Tottenham Hotspur ended their Premier League seven-match winless run with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
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Ange Postecoglou’s side halted a run of four successive league defeats to claim their first win in the competition since a 5-0 rout of Southampton on 15 December.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Vitaly Janelt turned Son Heung-min’s corner into his own net.
Pape Sarr sealed the points in the 87th minute, moments after Djed Spence cleared off the line from Fabio Carvalho, condemning Thomas Frank’s side to a fifth defeat in six home matches across all competitions.
Spurs climb to 14th place – ahead of West Ham United with a superior goal difference – and move within four points of Brentford, who remain 11th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
24 | -3 | 34 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
24 | 0 | 31 |
| 12 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
24 | -2 | 30 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
24 | -6 | 29 |
| 14 |
Spurs
TOT
|
24 | +11 | 27 |
| 15 |
West Ham
WHU
|
23 | -16 | 27 |
How the match unfolded
Spurs carried the greater attacking threat from the start, and a sliding Richarlison could not quite connect with Dejan Kulusevski's low drive early on.
But Spurs were not to be denied as Son's inswinging corner bounced in off the back of Janelt.
Brentford sought a response, with Antonin Kinsky beating away Christian Norgaard's volley, while Richarlison bravely threw himself in the way of Bryan Mbeumo's fierce strike.
Yoane Wissa might have done better when presented with a great opportunity in the 53rd minute, but after meeting Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross, the forward could not keep his effort down, with the ball clipping the crossbar on its way over.
Kulusevski hit the side netting at the other end while Lucas Bergvall, who replaced Mikey Moore at half-time, shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box.
Spence came to Spurs’ rescue when he hooked away Carvalho’s overhead kick, and Postecoglou’s team made sure of the result as substitute Sarr latched onto Son’s through-ball before prodding through the legs of Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson to seal a much-needed win.
That assist for Son now means he has produced 69 for Spurs in the Premier League, the most of any player at the club in the competition's history.
No home comforts for the Bees
No Premier League team have collected more points on home soil than Brentford this season, but Frank’s side seem to have hit a wall at the Gtech Community Stadium in recent weeks.
Despite failing to win any of their last five home matcches in all competitions before this encounter, the Bees made a positive start, but without really threatening Spurs' goal.
For all their positive attacking play this season, Brentford have been found wanting at the other end, and they conceded for a 14th straight home league match through Janelt’s own goal.
It was only the third goal Brentford have conceded from set-pieces (excluding penalties) this season, but they responded well. However, the Wissa opportunity going begging proved crucial, as the Bees’ second-highest scorer this season was unable to apply the finishing touch to Damsgaard’s cross from right under the crossbar.
That profligacy was duly punished by Sarr. However, Brentford must now look to put their troubles at home behind them by picking up form on the road – they face away matches against West Ham and Leicester City next, with the Bees getting next weekend off due to being out of the FA Cup.
Postecoglou gets back on track
With Everton continuing their resurgence on Saturday under David Moyes, the Toffees moved above Spurs, pushing them down to 16th place ahead of kick-off in west London.
Postecoglou was aiming to prevent Spurs suffering a fifth straight Premier League defeat for the first time in over 20 years, and his players looked purposeful from the start.
Though they took the lead in fortuitous circumstances, Spurs would not have been complaining, and their dedication to the cause was epitomised by Richarlison taking Mbeumo’s powerful strike straight in the face before half-time.
Spurs only registered two shots on target throughout the contest though, crucially, one of them resulted in the second goal that finally put the match beyond Brentford thanks to Sarr’s neat finish, while Postecoglou will no doubt be delighted with the work of Spence just before that, with the full-back alert when it mattered most in his own six-yard box.
The relief among the visiting players was evident upon the sounding of the final whistle, with a seven-match winless streak halted.
After that morale-boosting victory, Postecoglou’s side switch their focus to the EFL Cup in midweek and their semi-final second leg against Liverpool; they head to Anfield with a narrow 1-0 lead.
Club reports
Brentford report | Spurs report
What the managers said
Thomas Frank: "It definitely felt like a missed opportunity. We did a lot of things right. But this is football and in football even if you do a lot of things right it doesn't mean you're going to win the game."
Ange Postecoglou: "Difficult place to come, difficult place to win at and difficult place to keep them out. The way they play you have to defend your box: throw-ins, set-pieces, crosses, you have to do that irrespective of how you tactically want to play. The lads were brilliant. Our second goal was outstanding and we were always a threat when we had it."
Key facts
Spurs remain unbeaten against Brentford under Ange Postecoglou (P4 W3 D1) – one of only two opponents they’ve faced as many as four times without losing (also W3 D1 v Manchester United).
Spurs earned their first away win in a London derby in the Premier League since October 2023 (2-1 v Crystal Palace), while it was the first time they’ve kept a clean sheet in such games under Ange Postecoglou (conceded in all eight before today).
Brentford have lost four of their last five Premier League home matches by at least a two-goal margin (v Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs), as many as such defeats as they had in their previous 23 on home soil in the competition (4).
Brentford had 20 shots and 2.29 Expected Goals (xG) against Spurs today – both of which are their highest totals in a Premier League match where they failed to score.
