Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance61,246.
Report and free highlights as Brentford scored inside 22 seconds for the second week running; Dominic Solanke opened his account for Spurs with the leveller; Brennan Johnson and James Maddison were also on target; Ange Postecoglou's side rise to 10th, while Brentford slip to 12th
Saturday 21 September 2024 19:36, UK
Dominic Solanke got off the mark for Tottenham as Ange Postecoglou's side defeated Brentford 3-1 in a frantic encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The visitors were ahead inside 22 seconds for a second week running, as Bryan Mbeumo lashed Keane Lewis-Potter's cross into the top right corner. But the remainder of a frenzied first half belonged to Spurs.
Seven minutes after Mbeumo's brilliant opener, the hosts were level thanks to Solanke, answering his critics with an instinctive finish after James Maddison's initial shot had been generously palmed into his path.
Seizing momentum, Spurs then took the lead in the 28th minute when Brennan Johnson was released by Heung-Min Son, and he rifled a perfectly precise strike across Mark Flekken - who continues to be the busiest goalkeeper of any in the Premier League.
Brentford were carved open many more times throughout an unusually disorganised display.
Solanke presented tireless Son with a chance for Spurs' third, while Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski were also denied, before Mbeumo had a rare opportunity to snatch a leveller at the opposite end, stopped in his tracks by Guglielmo Vicario, who, moments before, looked to have handled the ball outside his box.
The final say was Maddison's, though. Cristian Romero launched a quick counter-attack, linking with Son, who unselfishly threaded the ball to Maddison five minutes from time, and he dinked over Flekken.
Tottenham's second win of the season has lifted them to tenth, while Brentford - who have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side since the start of last season (36) - have slipped to 12th.
Brentford were rightly furious in the 58th minute when Vicario appeared to clumsily handle outside his area after he tried but failed to claim a cross ahead of Mikkel Damsgaard.
The whole episode was bizarrely missed by on-field official John Brooks, prompting angry responses from Kristoffer Ajer and Thomas Frank, who were both booked for dissent.
The outcome, by the letter of the law, should have been a free-kick and yellow card for Vicario, but Frank was clear the incident "didn't define the game". VAR can only intervene for a red-card incident, which this would have been if there was the denial of a goal or goalscoring opportunity.
Speaking in his press conference, Frank said: "He handballed it, but that incident didn't define the game. The margins need to go our way. It was a mistake, it could have helped us, but the probability for scoring from that is low. John Brooks, overall, had a very good game."
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou:
"It wasn't an ideal start. But it was like it never happened. We knew Brentford would be aggressive, and we love that part of the game.
"We thought if we brought our own intensity we could cause problems, and we were relentless the whole game. We fully deserved the win.
"The whole team was good. Really focused on making sure we dominated the game. Brentford try to play out, and that's great for us, because we like to press hard. The midfielders played a key role with that.
"For all of our play, we haven't really got the rewards up until this point. Three leaders in the club contributed to the third goal, and that's what you're looking for in those moments."
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank:
"We always try to come here to win, you see that today, there is no away ground we are fearful of.
"I like the bravery from my players. We play a team that are fully firing, and we are missing five of our strongest players. That's just to put things into perspective.
"No moaning, no complaints. It's my job to put a competitive team out there. I saw a very good Spurs team today."
When Tottenham click they can be devastating. By far their most complete display of the season, Spurs' big hitters all stood up to the count, and took collective responsibility for delivering an 'Ange-ball' style performance.
Solanke opened his Spurs account, Johnson scored in consecutive matches for the first time since joining a year ago, and Maddison scored and assisted in the same game for the first time since May 2023.
Postecoglou called his team relentless, registering 23 efforts on goal - 10 on target - and generating an xG of 3.51 - their highest of the season. This was a triumph of patience.
It was only a matter of time before new parts began to sync with old, in a more cohesive and productive way, Postecoglou had insisted. But doubters pointed to Spurs' profligacy in games up until this point.
"We haven't got just rewards until now," Postecoglou responded. Now he must back it up.
