Tottenham earned back-to-back Premier League wins under Antonio Conte for the first time as a 2-0 victory over Brentford moved them up to within two points of the top four.
With Sunday’s postponement at Burnley denying Spurs the chance to respond to last Thursday’s embarrassing Europa Conference League defeat at NS Mura, their first-ever top-flight meeting with Brentford presented Conte’s men with the opportunity to bounce back – and it was one they seized.
Ben Davies forced an early own goal from Sergi Canos, and Heung-Min Son wrapped up the victory with a sweeping counter-attacking second midway through the second half as Spurs, who remain far from the finished article, showed signs that Conte’s methods were finally beginning to bear fruit.
For Brentford, having arrested their five-game winless run against Everton last time out, it was another defeat to digest for Thomas Frank’s side, who shaded possession but lacked the attacking quality as their late barrage on the Spurs goal proved to be in vain.
The victory sees Tottenham extend their unbeaten run against Brentford to 12 matches in all competitions and lifts them up to sixth in the Premier League, while the visitors drop a place to 12th after suffering their third defeat in five.
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More to follow.
What’s next?
Tottenham host Norwich and Brentford travel to Leeds in the Premier League on Sunday at 2pm.