Tottenham Hotspur beat Southampton 3-1 in North London on Sunday afternoon
Sign up to our LondonWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to LondonWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou heaped praise on Brennan Johnson after he scored twice and won a penalty in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
Johnson scored twice in the first half to put the game beyond Southampton before winning a penalty in second-half stoppage time, which was scored by Mathys Tel. The visitors had pulled a goal back in the 90th minute but were unable to find an equaliser as they were relegated from the Premier League in record-breaking fashion.
The result moves Spurs up to 14th as they leapfrogged West Ham United and Everton, who drew with Bournemouth and Arsenal, respectively on Saturday. Up next for Spurs is a key clash in the Europa League as they host Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their quarter final on Thursday.
Ange hails Brennan Johnson
Asked about Johnson after the game, Postecoglou said: “It’s tough but I think whenever Brennan plays, he’s always a goal threat. He has been really good for us in terms of goals and, even though I don’t rate them highly, even his assists have been important to us as today he won the penalty. He’s really important for us in the way we play and I don’t think he has been inconsistent this year.
“The disruptions we’ve had in the team and the ability to get some real cohesion in the group has disrupted everyone this season. It was great for him today, I was really pleased for him, not just the goals but his general play was really good. He’s important for us as a wide player – there aren’t many around that are a constant goal threat like he is. I’m really pleased for him today.”
He added: “With Brennan, he’s always in the areas we need him to be. He’s probably one of the most disciplined players we have in terms of making sure he’s always in the right positions and that’s why he gets his goals. There have been times this season when his form has suffered because of the team more than anything else.
“I think if we play like we played in the first half, Brennan becomes a really important player for us as we’re a constant threat, breaking lines, making half-space runs, we were getting balls into the box in the areas we need to and every time we went forward we looked like scoring. If we do that then I think it’s not a matter of confidence for Brennan, it just gives you more opportunities as the one thing about him is that he will always be in those positions so it’s up to us to match his discipline in that.”
Brennan Johnson’s Premier League stats this season
The 23-year-old has started in 21 of Spurs 31 Premier League games this term, while coming off the bench in another seven. He has scored 11 goals and provided two assists. Sunday’s double was the second time he has scored twice in a single fixture, after he netted a brace in the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town at the end of February.
Sunday’s goals were his first since the win over Ipswich. He had a strong run of form in late September into October as he scored three games in a row in wins over Manchester United and Brentford and in a loss to Brighton and Hove Albion. Johnson then went just two games without a goal before scoring in three of his next four matches.