Penalty Drama Shouldn't Overshadow Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's Best Tottenham Performance

We all love it when a new signing comes in and hits the ground running - it's a breath of fresh air and gives the whole team a lift.

Despite looking good in pre-season, it was a slow start to life at Tottenham for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg following a £15m summer switch from Southampton. His role in midfield won't always catch the eye, but it was a struggle for Spurs fans to work out what his job in the team was initially.

After a 1-0 defeat in the opening Premier League game of the season, fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration.

'Hojbjerg is a bullet dodged by Everton. Allan and Doucoure are superior players by far'.

'I want a player who sweeps up and protects our defence. Can Hojbjerg even do that?'

'How can Everton sign a player like Allan and Spurs sign Hojbjerg?'

While it was an all-round poor showing by Spurs players against Everton, it was the Danish midfielder who received most of the flack for his below-par performance. Hojbjerg has started four of Tottenham's five outings in all competitions since the game against the Toffees, with his most recent appearance coming against Newcastle.

Now, let's clear this up for one moment. We all know what stole the headlines, we've all seen Andy Carroll nod the ball onto Eric Dier's arm - so let's park that to one side, okay?

That incident aside, Tottenham actually played very well - it was arguably their best performance under Jose Mourinho. Spurs registered a whopping 23 shots on goal, with 12 of those efforts on target. Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow was also given the man of the match award, which tells you all you need to know.

But how were Spurs so relentless and dominant in the game? The answer is Hojbjerg.

The midfielder had 10.8 percent of possession, more than any other Spurs or Newcastle player on the pitch. This perfectly illustrates just how comfortable the Dane was with the ball at his feet, making himself constantly available to his teammates.

While in possession, Hojbjerg played some advanced balls out towards Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura on the Tottenham flanks, setting the rapid wide-men bearing down on the Newcastle box much to the joy of Mourinho.

But it's not just his on-the-ball work which catches the eye; it's also his desire to retain possession for his team. The game against Newcastle wasn't the best example, with the Magpies only actually having one shot on target, but what it does do is unlock other players in the midfield.

Initially when Hojbjerg signed, most Spurs fans felt he would be an anchor in a midfield trio. However, he has also been utilised, most recently against Newcastle, in a duo alongside Harry Winks which seems to have had quite the impact on the Englishman.

At times last season, Winks would be Spurs' most defensive midfielder, which inevitably took away from his ability to progress forward with the ball. However, alongside Hojbjerg, Winks completed 96 percent of his passes, the most of any player on the pitch. The midfielder also had the second-highest percentage of possession, which shows just how dominant the midfield duo were.

But it's not just Winks that Hojbjerg's presence is rubbing off on.

As hoped by every Spurs fan, the Dane's arrival has seemed to ease the pressure on Tanguy Ndombele. With Hojbjerg mainly defensively-oriented, this has given the Frenchman the licence to go forward and utilise his attacking and creative traits.

The long-term aim for Mourinho has to be a middle trio of Ndombele, Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso. It's something Spurs fans have been crying out for, and even though it's a midfield with perfect balance, we'll have to wait for all three to be fit at the same time for that to happen.

Hojbjerg's performance against Newcastle has not only helped Spurs fans realise exactly why he was top of Mourinho's summer wishlist, but he's also having quite the impact on his teammates - and long may it continue.