Ryan Sessegnon jokes Antonio Conte would have ‘killed’ him had he not scored after helping Tottenham flee
RYAN SESSEGNON helped Spurs kill Southampton then joked: If I had missed Antonio Conte would have killed me!
The England U21 starlet scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham to restore par against Saints after James Ward-Prowse’s opener.
Antonio Conte described Southampton’s defeat as a “perfect” start to the season[/caption]
Sessegnon, who was awarded Ivan Perisic in the summer, stormed wide of the far post and headed in Dejan Kulusevski’s cross.
Conte’s side then ran away thanks to Eric Dier’s header, Mohammed Salisu’s comical own goal and a cool Kulusevski finish.
Full-back Sessegnon, 22, said: “If I hadn’t scored I think (the coach) would have killed me to be honest!
“There was a moment a few minutes earlier where Dejan Kulusevski cut back and I was late and I knew I couldn’t be late the next time he did.”
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Conte laughed when asked about Sessegnon’s comments, also addressing the chance the former Fulham prodigy had just missed.
The Italian said: “If you remember maybe five minutes earlier there was a cross and he was behind his opponent.
“We were very angry with him on the bench because he has to attack the back post and find the right position!
“Then he scored and we were happy and celebrated a lot because he wasn’t in the same spot to score five minutes before.
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“I’m happy for him because he has great potential, but he also has to show this potential.”
Freebie Perisic, 33, was the first of six Spurs signings over the summer and was unveiled from the bench alongside fellow signings Clement Lenglet and Yves Bissouma in the second half.
Sessegnon claimed he wanted to learn from the Croatian how to improve his own game.
That’s exactly what Conte had in mind when he landed Perisic after working with the Champions League winners at Inter Milan.
Conte added: “I think it’s very important that we signed a player like Ivan Perisic because he (Sessegnon) sees a way to learn about Ivan. We’re talking to Ivan about a very important player, a top player.
“Sometimes it’s good to bring players into the team, even if they’re a bit old. If they are a good player with experience, they can use that experience to improve young players in your squad. I think Sessegnon will do that.”
Conte hailed the result as a “perfect start” to a season that could be delicious in north London.
Though he had a blunt response to anyone who was surprised none of the signings started the game.
The ex-Chelsea boss said: “I think I’m going to use common sense because we are starting the new season at this moment and the old players did a great job last season to get a place in the Champions League.
“I think we’ve played really well in the last 10 games and we’ve had fantastic results.”
Meanwhile, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl wasn’t impressed with Salisu’s decision to clear with his preferred left foot instead of hacking away with his right, which resulted in him turning into his own net to score the grueling third goal.
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The Austrian said: “It was easy to clear the ball with my right foot. That’s just not good enough at this level.
“It felt a bit like the opponent had shifted into the next gear and we couldn’t follow after the first 20 minutes. To be honest it was frustrating to see how big the gap is.”
https://www.the-sun.com/sport/5945427/ryan-sessegnon-jokes-antonio-conte-goal/ Ryan Sessegnon jokes Antonio Conte would have ‘killed’ him had he not scored after helping Tottenham flee