Jekyll-and-Hyde Spurs highlight Antonio Conte’s task

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte during the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture: Adam Davy/PA

Rumour has it that Antonio Conte sports one of football’s more comprehensive hair transplants, but Tottenham’s new manager could have been forgiven for pulling out every foreign follicle well before the end of this one.

But a hugely-improved second-half performance gave the Italian victory in his first Premier League home game as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor.

The first 45 minutes were so dreadful, though, that Conte must have been tempted to give Manchester United a ring at half-time, even if it meant paying Daniel Levy the necessary compensation out of his own stylish pocket.

Espirito Santo lost his job after the home fans told him in no uncertain terms that he didn’t know what he was doing. Until Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg slotted home an equaliser, Conte’s thoughts may have been more along the lines of: ‘Oh no, what have I done?’

The party atmosphere had already disappeared at the Unsponsored Stadium when Dan James put Leeds ahead two minutes before half time. Former Chelsea boss Conte had seemed almost embarrassed by the raucous reception he had been afforded beforehand. Perhaps he already knew his new charges are incapable of doing anything the easy way.

Spurs were a bag of nerves from the first whistle, with Emerson Royal proving the point with a pass-back so wayward it went out for a corner.

So tepid was their tempo that it was difficult to believe Conte had spent almost two weeks inflicting gruelling double sessions on those unfortunate enough not to be away on international duty.

Had the new man tired them out as well as denying them ketchup? Actually, they just looked terrified.

Conte spent much of the opening exchanges gesticulating to and shouting at his players — and the home fans were so shocked into silence those messages actually reached their intended destinations. Usually they were to the hapless Royal, telling him to get forward.

The Leeds fans in one corner certainly let the home support know what they thought of the lack of volume — and it wasn’t the polite enquiry about a library either.

For long periods Conte cut a desolate figure in his technical area, alone and with hands in pockets or arms folded. Marcelo Bielsa, when not squatting on his trusty bucket, crouched nearby and was often joined by three excitable Leeds colleagues, one of whom had to be reined back by fourth official Kevin Friend for capering too far down a touchline.

Then again, it was Leeds who had something to shout about at this point.

Spurs fans were so starved of entertainment they were reduced to applauding a back pass, although those cheers turned to oohs when the pass that followed was almost intercepted. Referee Andre Marriner’s tumble on being unintentionally taken out by Kalvin Phillips was another rare first-half highlight, but when Jack Harrison made Royal look even worse on setting James up for the goal, there could be only one result on the half-time whistle — boos for the lily-livered Lilywhites.

Whatever Conte said during the break certainly worked, because Spurs were a different team from the first kick.

The long-awaited first shot on target under the new man, in league action at least, arrived within seconds — just the one-and-a-half-game wait then, lads — when an effort from the previously far too deep Harry Kane was smuggled on to a post by Illan Mesnier.

Heung-min Son almost got lucky with an off-target effort that was deflected on to the bar, but the gods of football weren’t letting Spurs off the hook just yet.

That was also the case when Phillips — impressively employed as a centre-back —clipped Son in the box. VAR didn’t intervene, but at least Spurs were alive at last.

Hojbjerg’s equaliser was not long in coming though, and Conte exploded into excited action, a windmill wave of arms inspiring the fans to urge the players on for more. ‘Oh When The Spurs Go Marching In’ was heard for the first time, in reply.

Leeds lived dangerously for a lengthy spell; Bielsa was so concerned he actually stood up. Interestingly, though, Conte’s first change was a defensive one: Davinson Sanchez for Japhet Tanganga for the final 23 minutes.

Sergio Reguilon’s winner came straight after, on the rebound after Eric Dier’s free-kick bounced off Pascal Struijk and then a post — the Conte era was finally off and running. So much so, in fact, that VAR declined to spoil the party by awarding a penalty when Joe Gelhardt’s shot hit Kane on an arm.

Conte remained animated on the touchline to the end even though Leeds had long accepted that it was his day, not theirs. After all, hadn’t he been hired to transform Spurs from a poor team into a good one? The new man just hadn’t expected his players to take that mission statement so literally.