Ange Postecoglou’s gutsy half-time substitution helped Tottenham overcome a half-time deficit to beat Brentford 3-2 in a thrilling Premier League clash.
After a goal from Neal Maupay in the 15th minute in a difficult match, Postecoglou replaced his midfield at the break, which made a quick move take effect when Destiny Udogie and Brennan Johnson scored with 72 seconds apart to put Spurs up. Up front.
Richarlison added a third after 56 minutes to end the game.
A gift of a goal to Ivan Toney, who took advantage of a poor backhand from Udogie in the 67th minute, kept Brentford in the competition.
However, Spurs held on for another thoroughly entertaining victory that saw Spurs move back into the Premier League’s top four.
One could be excused from thinking this match was mostly one way traffic based on the possession statistics, but that would be an error in what was a thoroughly entertaining contest.
Tottenham ruled 69 per cent ownership and controlled 19 shots to 10, but Brentford played their part in exploiting Spurs’ top line.
The Bees put the ball in the net twice in the first half, the first being a caution shot from Mads Roerslev, who was slightly offside when playing down the right side.
But in the decisive moment, Ivan Toney broke past the top line and returned the ball to Maupay, who snuck in.
Led by the goalscorer, Brentford were getting under Spurs’ skin and there was a sense that the hosts were going to have a frustrating evening.
“We were dragged into things we had done,” Postecoglou told TNT Sports after the game.
“We were chatting to the ref more than we were playing football.
“We are naive at times, focusing on the wrong things.”
However, Postecoglou doubled down on his attacking philosophy and made a double substitution at half-time that turned the festival upside down.
Removing central midfielders Ollie Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur to replace attacking threats Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Brennan Johnson was an ambitious strategy, and it paid off instantly.
The perfect Timo Werner, the purveyor of both goals, when Udogie broke away to give Spurs the point just 3 minutes after the restart, and Johnson went home at the far post with just his second touch of the game to give Spurs the lead.
Richarlison’s seventh goal in as many Premier League games – one more than he had scored in his last 47 top-flight games – was the result of an interaction with James Maddison’s full-back, who played his first game since 3 November.
Toney scored Brentford’s second goal after being inadvertently played through a temperamental backpass from Udogie (his second goal since returning from an eight-month suspension for minor offences) to keep the game interesting.
But Spurs have managed to hold on to return to the Champions League places, which will be the revised target of Spurs and their fervent supporters.
“We were smart for the first 25 minutes [in the second half],” Postecoglou said.
“We scored a few goals and we might have scored a few more. Then, after his goal, it was a break and a start, but it was entertaining. “
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