After being thoroughly outclassed by Arsenal at the Emirates and playing out a tiresome draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur looked a side out of sorts. Antonio Conte‘s men desperately needed a win to break out of their rut, as they travelled to the Amex to take on Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Seagulls have been impressive so far this season, and a visit to the Amex is never an easy undertaking, even for top sides.
To counter Brighton gaffer Roberto De Zerbi’s signature double-pivot, Conte switched to a 3 man midfield, featuring Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and the ever-reliable Pierre-Emille Hojbjerg.
The tactical tweaks came to fruition, as Spurs grabbed a 1-0 victory through a goal which saw Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min combine for the millionth time.
Following the full-time, all the plaudits naturally went to match-winner Kane.
However, many fans online found Hojbjerg to be the standout performer, and for good reason.
The Danish international has been a very dependable figure ever since becoming a Lilywhite back in 2020.
Known for swift interceptions and dominance in duels, the 27-year-old rarely makes mistakes.
And against Brighton, he quite simply ran the show.
Hojbjerg ended the game with a passing accuracy of 86%, 11 ball recoveries and 9 passes in the final third.
The all-round display earned him plenty of appreciation from fans, and even more so from his manager.
This emerged through a clip captured after full-time which displayed a wonderful moment between Hojbjerg and Antonio Conte.
The Italian offered his player a hug, a rather empathic one as well. Conte is known to be a passionate figure and aggressive hugs such as these are a frequent sight.
However, this one clearly had a bit more ‘oomph’ to it, featuring plenty of pats, with the gaffer eventually being lifted up by his player.
And of course, being Italian, how can it be a Conte embrace without a little kiss?
That’s not to say that the 53-year-old dolls out kisses to all of his players, but when he does, it’s for a job very well done.
Needless to say, Hojbjerg earned the Conte special.
