Tottenham found themselves a goal behind after just 24 seconds, but Ange Postecoglou’s side rallied for a much-needed 3-1 home victory over Brentford on Saturday.
WATCH TOTTENHAM vs BRENTFORD FULL MATCH REPLAY
After back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Arsenal left Spurs 13th in the Premier League table heading into the weekend, the pressure had predictably begun to grow on Postecoglou. Their midweek League Cup victory over Coventry City didn’t help matters very much, considering they required two late goals to come from behind and beat the Championship side.
Brentford scored inside the opening 30 seconds for the second straight week, as Bryan Mbeumo executed a sensational volley of Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross, but for the second straight week the Bees couldn’t keep their lead away from home and were beaten. Dominic Solanke made it 1-1 with his first goal for Tottenham in the 8th minute and Johnson finished a smooth counter-attack in the 28th. James Maddison got in behind Brentford’s defense in the 85th and chipped Mark Flekken to open his account this season and secure all three points.
Brennan Johnson silences critics with another winning goal
Maybe the Coventry game did serve one important purpose, as Johnson was the one to score the late winner on Wednesday before doing the same thing again on Saturday. Two winners in two games for the 23-year-old, who just this week deleted his social media accounts after receiving unfair abuse following Spurs’ north London derby defeat to Arsenal. He was hardly the only player who underperformed in that game, but he became the online scapegoat despite scoring five goals and providing 10 assists in his first season at the club. If Johnson hasn’t yet proven to some that he can play for a top-four contender, he might never do. But all he has done this season is displace Dejan Kulusevski to midfield (where he is also thriving), held off summer signing Wilson Odobert for his starting spot and scored two massive goals in the span of four days. A young player’s confidence is absolutely everything.
Player ratings - Tottenham vs Brentford
Tottenham vs Brentford updates - by Andy Edwards
Tottenham vs Brentford final score: 3-1
Goalscorers: Bryan Mbeumo (1'), Dominic Solanke (8'), Brennan Johnson (28'), James Maddison (85')
GOAL! Tottenham 3-1 Brentford: James Maddison gives Spurs a cushion against the run of play
GOAL! Tottenham 2-1 Brentford: Brennan Johnson finishes a quick counter to take the lead
GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Brentford: Dominic Solanke scores his first for Spurs
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo scores after 24 seconds
Tottenham starting lineup
Vicario - Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie - Bentancur, Maddison, Kulusevski - Johnson, Son, Solanke
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken - Ajer, Van den Berg, Pinnock, Collins - Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Damsgaard - Carvalho, Lewis-Potter, Mbeumo
How to watch Tottenham vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET Saturday (September 21)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TV Channel: Peacock Premium
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Tottenham focus, team news
OUT: Richarlison (undisclosed), Wilson Odobert (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Yves Bissouma (undisclosed), Timo Werner (undisclosed)
Brentford focus, team news
OUT: Josh Dasilva (knee), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (lower back), Mathias Jensen (calf), Yoane Wissa (ankle)
Tottenham vs Brentford prediction
Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s kryptonite reared its ugly head once again in the north London derby as he was beaten on another set piece. And what is Brentford’s other superpower? Attacking set pieces. This is potentially a nightmare matchup for Spurs. Tottenham 2-2 Brentford.
