This was the version of Tottenham supporters wanted to meet on opening day: aggressive, inventive, and ruthless when it counted. Richarlison swept in early from a Kudus cross, then detonated the stadium with a mid-air scissor, before Brennan Johnson finished a sweeping move for 3–0. Against a newly-promoted Burnley who refused to lie down, Spurs found both the craft and the edge.

Thomas Frank’s fingerprints were everywhere — teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall trusted in midfield, Kudus given license to isolate his full-back, Pape Matar Sarr encouraged to drive through gaps. After the midweek sting of losing the Super Cup on penalties to PSG, this felt like the course correction: control wrapped in tempo.

Kudus electrifies the right, Richarlison leads the line like a No 9

From the first sprint, Kudus looked a mismatch for his marker, spinning to the byline and teeing up Richarlison’s opener inside 10 minutes. The Ghanaian repeated the act after the break, hanging a cross that begged to be attacked; Richarlison obliged with a bicycle-kick that will live on the big screens for weeks.

Beyond the goals, the axis worked because of constant movement. Richarlison dropped to link, spun into space and occupied both centre-backs; Kudus varied the angle from which he delivered; Johnson’s runs from the left pinned the far full-back. With James Maddison out and Dejan Kulusevski still ramping up, this trio carried the creative torch.

When we had to suffer, we did — and then punished the space

Burnley’s best spell came at 1–0. Cristian Romero had to ride a fine line against Lyle Foster, Vicario was called to adjust to a deflection, and Jaidon Anthony found back-post territory. The penalty shout against Pedro Porro raised pulses but went the home way after a check.

The response after the interval was the step of a side learning Frank’s triggers: win the duel, go forward instantly. Sarr’s ball-carrying and Gray’s willingness to receive under pressure turned Burnley’s decent positions into Tottenham’s platform for transitions.

Second-half statement: a bicycle-kick and a break that sealed it

Kudus’s second assist deserved an exclamation point, and Richarlison provided it — the technique immaculate, the timing cleaner still. It wasn’t just a flourish; it broke Burnley’s belief and opened lanes that had been tight for an hour.

Minutes later, Richarlison spun in the centre circle, Sarr punched vertically and Johnson lifted the finish over Dubravka. That three-pass sequence captured the day: win it, find the runner, finish with conviction.

Frank’s choices and the crowd’s current

Starting two teenagers in the engine room on opening day is a statement. It worked because the distances around them held — Porro and Destiny Udogie balanced aggression with rest-defence duties, Romero organised the line, and Sarr absorbed waves without losing ambition on the ball.

In the stands, the mood matched the method. Fresh from ending a 17-year wait for silverware, supporters fed the tempo rather than fretting it. When Richarlison left to a standing ovation on 71 minutes, Solanke nearly wrote his own debut line with a skidding effort inches wide.

From here: raise the bar away, keep the edges at home

Manchester City away arrives fast and unforgiving. The habits from today — early width, ruthless breaks, cleaner rest-defence — are the ones that travel. Add set-piece bite and this front three will not be easy to live with.

Back at home, Bournemouth await and so does the expectation that this is baseline Spurs, not a cameo. If the Kudus–Richarlison connection keeps humming and Johnson continues to time those runs, N17 will keep lifting off.