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Xavi Simons scored his first Tottenham goal to give Thomas Frank a much-needed 2-0 home win over his former club Brentford.

Spurs' first Premier League home victory since the opening day ended a five-game winless run in all competitions to hand Frank a winning reunion against Brentford, whom he left in the summer to join Tottenham after six-and-a-half years in charge of the Bees.

Simons, on his first start in nearly a month, starred in the win as the £51m signing's goal and assist not only eased the pressure on Frank but lifted the home supporters, who enjoyed a shot-laden display that should have seen Spurs win by more.

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Spurs' first of their seven shots on target - their most in a league game this season - resulted in a 25th-minute goal as Simons squared across for Richarlison to finish.

Simons then opened his Spurs account on his 19th appearance with a fine solo run from the halfway line as he tucked home coolly just before half-time.

Sky Sports News' Tim Sherwood labelled Brentford's defending "horrendous" for Simons' goal as the visitors struggled in north London, producing just one shot on target.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews, who replaced Frank and was a set-piece coach under the Dane, must fix their dire form on the road following a seventh defeat in eight away league games this season.

But for Frank, he will be hoping this win - just Spurs' fourth in their last 22 home league matches - can be the start of a better record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as his side moved up to eighth, just three points off the top four.

Frank 'so pleased' for Simons

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank speaking to Sky Sports on Simons' display:

"I'm so pleased for him. He's been working very hard on the training pitch, working hard in the gym; he's a 24/7 pro.

"He's so determined, and it's a combination of him growing into it and the team becoming more in sync around him. Everything was on the same page today."

On the win: "After a few tough games, it's so nice to see a much more complete performance today. I think offensively, we looked such a threat going forward.

"I liked the dynamic and the runs out wide, I liked the pace we played with when we went forward, and I liked the aggression we showed in the duels and in the press - that's such a big thing.

"We created a lot of dangerous situations and chances, and on the flip side, we defended very well too, which you need to do. We only gave up four shots, so it really was the complete performance we've been searching for.

"It was a very good step today and we need to keep building on it."

Andrews: We weren't at the levels we have shown

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews speaking to Sky Sports:

"It was a really disappointing result - and if we're being completely honest, a disappointing performance in the first half. It wasn't at the levels we've shown this season.

"In this league, with the quality of individuals the opposition have, if you're not quite at it, you can be punished - and that's exactly what happened to us in the first half.

"We went to the Emirates, went toe-to-toe with Arsenal, and we've played consistently well. This is probably the first half since the opening game of the season where I felt we weren't quite at the levels.

"Away from home, some of the performances have been there - the results just haven't followed, and obviously we've suffered another defeat today.

"Some of the away performances have been very good, but today's performance simply wasn't good enough - and that's what we need to focus on correcting."

Analysis: Simons finally has lift-off

It has been a long time coming, but Simons finally has lift-off at Spurs.

A first Tottenham goal in a player-of-the-match display, Simons showed why the club paid £51m to sign him in the summer.

The Netherlands international shone playing in his natural No. 10 role rather than out on the left wing, where he was positioned when he initially joined the club.

That issue contributed to a tough start to life in north London, as some questioned his arrival. But the only question being asked now is - why did he start on the bench in Tottenham's last four games?

Handed his first start since November 8, Simons starred against Brentford, having the most shots (4) and shots on target (2) of any player in the match.

His assist for Richarlison's opener, followed by his stunning solo goal, will give the 22-year-old huge confidence he had been lacking.

Asked at his post-match press conference whether it was a breakthrough performance for Simons, Spurs boss Thomas Frank replied: "Definitely. I'm so happy for him. He's been working very hard. He's a top pro.

"He's so determined. He wanted it so badly in every aspect of his game, and it's just a little bit of adaptation."

It could also be a breakthrough display for Frank. His side produced their second-highest xG total in a Premier League game this season (2.15) and their most shots on target (7).

For now, the discontent and pressure around Frank has been lifted with Spurs fans finally treated to a positive home performance, with Simons at the heart of it.

Opta facts: Spurs keep Brentford quiet

Thomas Frank's Tottenham faced their fewest shots (4), shots on target (1) and lowest xG against total (0.29) in a Premier League game this season.

Tottenham recorded just their fourth home Premier League win of 2025, and their first since the opening day of the season against Burnley, ending their six-game run without a home win (D2 L4).

Only Wolves (1) have collected fewer points on the road in the Premier League this season than Brentford (3), while their seven losses is the joint-most along with Burnley.

Tottenham's Xavi Simons both scored and assisted in the same game for the ninth time in Europe's big five leagues.

Across 2025, Tottenham's Richarlison has scored eight goals in his 13 Premier League starts, while his 10 goals overall in the competition this calendar year is his joint-most, along with 2019.

Story of the match in stats...

What's coming up in the Premier League?

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First Half: Man Utd 0-0 West Ham - live on Sky

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Live commentary by Pat Rowe and Laura Hunter, with Adam Bate at Old Trafford

Man Utd 0-0 West Ham

Amad breaks into the box and goes down inside the area following a challenge from Fernandes but the referee waves play on!

