Tottenham Hotspur have finally won at home, so we have switched up our traditional three winners and losers format to celebrate a well earned three points.
Tottenham Hotspur have put an end to a dreadful run in the Premier League by securing a 2-0 victory over Brentford.
The win is particularly significant as it took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs would be expected to enjoy the comforts of familiar surroundings, but they were without a win there since the opening weekend of the season until today.
After such a positive performance, let us take a look at the five star players from Tottenham’s Saturday afternoon triumph.
Xavi Simons stole the show for Tottenham
Thomas Frank has not helped his popularity ratings by benching Xavi Simons, but the midfielder will not find himself in that position again any time soon.
Simons was the key man in attack for Spurs, assisting Richarlison for the opening goal and scoring the second after an excellent run.
The Dutchman could have put Tottenham three ahead, as he had a good shooting chance when Caoimhin Kelleher temporarily left his net exposed. Unfortunately Simons’ shot was hit straight at the Brentford goalkeeper, but his overall display was a big step in the right direction.
Micky van de Ven stepped up in defence
No Tottenham player can claim to have been more consistent this season than Micky van de Ven. Every time the speedster plays he gives his absolute all and he produced another fine performance against Brentford.
The visitors had very few chances and van de Ven was a big reason for their attacking struggles.
While the 24-year-old might be disappointed he could not add to his goals tally in the first half after heading an effort over the bar, he will be delighted with how he is defending. His partnership with Cristian Romero was truly at its strongest and that is why Spurs kept a rare clean sheet.
Cristian Romero had a great game for Spurs
Both of Tottenham’s central defenders deserve a special mention today because it was an excellent display all-round at the back.
Romero put in some good tackles, including one particularly strong sliding challenge towards the end when van de Ven found himself in a spot of bother. He almost delivered another goal contribution too, providing Randal Kolo Muani with an early opportunity.
The only negative for the Spurs captain is that he was shown a second yellow card in two matches. If he receives three more, that will see him banned for two matches.
Richarlison was the top performing striker for Tottenham
Muani was the forward every Spurs fan was raving about after the PSG game, but Richarlison has been the player consistently banging in goals all season.
The Brazilian’s overall performances have not always hit the mark, but he worked hard against Brentford and got himself into a good position to open the scoring.
It will be interesting to see how Richarlison performs throught the rest of the campaign. With his contract running down, a decision will have to be made surrounding his future next summer.
Rodrigo Bentancur deserves credit for an improved performance
Mohammed Kudus had a bright display on the right wing and including him as the fifth winner would be fair enough. However, it is important to recognise the performance of a player who has quite rightly been slated for how he has played this season.
Bentancur has contributed next to nothing in the Tottenham midfield, but he was a lot better during Tottenham’s 2-0 victory.
The Uruguayan won all his ground duels, made lots of recoveries and showed a bit of ambition to get the ball forwards. Questions will continue to be asked about whether Bentancur deserves to be starting, but Saturday’s performance was much better than what he has previously delivered.
READ MORE – Tottenham player ratings from 2-0 against Brentford – 7/10 for midfielder who grew into the game