Still no start for Rodon
Antonio Conte was always going to rotate his Tottenham squad for the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against West Ham ahead of the festive schedule.
Electing to make a total of six changes to the team that drew with Liverpool on Sunday, the likes of Matt Doherty, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura came into the side.
Sticking with the same back three that got the nod last weekend, it once again meant that Joe Rodon had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench.
Failing to nail down a spot in the Spurs XI when it comes to the Premier League this season, cup football was always going to be crucial to the Welshman's development as he has so far had to make do with appearances here and there since joining from Swansea City in October 2020.
Now out of the Europa Conference League following UEFA's outcome at the start of the week on the postponed Rennes game, the FA Cup encounter against Morecambe is likely to be Rodon's next opportunity unless Conte brings him into his team before then in the league.
Rodon clearly needs to be playing regular football at present and his name will no doubt crop up in the headlines over the coming weeks in regards to a January transfer exit.
Why Conte shouted at Davies
So far during Conte's Tottenham tenure we have seen his centre-backs play a key role in the team's play in the final third.
Eric Dier has played like a quarterback at times and pinged long balls upfield to release his teammates, while the two outside of him have looked to push forward and cause problems in attacking areas.
Twenty two minutes into the cup tie against the Hammers, Conte had picked up on Ben Davies not making a run forward with Spurs on the ball and he shouted at the Welshman.
The long-serving defender duly sprinted towards the box but Lucas, who was on the ball, ignored his run and moved the ball wide to his right instead.
That incident gave a brief insight into what Conte is like on the touchline and what happens if you don't follow his orders.
The two sides to Lucas
Lucas was back in the Tottenham XI after dropping down to the bench at the weekend against Liverpool.
Rather than lining up in a 3-5-2 as was the case on Sunday, it was back to 3-4-3 for Conte's men and that meant Lucas and Bergwijn operated either side of Harry Kane.
Lucas has always been a favourite of his managers and it's not hard to see why.
Jarrod Bowen pushed towards the Tottenham box early on with a driving run but, most importantly, he couldn't get into the area after the Brazilian did his bit defensively and sprinted back and produced a well-timed tackle on the ex-Hull City man to come out with the ball.
The 29-year-old also caught the eye further forward not long after following a stunning reverse pass to release Kane after turning Issa Diop and curling the ball around the West Ham backline to play in his teammate.
It really was outstanding stuff from Lucas, who deservedly got a goal ten minutes before the break.
Bergwijn shines
Tottenham's first goal of the evening came through Bergwijn on his first start under Conte.
Struggling to find his top form over the past 12 months as he has been in and out of the team, the Dutchman has had to bide his time since the arrival of the Italian in the hotseat.
His chance did come against the Hammers and he took it with both hands in his 60 minutes on the pitch.
Seeing an effort deflected wide for a corner early on after a driving run, he then grabbed his first goal of the campaign after linking up incredibly well with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Holding the ball up in the area after the Dane played it into him, the ex-PSV star picked out the midfielder's run and was on hand to find the net as they linked up again.
Getting a confidence boost from his goal, the 24-year-old then had a big impact on Spurs' second of the night after using his pace and skill to drive into the box and tee up Lucas from close range.
A big night for the player, he certainly deserved his standing ovation when Son Heung-min replaced him.
A realistic chance of silverware
February will mark 14 years since Tottenham last lifted a piece of silverware and everyone connected with the club will be hoping that drought comes to an end sooner rather than later.
Losing out in the Carabao Cup final back in April as Man City lifted the trophy once again with a slender victory, Spurs could quite easily find themselves back at the national stadium this season.
They are now one round away from a Wembley final and Carabao Cup success is a real possibility.
Conte has already stamped his mark on the team seven weeks into the job and the Lilywhites are only going to improve over the coming weeks and months with more time on the training pitch.
With a proven winner now in the hotseat, trophies could soon be coming Tottenham's way.
