‘I’m very happy’: Antonio Conte says one of his Tottenham substitutes really impressed him last night

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has told Spurs Play that youngster Pape Matar Sarr really impressed him after coming on as a substitute last night. 

Spurs put their New Year’s Day woes behind them last night as they thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 in south London.

Antonio Conte’s side were below par in the first-half, as has been the case on many occasions this season, but their second-half display certainly made up for it.

Tottenham ended their wretched run of conceding first games and Harry Kane’s brace put them on their way to a much-needed win. 

Goals from Matt Doherty and Heung-Min Son rounded off a superb second-half display. While Kane’s brace will rightly grab the headlines, Sarr put in another impressive performance from the bench. 

The 20-year-old came on for the last 10 minutes of Tottenham’s loss to Villa a few days ago.

Oliver Skipp got the nod last night in the absence of both Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, but Sarr has clearly impressed Conte after replacing the Englishman in the 66th minute.

Conte says Sarr really impressed him

When asked about Sarr’s cameo display, Conte admitted that he was really impressed with the Senegalese midfielder.

“I’m very happy for Pape Sarr because his impact was really, really important,” he told Spurs Play.

Until this week, Sarr had found chances at Tottenham hard to come by since making the switch from FC Metz last summer.

The youngster spent the last campaign on loan at his former club and has been working hard behind the scenes at Hotspur Way this season.

Alasdair Gold reported last week that Conte has taken a shine to Sarr in training during the World Cup break. 

It’s great to see Conte giving the likes of Sarr and Bryan Gil a chance to impress, even if his hand was forced due to injuries and suspensions.

The Italian gave Sarr a big show of confidence last night as he introduced him into the game when the scoreline was still just 2-0. Skipp showed last season that he can play effectively in Conte’s system, while Sarr made only his second appearance for Spurs last night.

The midfielder represented Senegal at the World Cup so he does have experience playing at the highest level. And he certainly looked composed for the half an hour that he was on the pitch at Selhurst Park.

Last night will hopefully open up a window of opportunity for the youngster as he could be a useful option for Conte in the middle of the park, especially with Bissouma failing to impress so far.