Tottenham Hotspur secured their first Premier League home win since the opening weekend of the season, beating Brentford 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Xavi Simons was the standout performer, setting up the opening goal for Richarlison before scoring his first goal since his £52m move from RB Leipzig.
The victory eased pressure on manager Thomas Frank, who left Brentford in the summer to take charge at Spurs. Frank had faced criticism after a stuttering start, with his side failing to win at home in the league since August and struggling to create chances. However, a purposeful first-half display saw Spurs overwhelm their opponents.
Simons, given a free role as a number 10, caused constant problems for Brentford. He created the opener in the 23rd minute, running onto a Pedro Porro pass to set up Richarlison for a simple finish. The Dutchman then doubled the lead just before half-time, dispossessing Sepp van den Berg before driving forward and firing into the bottom corner.
Brentford, who have now lost seven of their eight away league games, rarely threatened. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, booed in the previous match, was given a warm reception and made a key save to deny Igor Thiago early on. The visitors were unable to find a way back into the game as Spurs controlled the second half.
Frank said after the match: 'Sometimes you work hard on things and sometimes it just suddenly clicks. A lot of the players were on the same page. We looked such a threat going forward. We played with pace, tempo, penetration.' The win lifts Spurs to eighth in the table, while Brentford remain 14th.
