Though not nearly as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest this would have been the sort of afternoon Antonio Conte had in mind when he talked on the eve of the season about dreaming.
Tottenham hit four and took the points without ever finding their most fluent rhythm and could have scored more against Southampton, who took an early lead but were punished for their vulnerability in defence.
Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier and Dejan Kulusevski were on the target after James Ward-Prowse’s opener, although the crucial third goal for Spurs came courtesy of a comical own goal by Mohammed Salisu.