Antonio Conte came in search of balance as Tottenham returned to north London for the first of four home games in a fortnight that will go some distance towards defining this first phase of the season.
Three games on the road had yielded two clean sheets since the humbling defeat at Arsenal, although the trade-off for these defensive improvements was fewer goals. It is often the case.
But here, in the stadium Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will name after Google if talks over a naming rights deal succeed, there was a hint of progress.