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The return of the prodigal son was offered by FOUR goals from… Son.
A knee injury meant that Gareth Bale was not involved here after his one-season loan from Real Madrid, seven years after leaving Spurs.
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But the Welshman will have been licking his lips at the prospect of joining Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane in José Mourinho’s deadly front three.
Four of the Spurs’ five strikes may have come from Son, and from Kane, but the way they scored was reminiscent of the classic Bale.
A scorching counterattack, a run from the outside, and a devastating finish … The Spurs ‘South Korean star could have been Bale in disguise as he attacked the Saints’ high line over and over again.
He left alongside Ralph Hasenhuttl, who had taken the lead through Tottenham’s goal, Danny Ings, shocked when Kane made the fifth.
Ings scored a late penalty, but did not mask the embarrassment of the hosts.
While Spurs fans may be dreaming that Mourinho may be the man who will finally deliver their silverware, he now has the tools he wants at his disposal.
The impressive display of the second half of the Portuguese team shows the power that a new star signing can have.
Kane and Son looked visibly upbeat and returned to their clinical best after a monotonous opening day display against Everton.
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However, one man not in sight was Dele Alli, who was left out for the second game in a row following his no-show against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
The England star was not injured; instead, Tottenham’s hectic schedule was given as the official reason.
It pushed Alli’s future into more doubt and now a move before the window closes is conceivable.
And there will be no shortage of candidates, if Hasenhuttl’s pregame claim that “every team wants to have a Dele Alli” is something that can be followed.
All teams except Mourinho’s Tottenham, apparently.
The Spurs thought they were off to a perfect start when Kane threw a beautiful volley to Matt Doherty’s header in three minutes, but VAR found Son offside in preparation.
There were multiple subplots beyond Bale and Alli in this game, including the players taking on the clubs that had sold them this summer.
One of them was Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, who was given a strong welcome from the start by old friend Saints midfield Oriol Romeu, earning him a yellow card.
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It was then the hosts’ turn to have a goal disallowed, as Che Adams, shortly after being rejected by an impressive save by Hugo Lloris, pushed Ings aside.
Lloris ran and landed a header on the ball that rose off the elbow of the Tres Leones forward, who then converted it, but the goal was ultimately scored for handball.
Tottenham got away with one when Moussa Djenepo broke the post shortly after.
But their luck ran out when Kyle Walker-Peters, who they had sold for £ 12 million to the Saints this summer, made a delicious pass over Eric Dier to Ings in the 32nd minute.
The former Liverpool player’s confidence is through the roof after 22 league goals last season, prompting Spurs to make an approach last week that was quickly rejected.
Ings launched his campaign here by controlling the falling ball and smashing it exquisitely into the far corner.
The Saints looked ready to go on the fast break, but moments before the halftime whistle, the game turned upside down with the first of Son’s four replicated goals.
Kane crossed from the left and found his fellow forward, who somehow squeezed a shot past Alex McCarthy, leaving Hasenhuttl kicking the billboards in frustration.
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Two minutes after the break, Son hit his second in his biggest Bale tribute, running from the right towards Kane’s ball and shooting into the corner with his left foot.
The pair matched identically again for two more before Kane finally got on the score sheet, taking advantage of a rebound after Erik Lamela hit a post.
Ings reduced the deficit from the spot after the VAR awarded Doherty.
But he did nothing to take the headline off this impressive display of Bale’s new team at the club he did in Southampton.
It remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old, who left the childhood Saints club for Spurs in 2007, can reproduce something close to the form he showed the last time he played for Tottenham.
However, Kane and Son’s performances proved that you won’t have to do it all alone like you did the first time.
Bale has worn jersey number 9 upon his return to North London.
The perfect time as a master supplier Kane looks like a world-class No.10.
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