Roberto Soldado showed exactly why Tottenham paid so much money for his services by firing home the winner against Crystal Palace to lift Spurs to an opening win in the English Premier League.
Gareth Bale-less Spurs were not at their best but did just about enough against a dogged Palace side, with Soldado coming to the team's rescue scoring the only goal of the game, albeit from the penalty spot.
Aaron Lennon was the one who created the penalty opportunity when a cross from the winger saw the ball strike the arm of Dean Moxey.
Soldado stepped up and calmly slotted it into the back of the net, sending Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni the wrong way.
"We spoke before the game how difficult it would be because of the surprise factor," Tottenham manager, who gave debuts to other new signings Nacer Chadli, Paulinho and Etienne Capoue, told Sky Sports.
"Ian (Holloway) put his team together very well because he had three players very narrow just behind the striker, which we weren't expecting. That caused a bit of unpredictability and it was a tough game.
"We had some good chances to put the game to bed but, bearing in mind 90 minutes, I think we deserved to win.
"Naturally, the team dropped a little bit after the goal. We had some chances on the counter, which could have put it to bed and it would have been game over. We always had that edge to our game. The overall performance was excellent and we had some chances."
Palace manager Holloway was happy with his side's defensive performance, but admitted their attack left a lot to be desired.
"I don't know what the stats are, but we have got to learn how to attack," Holloway said. "We defended very well, we blocked their spaces, but we didn't counterattack after.
"Without (Yannick) Bolasie, with Wilf (Zaha) obviously gone, I think we need some pace -- we are screaming out for that.
"I just wish Jonny (Williams) hadn't played 90 minutes for the Welsh team. He was injured for a year before he came and I thought he made a difference when he came on with his energy.
"But we'll have a chance next week to get a few people up to speed and maybe a few more people in and we'll knuckle down. I don't think the lads have gone away negative, they will think we can do this."
