Aha! Nick Ames’ match report is here.
Which means we’re done for now. Thanks for your company and comments – peace out.
An own goal Vitaly Janelt and a late strike from Pape Matar Sarr gave Spurs their first league win since mid-December
Updated
Sun 2 Feb 2025 11.25 EST
First published on Sun 2 Feb 2025 08.04 EST
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Key events
Postecoglou says Brentford are a quality side and it’s always difficult to get a result at the Gtech. But his players put in another huge effort, particularly physically, and produced their best defensive effort of the season.
Spurs had to defend a lot of set pieces but managed to get first contact on most balls and bodies in the way too; he’s very pleased with their performance especially after the game in midweek.
On Tel, Florian Plettenburg has tweeted that he’s decided he wants United – makes sense, a striker with no goals scored all season should fit in perfectly – but with numbers not agreed, Arsenal aren’t out of the running.
Can he also play in goal, at centre-back, in midfield and up front?
Misery or misery?
I wonder if that game has saved Postecoglou. If Spurs went out of the League Cup having lost today, the pressure to fire him would’ve been intense, and his demeanour over the last few weeks has been that of a man who’s almost given up. But that win, and the application Spurs showed in getting it, will have him fired up, and a positive result at Anfield will change everything.
But how will he displace Archie Gray and Ben Davies?
And England’s cricketers are distinguishing themselves once more.
We’re 27 minutes away from kick-off at the Emirates. The great Rob Smyth has all the buildup.
Chelsea are miles clear at the top of the WSL, but they’re drawing at Villa with 20 or so to go…
Palace have won 2-0 at Old Trafford, meaning they move above United in the table to sit 12th; Spurs move up from 17th to 14th, while Brentford stay 11th.
Elsewhere:
Thomas Frank will, I think, be really disappointed in his side today. Their set-piece delivery wasn’t of its usual standard and they looked devoid of other ideas; I’m also surprised that they didn’t try 3-5-2, because two proper centre-forwards would’ve asked more searching questions of Spurs’ makeshift centre-backs.
FULL TIME: Brentford 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
A fantastic win for Spurs, their first in the league for 49 days. They, and Ange Postecoglou in particular, badly needed that.
90+4 min This is a massive result for Spurs who, as discussed earlier, travel to Anfield for the second leg of their League Cup semi with a one-goal lead. Keeping a clean sheet against the leaders is not the same as doing so against Brentford, but they’ve done it before and this will help persuader them they can do it again.
90+3 min Alan Smith gives Spence player of the match; I might’ve gone for Davies, but I can’t argue with that.
90+1 min Finally, we see the Spence clearance; it comes as a ball bounces following a Brentford corner, Damsgaaard, falling, hooks over his shoulder, and Spence is in the perfect position to hump away.
90 min We’ll have four added minutes.
88 min Back at Old Trafford, Mateta has scored again, putting Palace 2-0 up.
GOAL! Brentford 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Sarr (88)
Spurs have barely ventured out of their own half since the break but they swing it wide to Son and he slides a prefect pass in behind, forcing Valdimarsson to come, and allowing Sarr to flick with the outside of his boot through the keeper’s legs! What price that Spence clearance now?!
87 min My screen greens out, returning just in time for me to see Spence kick off the line.
85 min Change for Brentford: Carvalho for Norgaard.
84 min Anther brute whipped to the front post, Kulusevski not quite able to get his flick then, when the ball comes back to him, he slings in a beauty that’s got ust too much gas on it for Bentancur and Scarlett.
82 min Pre-match, Jamie Carragher said he’d be surprised if Spurs conceded less than three – yes, he meant fewer – but football rarely works like that. Brentford aren’t so good they can roll over a side set up to stop them, and they don’t have as much class in midfield as the visitors. Meantime, Son wins them a corner…
80 min I love what Brentford do and I’m glad we have teams in the division who play differently to the others, but they’ve been very blunt today – it’s been the physical, direct stuff and nothing else, against a side ill-equipped in defence.
78 min Change for Spurs, Richarlison eventually realising it’s him being hooked – he’s less than gruntled – and Scarlett, who scored a nice goal in midweek, replaces him.