Man Utd 0-0 West Ham

Man Utd 0-0 West Ham

It actually went out of play for a throw-in.

Man Utd 0-0 West Ham

Sky Sports' Adam Bate at Old Trafford:

"Loud chants of 'Billy Bonds' claret and blue army' coming from the away end."

Man Utd 0-0 West Ham

KICK OFF!

We are under way at Old Trafford...

Can Man Utd make it back-to-back wins or will West Ham stake their claim to move out of the relegation zone?

Time to find out...

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All eyes on Heaven

Sky Sports' Dan Khan at Old Trafford:

“Nice full circle moment for Ayden Heaven making his first league start of the season. He was released by West Ham’s academy at the age of 11 before moving to Arsenal shortly after.

"Worth remembering Heaven performed well for Ruben Amorim in the second half of last season before injury cut short his season. It’s a big responsibility in that central role in the defence, composure and commanding that back line to shift side to side will be pivotal.”

Here come the players!

Man Utd and West Ham have emerged from the tunnel at Old Trafford...

Here we go!

Team news reminder!

A reminder of how Man Utd and West Ham line up this evening...

Man Utd: Lammens, Mazraoui, Heaven, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot, Cunha, Mbeumo, Zirkzee.

West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf, Potts, Magassa, Fernandes, Soucek, Bowen, Wilson.

Beckham: Amorim is changing Man Utd slowly

Sir David Beckham speaking to Sky Sports:

"There are signs of the manager turning things around. He's tweaked a few things but we still have a long way to go.

"There are a few games when we are not playing as well as we want to see. We have a good manager and he is changing things slowly."

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Nev: 'Mad' league shows no signs of settling

Sky Sports' Gary Neville:

"Man Utd are in a similar position as they were a week last Monday against Everton, where you're looking at it thinking they can go joint-fifth in the league, get amongst it with some friendly fixtures coming up.

"The result against Crystal Palace was massive, a brilliant win, spirits are lifted coming into this.

"It's so inconsistent this year, Arsenal are the only team producing any level of performance on a regular basis. I was at Leeds last night and Chelsea were miles off it. It's a mad league at the moment and it's not settling down, which makes things interesting.

"We wanted more excitement, more results that shock us, and that's what we've got."

Look away West Ham fans...

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Will Leeds win inspire West Ham into action?

Sky Sports' Gary Neville:

"Watching Leeds last night might have sent some shockwaves through this West Ham squad. It's still very early days, West Ham have an opportunity tonight to come and win at Manchester United, and that will give them a massive boost."

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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank admits Saturday’s visit of former club Brentford will be special, but he will have no problem celebrating against them.

Frank left Brentford in the summer to take over at Spurs, having joined the west London club in 2016.

The Danish coach masterminded promotion to the Premier League four years ago to etch his name into Brentford folklore and can expect a warm reception from the away fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the 52-year-old had no hesitation when asked if he would celebrate.

"Yeah, I will," Frank said.

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"I think everyone respects the respect I have got for Brentford and for the fans and everyone before kick-off, after kick-off and after the final whistle.

"(But) in the 90 minutes plus, it's all about one thing and do what we can to win the game.

"Of course it's a little bit more special for me because I face Brentford where I've been for nine years. That's almost a quarter of my life!

"I had a fantastic time there and I enjoyed every second of it.

"There's a lot of people I will see on Saturday that I haven't seen for a long time and I used to see them every day more or less, so that will be special of course as well.

"But today it has been preparation against the team. Players I know very well of course, small tweaks to what you could say I used to do, but a lot of the identity is the same in many ways, which makes it difficult in many ways.

"When the whistle goes, it's all about getting three points and winning."

'We need to come out brave'

A battling point at Newcastle on Tuesday ended a worrying run of three consecutive defeats, which had sparked questions about Frank's long-term prospects at Tottenham.

Spurs' home form in the Premier League in 2025 has been horrendous and, while a large chunk was under Frank's predecessor Ange Postecoglou, the former Brentford boss has overseen four defeats in his seven league fixtures.

Overall Tottenham have won only three of their last 21 home league matches, but Brentford have lost six times on the road this season in the division.

Frank added: "It will be a nice timing for us to get the three points on Saturday.

"There's only one way to do that, to put a good performance in there, work on the things we are constantly working on, phase two, phase three, constantly make it sharper, quicker.

"Not direct, but more penetration when we need to have that. Play with intensity, come out brave and I'm looking forward to the game."

Ref Watch's Dermot Gallagher has questioned why referee Thomas Bramall noticed grappling between Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn, but then "ignored" it and needed VAR to help award a penalty.

In their draw at St James' Park, Newcastle were controversially awarded a spot-kick after the Tottenham midfielder was penalised for pulling Burn to the floor, with questions over whether it was a foul.

Speaking on a special midweek edition of Ref Watch, Dermot explained: "I think it raises a number of issues.

