Brentford handed Tottenham Hotspur a major reality check on Saturday, cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium in a one-sided Premier League encounter.
Keith Andrews’ side dominated from the opening whistle, exposing Tottenham’s defensive weaknesses and punishing a Spurs team that struggled to match the hosts’ intensity despite their heavy spending during the summer transfer window.
Brentford took the lead in the 12th minute after Mamadou Sangaré drove forward before combining with Igor Thiago.
Sangaré then raced into space and cut the ball back for Keane Lewis-Potter, who finished from close range.
Tottenham struggled to respond as Brentford continued to create openings.
Thiago struck the crossbar, while Dango Ouattara twice found himself in promising positions but failed to convert.
The hosts doubled their advantage before half-time when Mathias Jensen’s effort was parried by Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, allowing Vitaly Janelt to react quickest and fire in the rebound.
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi made changes at the break, introducing Rodrigo Bentancur and debutant Mateus Fernandes in an attempt to revive his side.
However, Brentford quickly killed off any hopes of a comeback.
Nathan Collins nodded a corner towards the danger area in the 49th minute, and although Kinsky saved Sangaré’s initial effort, Michael Kayode was on hand to smash the loose ball into the roof of the net.
Tottenham were fortunate not to concede a fourth after Bentancur brought down Kevin Schade inside the penalty area.
Igor Thiago, however, struck the post from the resulting spot-kick.
The defeat will raise serious questions for De Zerbi, whose expensively assembled Tottenham side was outplayed in virtually every department.
For Brentford, the emphatic victory provided an impressive start to their second season under Andrews and highlighted the effectiveness of their settled squad and smart recruitment.
