Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford. Premier League.
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.
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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.
Image: James Maddison celebrates with Heung-Min Son after scoring Spurs' third goal
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.
Should Vicario have been penalised?Image: Spurs 'keeper Guglielmo Vicario should have been penalised for handling the ball outside his area
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."
Player ratings: Maddison masterclass
Tottenham: Vicario (7), Porro (6), Romero (7), Van de Ven (7), Udogie (6), Kulusevski (7), Bentancur (6), Maddison (8), Johnson (7), Solanke (8), Son (7).
Subs: Bissouma (6), Sarr (6), Moore (n/a), Gray (n/a), Bergvall (n/a).
Brentford: Flekken (7), Lewis-Potter (6), Collins (5), Pinnock (5), Van den Berg (6), Ajer (5), Damsgaard (6), Yarmoliuk (6), Janelt (6), Mbeumo (7), Carvalho (6).
Subs: Schade (6), Roerslev (n/a), Konak (n/a), Trevitt (n/a).
Player of the Match: James Maddison
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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."
Frank: We're missing strongest playersBrentford 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."
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