Tottenham ended a seven-game winless run by beating Brentford on Sunday
Vitaly Janelt scored an own goal before Pape Matar Sarr netted at the right end
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Before this game, Tottenham had won twice in the Premier League since the back end of November. Those two victories had been wrapped up by margins of 5-0 – at Southampton – and 4-0 at Manchester City. Not so much wins as sporting suffocations.
This was not like that at all. But this was undoubtedly more important, more necessary and as such much more precious. Ange Postecoglou’s team can put sides away by big numbers. They can get on the front foot and play exciting, liberating football.
But during Postecoglou’s year and a half at Tottenham, there hasn’t been enough of what we saw here on a winter’s day in west London. Because it’s days like this that ultimately keep managers in jobs. Days like this that show that teams are much more than froth and sweetness, that show they possess an ability just to stand firm and win a game of football when they really need to.
Tottenham were short of numbers once again at the Gtech Stadium. New defensive signing Kevin Danso isn’t yet registered to play in defence while Micky van de Ven, fit again, was held back for Thursday’s big Carabao Cup game at Liverpool.
So danger stalked Tottenham. Thomas Frank’s Brentford team are a handful on their own patch. They fear nobody and they score goals. And as we perhaps expected, they held sway in terms of possession and territory for long periods.
But Tottenham didn’t budge. They didn’t yield. There was little sign of what we all refer to as Angeball here. No ferocious front foot press. No high defensive line. Angeball may not be dead but it was definitely having a lie down somewhere in a dark room.
In its place was some pragmatic common sense football and Tottenham were all the better for it. Postecoglou’s team played with a shape and an organisation and sense of commonality that saw them hang on to a lead handed to them by Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janet in the first half, survive something of a second half onslaught and then break to score beautifully through Pape Sarr with two minutes to go.
Brentford will probably feel a little hard done by. They asked most of the questions and had they got a bit luckier with the bounce of the ball, one or two of the many crosses they pumped in to the Spurs penalty area may have led to a goal. Indeed had they scored when they were particularly dominant at the start of the second half then this story could eventually have been written to a different script.
But this is what good teams do away from home in the Premier League. They do what it takes to win.
With Van de Ven not risked, Tottenham’s defence looked thin once again. But Brentford had their own problems with young goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson starting his first Premier League game for the club in place of the injured Mark Flekken.
That subsequently proved important but early on the home team preyed persistently on Tottenham’s obvious weakness as a succession of quality deliveries were swung across the face of the Spurs goal. There were to be 20 such deliveries in the first hour of play.
In the main Spurs centre halves Arche Gray and Ben Davies dealt with it all well while Djed Spence was excellent up against the dangerous Bryan Mbuemo. When required, meanwhile, goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was happy to come and punch. Yoane Wissa still headed over twice from half chances.
Tottenham tried to play with a little more structure, building attacks through the middle, often through the strong running of Dejan Kulusevski. On occasion, they looked like breaking through. Kulusevski shot low across goal in the 6th minute where Richarlison couldn’t quite convert on the stretch. Then Kulusevski turned and saw an effort blocked.
When the opening goal arrived, however, it was fortuitous. Just after Mbuemo had turned Spence to drive a shot at Kinsky, Tottenham broke for Yves Bissouma to have a shot deflected over.
Driving the ball straight in to the sun, Heung-Min Son aimed for the near post where the inswing panicked Valdimarsson and his defenders. They were not really under pressure but still Janelt turned his back and the ball bounced off him and into the net.
It was a mess but Spurs didn’t care. And it had been a super delivery from the Tottenham skipper.
Brentford’s response was strong and constructive. Christian Norgaard brought a two-handed parry from Kinsky with a sharp volley and then Richarlison stood firm to head away a Mbuemo strike that appeared to be flying in just before half-time.
Into the second period and the Brentford threat grew. The problem of the dropping sun was now Tottenham keeper Kinsky’s. Often, as Brentford came forward, Kinsky had a hand up to protect his eyes. Why not a baseball cap? Strange.
There were certainly some scares as Brentford sought a way back. Kinsky pawed one low delivery away at the far post and was helpless in the 53rd minute as Wissa reacted well to Kevin Schade’s flick to half volley a chance against the crossbar and over from seven yards.
Tottenham’s forays up field were increasingly rare though they still carried a threat. Kulusevski hit the side netting while half-time substitute Lucas Bergvall pulled a left foot shot wide from the edge of the penalty area.
There was always a feeling that one Brentford goal may breed another. But it didn’t come and with two minutes left Son broke from deep and released substitute Sarr perfectly through the inside left position.
Maybe Valdimarsson didn’t have to come quite so far from goal but that’s a trifling point. Sarr’s finish, poking the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs, was fabulous and it secured Tottenham their victory.
‘We are staying up,’ sang the Tottenham fans. Whether it was done so in parody is hard to say. This win has, in truth, given them valuable breathing space at the bottom end of the table.
MATCH FACTS & PLAYER RATINGS
BRENTFORD: (4-2-3-1): Valdimarsson 5; Ajer 6 (Kayode 76mins 6), Collins 6, Van Den Berg 6.5, Lewis-Potter 6; Norgaard 6.5 (Carvalho 84mins 6), Janelt 5.5 (Jensen 66mins 6); Mbuemo 7, Damsgaard 6.5, Schade 6; Wissa 6
SUBS NOT USED: Yarmoliuk, Pinnock, Maghoma, Konak, Mee, Eyestone
GOALS: none
BOOKED: none
MANAGER: Thomas Frank: 6
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: (4-2-3-1): Kinsky 7; Porro 6, Gray 6.5, Davies 6.5, Spence 7.5; Bissouma 6 (Sarr 68mins 6), Bentancur 6; Moore 5.5 (Bergvall 45mins 5.5), Kulusevski 6, Son 6; Richarlison 5.5 (Scarlett 77mins 6)
SUBS NOT USED: Reguilon, Ajayi, Hardy, Olusesi, Cassanova, Austin
GOALS: Janelt og 29, Sarr 88
BOOKED: Son
MANAGER: Ange Postecoglou: 7
REFEREE: Jarred Gillet 6
ATTENDANCE: 17,154