Xavi Simons has realised a lifelong dream after marking his Premier League debut with an assist in Tottenham’s dominant derby victory over West Ham.
Simons, who joined Spurs from RB Leipzig in a reported €60m (£51m) deal last month, played the first 71 minutes as Spurs eased to a 3-0 win over their London rivals.
The Netherlands international provided a pinpoint delivery from a corner as Pape Matar Sarr put Spurs ahead early in the second half, and the floodgates opened after Tomas Soucek was sent off, with Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven also netting.
Simons now has six goal involvements in his last seven league games for Leipzig and Tottenham (three goals, three assists), while Spurs have nine points from their first four Premier League outings under Thomas Frank.
“I’m really happy with the win, and making my debut in the Premier League is such a special moment,” Simons told Sky Sports.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play on the biggest stage in the best league in the world, and I’m with a magnificent team.
“Even teams who are struggling in the table have top players. Even [West Ham] today have top players. I’m trying to adapt as quickly as possible.”
Spurs have won their first two away games of a Premier League season to nil for just the second time, previously doing so in 2017-18 under Mauricio Pochettino.
Frank is staying grounded after another impressive performance, with his team’s next outing coming against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“Overall, it was a good performance. Besides two situations in the first half, we didn’t give much away. We had some good crosses into the box, dominated and kept West Ham hemmed in,” he told BBC Match of the Day.
“We scored a brilliant goal from a corner. The red card helps, of course, but I felt we were dominant in the game.
“We want to perform and win every game. We can’t look too far ahead, but need to have a little think about it.
“We need to do well in the Premier League and see if we can compete in all tournaments. I’m happy with the win, now it’s all about the game on Tuesday.”
West Ham, meanwhile, have already lost three Premier League games by a margin of three or more goals this season. This is the joint-earliest point at which a side has lost three games by a three-goal margin in any Premier League campaign, level with Bournemouth in 2022-23.
Swathes of empty seats had appeared at London Stadium by the time the final whistle sounded, and under-fire boss Graham Potter accepts that supporters are frustrated.
He told Sky Sports: “I understand because the scoreline is the scoreline and I understand why people are upset.
“We are a new team, and we have to stick together and focus on the things we’ve done well and see where we can improve.
“It was difficult for the players, we’re at home, we’ve got our pride and don’t want to make it worse. You’re stuck between going after them and not getting opened up. I felt for the players.”