Twelve minutes was all it took
Roberto De Zerbi’s first competitive match in charge of Tottenham lasted about a quarter of an hour before it started going wrong. Keane Lewis-Potter finished off a give-and-go with a diagonal run in the 12th minute and Brentford never looked back. Final score at the Gtech Community Stadium this afternoon: 3-0.
The second goal exposed something Spurs will not want to see again. Antonin Kinsky parried a shot he should have held on 33 minutes and Vitaly Janelt was there for the rebound. The third arrived four minutes into the second half from a corner, Michael Kayode getting across his marker at the back post. Three goals, three different sources: open play, a goalkeeping error, a set piece.
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The scoreline could have been heavier
Brentford won a penalty on 53 minutes when a Spurs defender caught a runner from behind. Michael Oliver pointed to the spot without hesitation. Igor Thiago struck the post. Caoimhin Kelleher then denied Tottenham on the hour mark, the closest the visitors came all afternoon.
De Zerbi turned to James Maddison and Dominic Solanke on 67 minutes. Neither changed much. Keith Andrews answered with Yehor Yarmoliuk and Jaidon Anthony, the midfield stopped moving forward, and Brentford saw the game out without alarm.
What the numbers said before kick-off
Tottenham had won five of the previous ten meetings between the clubs, drawn four and lost one. On paper this is not a fixture Brentford dominate. It was also the first outing for a Spurs squad rebuilt at considerable expense over the summer, after a campaign that finished uncomfortably close to the relegation places.
Brentford finished ninth last season with 53 points and voted Igor Thiago their player of the year after 22 goals. Their preseason had already hinted at something, with a 4-2 win over Rennes and a 7-0 result against Eintracht Frankfurt at home. Whether that carries across 38 games is another question, but the opening 90 minutes did not read like an accident.
Richarlison, Tottenham’s leading scorer last season with 11 goals, spent the afternoon feeding off scraps. De Zerbi has a week to work out why his side never turned up.
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