After having watched Manchester City and Liverpool begin the Premier League with emphatic wins, Tottenham provided extra excitement on Saturday with two late Harry Kane goals bagging a 3-1 victory over promoted Aston Villa.
Spurs' record signing Tanguy Ndombele also netted on his debut as Mauricio Pochettino's side was forced to dig deep after conceding an early goal in the late match.
Manchester City delivered its own statement earlier by routing West Ham 5-0 at the London Stadium, a day after Liverpool's campaign began with a 4-1 win over Norwich.
"They set the standard from minute go," Kane said of the two pre-season favorites. "We kept with them for a while last year and then fell off towards the second half of the season. It is important we don't fall too far behind too early. We have got to keep up with them."
Despite missing a good chance before the break, Kane looked sharp in his first game of the season.
"We talk very highly about him. I think he's been on a nice holiday," Pochettino said of the England captain.
The Spurs manager was delighted to see his side fight back after falling behind to John McGinn's ninth-minute strike, with Ndombele finally leveling in the 73rd.
Kane finished coolly to put Spurs ahead in the 86th, four minutes before the forward sealed the win.
"We knew it would be a tough baptism," Villa coach Dean Smith said.
