Tanguy Ndombele's superb debut goal rescued Tottenham Hotspur at least a point before Harry Kane's late double gave the North London side an opening day 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.
John McGinn's early strike gave Villa something to defend with their lives, as central defenders Tyrone Mings and new signing Bjorn Engels, as well as former Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, impressed.
New signings Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso were not involved in the game, however, both were presented to the fans before the game.
Another person to be presented to the fans was New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Josh Hart, who is currently enjoying the NBA's off-season.
Tottenham's old habits creep up again
Spurs made it a habit last season to score late winners - and they continued that habit this evening with Kane's 86th minute goal putting his side ahead for the first time in the match.
It took until the 73rd minute for the North Londoners to break the deadlock and it was definitely worth the wait.
New record signing Ndombele showed everyone exactly why the money was splashed on him to bring him to White Hart Lane by bending his shot past Heaton from outside the area superbly, with his side under pressure.
Kane then added a second 13 minutes after when Lamela's determination allowed him to rob Jack Grealish on the edge of the area and a stroke of fortune presented Kane the opportunity to get Spurs in front.
The Lilywhites then grabbed another through Kane after Moussa Sissoko's surging run through midfield before he found the England captain who tucked it home with pace and ease.
Sub Eriksen is the catalyst
Many people have doubted Christian Eriksen's commitment to the club over pre-season following his so far failed attempts to move to another team.
However, when the Danish superstar came off the bench in the 64th minute, the complexity of the game immediately changed and it was only a matter of time before Spurs would unlock the Villa defence.
Speaking after the game, Kane praised Eriksen's influence on the turnaround:
"The tempo of the game changed in the second half," said Kane.
"We pressed higher and moved the ball quicker. After we made it 1-1, it was full throttle until the end.
"The tempo of the game changed in the second half. We pressed higher and moved the ball quicker. After we made it 1-1, it was full throttle until the end.
Ndombele's forward-thinking
Ignoring the goal from Ndombele's performance, the Frenchman impressed Spurs fans and others with his forward-thinking.
Central midfielders playing against narrow and defensive sides often find themselves having to pass sideways and unfortunately gain a reputation of it, but Ndombele showed great creativity and innovation at times to drive his team forward.
Pochettino himself was very happy with the 22-year-old's full debut reiterating however that Ndombele isn't near to playing at his full potential.
"It was a fantastic performance. But to be honest there is a lot to improve, he only showed 30 or 40 per cent of his potential. He has amazing potential to improve," said Pochettino.
"It (scoring goals) is one of the aspects he needs to work on, he didn't score too many goals at Lyon, but that is one of the areas that is a target for him to improve this season.
"It is so early, in his first game he scored.
"I am delighted for him, he is a player that arrived to the team from another country and it is always a difficult adaption and it is going to help him to feel happy and comfortable on the pitch and with his team."
Spurs face a tough trip to Manchester City next, on Saturday 17th August at 5:30pm (BST), live on Sky Sports Main Event.