"Just before the corner came in, Thomas Bramall went to the two players and said to Bentancur 'you're facing the wrong way'.

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"He's told them. Now if I was that referee, when I go back to my position, that's who I'd be focused on.

"Clubs were warned about players not facing the ball, which he never is. There's no doubt about it and he runs the risk of giving a penalty away.

"The referee is focused on those players - you have to think that because he's made that decision.

"So you would think he's seen that and thinks it's not a penalty. The VAR then looks and says 'is it a clear and obvious error.'

"They're grappling and he [Bentancur] is not looking at the ball. The referee clears it, the VAR says no and the referee goes to the screen, where he sees something he didn't see in the match.

"That's a mystery to me - why he identifies that and then ignores it."

Former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd also believed it was a penalty, adding: "When I initially saw this, I thought it could be a bit soft. The more I see it, the more I agree. It's a definite penalty.

"When you learn how to play football, you learn how to mark. Your shoulders are open so you can see, you can feel and you can glance at the same time.

"Dan Burn has initially tried to run there and then he's tried to duck around the other side. Bentancur has turned around because he knows he's in a bad decision and he's trying to block him. That's why I think he's given the penalty."

There were plenty of other incidents analysed on Ref Watch too, including a five-and-a-half-minute VAR check at Molineux...

Wolves 0-1 Nottingham Forest

INCIDENT: Nottingham Forest had a goal disallowed at Wolves. As a corner came in, Igor Jesus headed home but keep your eye on the player just in front of the goalkeeper.

The goal was initially given but VAR Rob Jones checked if Dan Ndoye was in an offside position and interfering with the eyeline of the goalkeeper.

The process took over five minutes to review by VAR.

DERMOT SAYS: "It was [the right decision], but too convoluted.

"You could clear this up so quickly because you see the shot from behind the goal, it's clearly in the goalkeeper's line of vision.

"You see it from the side, it's clearly in the goalkeeper's view and impacting because it's so close. He's clearly offside.

"The assistant should know he's in an offside position. Whether he knows he's in an offside position is a different matter.

"As an official, you have your headsets. You pool your resources. Say to the referee: 'he's in an offside position.' The referee can see where he is. He can say 'he's in front of the goalkeeper.'

"That takes five seconds. Flag goes up, whistle goes, free-kick taken."

BOTHROYD SAYS: "I looked at that in full speed and straight away, I could see that was offside. It's easy to see.

"I don't know why that takes five and a half minutes. I don't know what they're looking at. I can't wrap my head around it.

"The linesman is the funny thing for me because what is he really looking at? It looks like he has laser focus down the line but he's missed something so obvious.

"Does he not want to take responsibility to make his own decision? What're you waiting for?

"Referees are relying on VAR. It seems like they don't want to be wrong and don't want to be called out, just in case they do make a bad decision."

Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland

INCIDENT: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to push Sunderland defender Dan Ballard in the back in the area but nothing was given.

DERMOT SAYS: "What happens is Ballard is not going to get the ball. He feels a touch on his back and just goes down. It also proves that it is a full-contact game and making contact with a player isn't necessarily a foul."

JAY BOTHROYD: "He realises he is ahead of Szoboszlai. When he's ahead of him, he tries to back in to initiate contact.

"It's not a case of Ballard was standing and Szoboszlai pushes him. They are both moving into that area. Ballard realises he's in front. He stops and plants his legs and Szoboszlai goes into the back of him."

Brighton 3-4 Aston Villa

INCIDENT: In the lead-up to Brighton's first goal, they were awarded a corner but replays show it shouldn't have been given.

Matty Cash headed the ball, but it appeared to make contact with the Brighton player before going out of play. Brighton then scored from the corner through Jan Paul van Hecke.

There was then a VAR check for handball for the goal itself, but not for the corner and the goal stood.

DERMOT SAYS: "It's interesting because I don't see it as judge and jury. I see it as a mindset.

"When I was a referee, one of the things you do is take a little bit of time. You'll be amazed, if you wait one second, how the landscape changes and you can gather a little bit more information to make a decision.

"The clue there was the Brighton player. He gives himself up. These are all the clues you are looking for."

Should VAR rules change to decide on corners?

BOTHROYD SAYS: "You can't change rules during the season. I genuinely think big rule changes can happen, but you should be able to make modifications during the season.

"That's a modification that we can make. So far this season, there have been about four or five occasions where a corner has been given, they score from it, and it's not the correct decision. I think it needs to be looked it but, how far do you go?

"Do you then go to throw-ins? Now, we're playing in an era where there's a long throw. If that throw goes the wrong way and someone throws it in the box and they score from it, do you look at it?"

DERMOT SAYS: "You can't change the rules or protocols without an experiment. Usually if you're going to do it, you usually do so in a youth league or a league in another country.

"There isn't enough time to do that before the World Cup, so now they're talking about trialling at the World Cup.

"It comes out of massive fear. Imagine two teams are playing in the World Cup final, five minutes to go. That incident happens, a goal is scored and a team win or lose the World Cup on that. It will never be forgotten or forgiven."