THOMAS FRANK GETS RELIEF: XAVI SIMONS DELIVERS FIRST GOAL IN 19 GAMES
Xavi Simons repaid his massive fee with a crucial goal and assist in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Brentford. His brilliant performance ends Spurs' winless streak and boosts confidence.
Xavi Simons came to Tottenham with high expectations, thanks to his £52 million price tag and time at Barcelona's academy, Paris Saint-Germain, and RB Leipzig.
Spurs fans hoped he'd be the creative spark they missed while James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski were injured. But then, he played 18 games without scoring, spending a month mostly on the bench.
So, his goal and assist in the much-needed win against Brentford, along with his energetic performance, were a huge relief for him and Thomas Frank.
This will probably win Simons over with the fans, who are eager for someone to fill the roles of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Simons still has a lot to prove before he can be considered at their level.
He has shone before in a Champions League game against a weaker team, and Brentford wasn't much better than Copenhagen in this match.
Xavi Simons scored Tottenham's second goal in their crucial win against Brentford.
Simons celebrates his goal—his first since joining from RB Leipzig this summer.
Still, Spurs really need him to play with confidence. They need his creativity. And this game felt like a step forward for him and Frank, who celebrated after the win, which ended a five-game winless streak since beating Copenhagen.
Simons was in the starting lineup for the first time since the draw with Manchester United in early November, and his presence gave Spurs the creative edge around the box they had been missing.
His first attempts were wild shots, but he kept trying. His run down the right wing in the first half led to Richarlison's opening goal.
Simons got a pass from Pedro Porro and sent a great low cross behind the defence, which Richarlison met with his left foot to score his fourth goal in six games.
Frank’s team controlled the first half, and the second half was all about Simons. He lost the ball in his own half, and Brentford attacked, but Spurs quickly won it back. Simons took off with the ball, and Yehor Yarmoliuk chased him without getting close enough to tackle. Simons waited for the right moment and beat Caoimhin Kelleher with a low shot.
Richarlison scores with a strong shot in the 25th minute.
He jumped onto the advertising boards to celebrate his first Spurs goal with his classic telephone call gesture.
Relief spread through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They haven't had many good Premier League games at home recently. They've played better in Europe, but they had only won three league games this year before Brentford arrived.
But Spurs dominated this game, though they were anxious at first because Brentford is dangerous on the counter and from set pieces. Guglielmo Vicario made a good early save from Igor Thiago. The crowd sighed as passes went backwards.
Frank chose a team without Joao Palhinha to try and be more attacking.
It worked, and the score could have been higher. Randal Kolo Muani should have scored at 1-0 from a corner. Cristian Romero headed a corner back across the goal, but Kelleher saved Muani's header.
Spurs coach Thomas Frank talks with Igor Thiago, whom he signed for Brentford in 2024.
The Brentford goalkeeper made good saves in the second half to stop Djed Spence and Mohamed Kudus.
Simons almost got a hat trick when Kelleher was out of his goal, similar to Harry Wilson's goal for Fulham against Spurs.
But Wilson didn't get a good shot, and the ball went to Simons, by which time Kelleher was back in his goal.
Kudus thought he had scored the third goal and started celebrating, but it was ruled offside against Wilson Odobert. Then Kelleher saved a shot from Pape Matar Sarr, who should have scored.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
