Brentford 0-2 Tottenham (Janelt og 29′, Sarr 86′)
GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM — Well, that wasn’t very Angeball-y.
A first Premier League win for Tottenham in almost 50 days brings some respite for Ange Postecoglou. And what was notable about the performance at Brentford was how different it was to the rinse-and-repeat style Spurs have played throughout the Australian’s reign.
They were gritty; sat deep for virtually the whole second half; scored a scrappy goal from a corner; managed the game maturely and sensibly. An accusation against Postecolgou is that his team can only play one way. Here was evidence that they can mix it up. Here’s their Anfield blueprint for Thursday.
It was a defiant win. Perhaps Sky Sports was on in the dressing room. “I’ll be absolutely shocked if Tottenham go there and win today,” Jamie Carragher said before kick-off. “If they concede less than three today, I’ll be surprised.”
Perhaps the players had seen Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens’ outburst the day before. “I’m not Ange Postecoglou, [I won’t] keep using it [injuries] as an excuse,” he said after a 1-0 home defeat to Stockport.
Wellens later apologised, presumably after being gently reminded by his bosses that two of his best players are Spurs loanees and that Harry Kane once sponsored the club’s shirts.
Perhaps Postecoglou compromised, although he insisted that wasn’t the case.
“It’s very difficult for a group of players to play Thursday and Sunday and maintain their levels,” he said.
“What they are doing is giving maximum effort and in a game like today, that means you can’t be sharp and really dynamic with or without the ball, it’s just impossible. They’re human beings, not robots.”
Whether they were given extra motivation by harsh critics or made tweaks to their gameplan or not, the result was huge, potentially transformative.
“We are staying up!” the away fans chanted after Pape Matar Sarr’s clever toe-poke sealed the win with four minutes remaining. The sound of the final whistle compelled Pedro Porro to contort his fingers into fists and roar until his cheeks flushed blood red. Players and fans celebrated together, aligned in joy and relief.
Son Heung-min played a decisive part in both goals. His wicked in-swinging corner caused havoc in the Brentford box for the opener. Hakon Valdimarsson swung and missed and an unsuspecting Vitaly Janelt bundled the ball into his own goal amidst the confusion.
The South Korean’s assist for Sarr was far more deliberate, a through ball weighted such that Sarr knew he could reach it and Valdimarsson thought he could. The Senegalese won the race.
Son may have made the difference, but the game wasn’t really about him. It was about the defensive effort; Brentford have scored more goals at home (29) than any other Premier League team this season.
Man of the match – Djed Spence
Defended Mbeumo superbly and used the ball brilliantly. Has salvaged a Spurs career that was headed nowhere.
Ben Davies, starting in place of Micky van de Ven, “kept on ice” after his brief return to action against Elfsborg, seemed to head away most of Brentford’s 37 crosses. Archie Gray dealt with the others. Booed by Brentford fans for choosing Spurs over their club last summer, the 18-year-old was exemplary.
“It goes under the radar but the job that Archie Gray is doing is ridiculous,” Postecoglou said unprompted.
“Eighteen years old, he’s never played centre-back before, playing in the Premier League and in Europe every game. It’s just incredible.”
The centre-backs were brilliant, but Djed Spence just about topped them. The left-back made a goal-line clearance a minute or so before Sarr’s late clincher and was a significant factor behind Bryan Mbeumo enduring probably his quietest game of the season.
“He’s been outstanding since he came into the team. He had to bide his time. It’s fair to say we needed Djed to be patient and also mature a little bit and I think he has,” Postecoglou added.
“I think we missed him the last couple of games. He’s one of those defenders that loves the challenge of taking on the elite wingers in the Premier League. There are some outstanding ones and Bryan is right up there, especially here.”
Postecoglou was without nine outfield first-team players at Brentford and the bench was unsurprisingly youthful as a result.
The average age of the eight outfield players was just 20 and 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall was the third-most experienced option in terms of Premier League minutes at Postecoglou’s disposal.
It was a reminder of how thin the squad has been stretched, but gradually, players are making their way back. The signing of Kevin Danso – “a good fit” according to Postecoglou – from Lens has reinforced the backline, at last.
It was a super Sunday for Spurs featuring a win, a clean sheet and a new signing. Crisis? What crisis?
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