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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.
VAR OUTRAGE: NUNO ESPíRITO SANTO FUMES AFTER RUTTER'S LATE, CONTROVERSIAL EQUALIZER
West Ham drops into the relegation zone after a controversial late goal by Rutter secured a draw for Brighton. Coach Nuno was furious, calling the unpunished incident an "obvious" foul.
It looked like West Ham was going to grab a victory in Sussex thanks to Jarrod Bowen's great goal. But then Rutter scored late in the game, tying things up.
The replays showed that the French player may have accidentally touched the ball with his hand before scoring. But the Premier League Match Centre put out a statement explaining why the goal was allowed.
The referee's call was looked at and confirmed by VAR. It was decided that Rutter's arm was in a normal position, and he didn't intentionally use his hand. Plus, the contact with his arm didn't directly lead to the goal, the statement said, agreeing with the VAR decision.
West Ham's coach, Nuno, was not happy with the call.
"It was a handball and a high foot," Nuno told Sky Sports.
“I don't even need to talk to the referee. I think it was the main thing in the game. It’s obvious. I saw it; everyone saw it. VAR saw it as well. Both things should be checked. It’s hard to accept, especially after how hard the team worked and the fans supported us, making us feel like we were in London.
“Then this happens, and everyone sees it. It’s tough to accept.”
Because of this result, West Ham is now in the relegation zone. If they had won, they would be in 17th place, out of the relegation zone.
West Ham falls back into the bottom three after a late goal ties the game.
SEAN DYCHE FUMES: FOREST REPORTS JAMES TARKOWSKI TO PGMOL AFTER 'VIOLENT' FOUL
Nottingham Forest has filed an official complaint with the PGMOL demanding a red card for Everton's James Tarkowski after an off-the-ball shoulder incident involving Dan Ndoye.
After James Tarkowski's off-the-ball incident with Dan Ndoye, Nottingham Forest filed a complaint with the PGMOL. The supposed foul occurred in the 11th minute of Forest’s 3-0 loss to Everton on Saturday.
Forest thinks Tarkowski's shoulder on Ndoye should have been seen as violent conduct, which means a red card. Referee Chris Kavanagh didn't see the play, and VAR official James Bell didn't think it was serious enough to change the call.
Sean Dyche said after the game, “I told Tarky that I respect him, but how did he get away with that in the first half? I don’t know what’s happening.
“The referee didn’t see it, and neither did the other officials, but VAR saw it and did nothing.
“I’m very surprised, and I already told Tarkowski I was going to say this. Also, the second goal bounced off the referee, which sent it right to their player.
“Those things happen when you’re not playing well, and you really don’t need them going against you.
“Everton seemed more motivated. I'm not talking about skill. I mean, they had more drive, and we didn't have enough. It's a reminder to our team that we need that baseline, and then our good play will follow.”
David Moyes said, "We’ve won four of the last five, with one bad game, the Newcastle game, but we’re winning, scoring, and keeping clean sheets."
If we want to be successful, we need to keep getting clean sheets, which we’re finally doing more often.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also commented, "Aside from the Newcastle defeat, we’re clicking and playing great." We were the better team, and they didn't cause us many issues.
Europe is a real goal. The club, ownership, and stadium all point to European football. Anything can happen, but we're moving in the right direction.
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