Sizzling second half shows Spurs are finally playing the Conte way

Ruling with an iron fist: Antonio Conte during yesterday’s game, which showed his team can function well without some key players

- Dan Kilpatrick

Tottenham 5

Davies 43, Doherty 48, Son 54, Royal 63, Bergwijn 83

Newcastle 1

Schar 39

ANTONIO CONTE was not beyond criticism during Tottenham’s wildly inconsistent spell at the start of the year, but the Italian is consistently proving that, unsurprisingly, he knows exactly what he is doing.

Conte was rewarded for sticking to his guns as Spurs thrashed Newcastle 5-1 yesterday to move into the top four with a third straight win, heaping the pressure on rivals Arsenal.

Without injured left wing-backs Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon, Conte moved Matt Doherty over from the right and brought in Emerson Royal in a change which threatened to blunt both Spurs’ flanks.

After 40 minutes of yesterday’s game, Conte appeared to have made a costly mis-step, particularly as in-form Steven Bergwijn or Lucas Moura might have offered his side a more exciting option at wing-back or the chance to play with another forward from the off.