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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 REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.
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