VAR controversy overshadows Spurs comeback win: Five things we learned from Tottenham 3-1 Brentford

The grass looks slightly greener in north London today as Ange Postecoglou‘s Tottenham won convincingly over Brentford.

Postecoglou’s men could not have faced a worse start to the match, finding themselves behind after just 22 seconds as Bryan Mbuemo pounded Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross into the top corner. But just minutes later, James Maddison pounced on Ethan Pinnock’s loose pass. His shot was parried into the path of Dominic Solanke, who tapped home for his first goal for Spurs.

The turnaround would be completed less than half an hour after Mbuemo’s opener, as Brennan Johnson beat his man and finished smartly into the bottom right corner to put the hosts ahead at half time, silencing those who had criticised him so abrasively in recent weeks.

After a more even second half, James Maddison smartly chipped past Flekken with five minutes remaining to score Spurs’ third and put the tie to bed, sending the visitors back to west London empty handed.

Here’s five things we learned from the match…

Spurs’ mentality has improved significantly

Things looked bleak for Spurs after Mbuemo’s early goal. Fans throughout the ground sighed audibly, likely expecting another long 90 minutes. Surprisingly, though, it took Tottenham all of seven minutes to equalise, establishing a level of attacking aggression totally alien from the attitude of Wednesday night’s performance. Whether the squad have done some soul searching, or some Postecoglou-recommended yoga, a mentality switch seems to be evident in the squad, and that can only be a good thing for the Tottenham faithful.

Dominic Solanke announces himself with aplomb

Solanke’s Tottenham career has not gotten off to the smooth start he would have hoped for. He went goalless in his first three appearances and spent a couple of weeks with the physio after hurting his ankle on debut, but the long awaited first goal has finally come. It was a straightforward striker’s goal, at surface level a simple tap in, but wrought from astute positioning and instinct. He will know as well as anyone else that those goals are the ones he was brought in to score. In a world where competent out-and-out strikers can be hard to come by, Solanke will prove to be a difference maker for Tottenham.

Brentford have a star in Bryan Mbuemo, but he needs better service

Mbuemo has often been listed among the more underrated players in the Premier League, and for good reason: his early goal is proof of his clinical nature. For long stretches, though, Brentford struggled to find the link between striker and support player. The issue is not unique to Mbuemo, either. Today we were subject to a rather anonymous performance from Fabio Carvalho, while Lewis-Potter regularly found himself isolated on the wings after pressing forward. With some small tactical tweaks, though, Frank’s men can be serious contenders going forward.

Spurs’ “toothless possession” is no longer an issue

Following his side’s bleak performance away to Coventry in the Carabao Cup, Postecoglou bemoaned the lack of urgency and cutting edge from Tottenham in possession. Those worries are now very much a thing of the past. When Spurs were at their free-flowing attacking best, they played with a tangible sense of purpose and direction, firing constant through balls beyond Brentford’s back line, exploiting the pace of Son, Johnson, and Kulusevski. While this approach failed to yield many goals, Spurs posed a constant threat on the ball, a far departure from that gormless Wednesday night display.

Vicario comes up trumps again and again for Tottenham

This is less something learned than it is something confirmed, but Guglielmo Vicario remains among the brightest lights in this Tottenham squad. With 5 saves, 3 high claims, and 10 recoveries on the day, the stats hardly do his performance between the sticks justice. Just after the hour mark he produced his best work yet, diving low to his right to prevent Kevin Schade’s close-range power-header. He never blinked under pressure, cruising in top gear throughout the 90 minutes.