#2 Sergio Reguilon and Emil Hojbjerg on song
Tottenham Hotspur have done some great business in the transfer market and are reaping the rewards now. Sergio Reguilon was a revelation at left-back on Sunday, and his pace and crossing ability lit up the stadium during the rout of Manchester United.
Spurs seem to have found a permanent and stable solution to their left-back conundrum after acquiring a potential Premier League star who is good going forward as well as covering at the back.
Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg also seems to have snuck into the Spurs first-team perfectly and is the kind of defensive midfielder Jose Mourinho loves.
His distribution and solidity were both extremely impressive during the record victory at Old Trafford, and it seems that Spurs have reinforced their team perfectly with several other key additions such as that of the arriving Matt Doherty.
#3 Son-Kane in sublime touch
It could well and truly be Son Heung-Min's season this time around. The South Korean has dazzled the league during his spell in the North London club, but the blistering start he has made this season will give Spurs fans hope that Harry Kane alone will not have to share the burden of getting the goals for the club.
Another factor that will give the Spurs faithful hope is the way the two forwards have been linking up for goals this season. Kane and Son, aready a potent combination, have had an almost telepathic understanding at the start of this season, with Kane providing all four assists for Son's quadruple effort against Southampton.
Son getting back from a worrying injury soon will only add to Mourinho's happiness in what has been a triumphant week for Tottenham Hotspur.
Both Kane and Son were among goals at Old Trafford, and the stage is set for the two to become one of the most celebrated strike partnerships in Premier League history.
#4 Fallibility in front-runners
If you had missed Sunday night's late match and checked the score after waking up in the morning, you might have gasped in shock.
The champions Liverpool, so impressive against Arsenal last week, had been dealt a humbling by last season's strugglers Aston Villa. 7-2, the electronic score-board at Villa Park read as the Liverpool defence imploded in dramatic fashion with the likes of Virgil Van Dijk not looking super human for once.
It has been that kind of a season so far. The pandemic changed the ways of the world irrevocably, and football has been no different.
This Premier League season is unusual in many ways, not least the short break between the end of the previous campaign and the start of this one. Manchester City, for long the trend-setters in the league, also went down to a big defeat at home, and only Everton have looked unbeatable in the opening exchanges.
This could well turn out to be one of the closest and open Premier League title races in recent history if these trends continue.
#5 Gareth Bale!
To say that getting former fan-favourite Gareth Bale back on a season-long loan deal was a coup for Tottenham Hotspur would be an understatement.
Bale had a frustrating climax to his Real Madrid sojourn, but he remains a generational talent and one of the most decorated and successful Galacticos of his era despite the strange alienation he suffered towards the end of his stay in Madrid.
Bale is yet to play for his new/old club and can form a delectable partnership with Reguilon down the left channel. He is still only 31 and the kind of player who can win games single-handedly for a team. His inclusion in the team will only add strength to a side that is already looking like a very well-oiled outfit.
