Thomas Frank’s Tottenham delivered the sort of home performance fans have been waiting for in a comfortable 2-0 win over Brentford.
After a much-improved start to the game Richarlison broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, finishing off at the back post after the much-maligned Tottenham summer signing Xavi Simons broke away down the right and laid it on a plate.
Simons was a man transformed in the first half and did it all himself to double the lead just before the break. The Dutchman won the ball in his own half and then surged the length of the pitch before sliding into the far corner for his first Spurs goal.
Frank came into the game facing Tottenham sack questions but got exactly the performance he would have wanted up against the club he left in the summer.
He was the hero at Newcastle but Tottenham captain Cristian Romero may have been lucky to escape a red card against Brentford with half an hour gone, in one of the few concerning parts of the afternoon, but otherwise there was never really any danger of anything but a home win at long last.
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Xavi Simons finally arrives for Tottenham
Simons’ Spurs career has been a huge disappointment through the first half of the season, with a toothless attack a major problem for Frank.
But against the Bees the 22-year-old was finally the player fans were expecting when Chelsea were hijacked in the summer.
Brentford couldn’t handle his direct running throughout as the Dutchman unlocked the door with the assist for Richarlison’s opener, then consolidated Tottenham’s dominance with a wonderful second to break his own duck.
He looked a threat throughout the second half as well as he was routinely ready to seize on a loose ball and break forward as he did for his goal.
Simons manager, and the fans alike, will hope this is the start of a new dawn for the headline transfer recruit as he and Mohammed Kudus, who had a late third ruled out for offside, were dynamic and put Keith Andrews’ side under pressure all afternoon.
Randal Kolo Muani misses the memo
If today was the day the Tottenham attack finally clicked there was a glaring absence from that improvement as Randal Kolo Muani was miles off it compared to his teammates.
Kolo Muani was excellent in the recent defeat to PSG when nobody else around him really was, but it was the polar opposite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
The Frenchman was clumsy on the ball and lost possession in both attacking and defensive areas, while never coming close to threatening the opposition net.
He was handed a wonderful opportunity to overcome his difficult day in the second half when Djed Spence burst into the box and had his shot saved, but as the rebound fell to the PSG loanee with Caoimhin Kelleher indisposed he completely mis-kicked to sum up his performance.
Tottenham player ratings vs Brentford
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
Pedro Porro – 6
Cristian Romero (off for Danso ’81) – 5
Micky van de Ven – 6
Djed Spence – 7
Rodrigo Bentancur (off for Palhinha ’65) – 7
Archie Gray – 6
Mohammed Kudus (off for Sarr ’80) – 7
Xavi Simons – 9 – Man of the Match
Richarlison – 7
Randal Kolo Muani (off for Odobert ’74) – 3
Substitutions
Joao Palhinha (on for Bentancur ’65) – 6
Wilson Odobert (on for Kolo Muani ’74) – 5
Pape Matar Sarr (on for Kudus ’80) – 5
Kevin Danso (on for Romero ’81) – 6