78 min Again, it yields nothing but a throw deep inside the Spurs half, and Ayode hurls into the box … but not flat enough, so it’s cleared easily enough.
76 min And here comes Kayode, replacing Ajer; he’s immediately into the action, running for the line and swivelling into a low cross, blocked behind for yet another corner, Brentford’s ninth.
74 min On the touchline, Keith Andrews gives instructions of Michael Kayode, Brentford’s new loan signing from Fiorentina. Life in Florence will have him well prepared for hanging in Perivale and Greenford, I’m sure.
72 min Spurs are hinting at a second goal on the counter with Brentford leaving gaps as they seek an equaliser. Meantime their back four keep it nicely, eventually working the ball clear when forced to; they’re doing a really good job of stopping the hosts build momentum.
70 min …which Mbuemo lamps well beyond the back post, Bentancur doing really well to see the ball behind under pressure. Spurs have been so doughty today.
69 min I wonder if, at some point, Brentford might stick Mbeumo up alongside Wissa, who’s looked a little isolated today. Also, if you’re going to spam crosses, you need men who know what they’re doing attacking them. The former wins yet another corner….
68 min We’re live with Arsenal v Man City – join Rob Smyth for all the buildup; Spurs send Sarr on for Bissouma.
66 min Change for Brentford, Jensen on for Janelt.
65 min “Regarding your comment about training to use the weaker foot,” emails Andy Fliontoff, “I feel the same way about training to take unsaveable penalties. I suspect it’s easier to control your temperament in high-pressure situations like shoot-outs if you’ve a perfected, reliable penalty-taking technique. You can probably tell that I’m not a fan of the ‘shoot-outs are a lottery’ idea that pops up in English football every time one happens.”
I agree. You see a player smash one top corner or sweep one roof and wonder why they ever do anything else – though we must also be cognisant of the brain-scrambling effects of pressure.
63 min The corner yields a throw while, at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire has opted to have a kip while defending a free-kick, Jean-Philippe Mateta giving Palace the lead. Exhibition hangdog fronting-up is imminent…
62 min Mbeumo curls in and Poor heads clear, Damsgaard’s decent volley deflected behind.
62 min Brentford win another dangerous free-kick, out on the left 20 yards from goal…
60 min But this is a decent attack, Porro doing well to hook over hit shoulder, behind and infield to Kulusevski, who draws two men to him then pokes square to Bergvall, goal-side of him … and from the edge, he shoots wide of the near post. That was a really good opportunity.
59 min It’s a while since Spurs spent any time on the ball or inside the Brentford half.
57 min Another Brentford cross, this time from Ajer, again repelled by a Spurs head. I guess you can look it one of two ways: assume eventually the error or perfect ball arrive, or they need to find a different tactic.
55 min Almost immediately, Kulusevski drives down the right and leathers a shot … into the near-post side-netting.
54 min Big chance for Brentford! Damsgaard curves a tempter into the box and though Scahde gets a flick that alters the flight, when it arrives at Wissa you assume the equaliser. But he can’t quite sort out his feet, a yank from Porro, let go just in time, also hinders, and he awkwardly flicks over the bar from close range. That’s Brentford’s best opportunity so far, and again, there’s a challenge that looks like a penalty that VAR allows to pass.
52 min Brentford spread wide to Mbeumo, who goes back one, and only when Norgaard crosse does Kinsky-y move, palming away from Wissa unconvincingly.
52 min Brentford are in the ascendancy now, Schade the principal danger, and he nips into the box looking to flight a ball to the back post … but puts too much on it.
51 min I don’t get why professionals aren’t working hard enough to be comfy using their weaker foot if they need to. And I feel the same way about dead-ball delivery: if you work at it, there’s no reason you can’t get good.
50 min Dmagaard leaps to get first foot to a bouncing ball before flicking outside him to Mbuemo … who might shoot but on his weaker right foot, instead looks to square, … problem being there’s no one there to collect.
48 min …but again, it’s a Spurs head making first contact, the ball eventually ending up behind for a goalkick. The visitors have defended those situations very well indeed – so far.
47 min Brentford win a free-kick out on the left and Mbeumo will swing out…