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Tottenham 3 – Brentford 1 – Johnson scores again, but should Vicario have been penalised for handball?

For the second time in four days, Tottenham turned a 1-0 deficit to win – and Brennan Johnson was once again on the scoresheet.

Ange Postecoglou's side needed more time to beat Coventry City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, but things were easier here at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Bryan Mbeumo put Brentford ahead after 23 seconds, but Tottenham hit back seven minutes later through Dominic Solanke, his first goal for the club since joining Tottenham from Bournemouth for £65 million.

Towards the end of the second half, James Maddison increased the score to 3-1, securing Tottenham's second win of the Premier League season.

Jay Harris goes through the most important topics of conversation…


Brennan Johnson silences his doubters

The last week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Johnson, who deactivated his Instagram account after being abused following Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Arsenal.

The 23-year-old started on the bench in the Carabao Cup against Coventry but eventually became Tottenham's hero, scoring the winner in second-half stoppage time. Johnson's muted celebration suggested what had happened off the pitch had taken its toll.

He started on the right wing against Brentford, who tried to sign him from Nottingham Forest on several occasions before his move to north London, and he competed with Nathan Collins and Keane Lewis-Potter.

Johnson's first involvement in the game was to foul Lewis-Potter, after which he was pushed by Collins. Then an interesting tactical change by Thomas Frank may have indirectly led to Johnson scoring. During a stoppage in play, Frank instructed Collins to advance higher from his position as left centre-back. Within minutes, Son Heung-min left Johnson space on the right wing. The Welsh international charged past the retreating Collins and fired the ball into the far corner.


Johnson scores his goal (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The whole stadium erupted in applause and Maddison threw his arms up in the air, calling for more noise. As play resumed, Spurs fans began chanting: “There is only one Brennan Johnson.” It was a touching moment that underlined their support for him.

Johnson will be frustrated that he was unable to score again in the second half. Son set up another excellent chance for him, but his shot went wide. Johnson held his shirt over his face while Postecoglou had his hands on his knees.

When Johnson was replaced by Pape Sarr 20 minutes from time, there was huge cheering among the Spurs fans.


Should Vicario and Spurs have been penalised for handball?

There was a bizarre moment in the 57th minute when Brentford players shouted for a free kick and a punishment for Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario.

Mikkel Damsgaard won a free kick on the edge of Tottenham's box near the left wing after coming under pressure from Cristian Romero and Johnson. The 24-year-old's effort was blocked but Sepp van den Berg won the ball back from Destiny Udogie. Van den Berg passed it to Yehor Yarmoliuk, who sent a cross high into the air. The ball floated towards the edge of the box and Vicario tried to catch it but misjudged the ball's trajectory. Vicario swung at the ball a couple more times and appeared to touch it with his hand outside the box.

Damsgaard and Lewis-Potter immediately spoke of handball. Brentford's players were furious as the referee allowed play to continue before awarding a free kick to Tottenham for a foul in the centre circle. Kristoffer Ajer received a yellow card for his protest and referee John Brooks stopped play for around a minute. After the delay, he walked to the touchline and cautioned Brentford head coach Frank, who couldn't believe what had happened.


Frank was furious that Vicario got away with an obvious handball outside the penalty area (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

The athlete I have asked the referee association PGMOL for a comment on the incident.


Brentford scores in 30 seconds for the second game in a row… how?

In last week's 2-1 loss to Manchester City, Ajer pushed forward and Lewis-Potter headed the defender's cross back into the box for Yoane Wissa to score.

Ajer and Lewis-Potter were again involved in the build-up to Mbeumo's elegant volley against Spurs. Immediately after kick-off, Ajer pressed high on Tottenham full-back Udogie to exploit his considerable height advantage. Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken received the ball, played it towards the Norwegian international and the ball fell to Tottenham striker Dejan Kulusevski, who was surrounded by Damsgaard and Yarmoliuk.

The ball was played out wide to Lewis-Potter, who dropped his shoulder and cut past Pedro Porro. The 23-year-old whipped a cross into the box and Mbeumo twisted his hips before firing a shot onto the crossbar. Vicario had no chance of saving the shot, but Porro should have done a better job of stopping Lewis-Potter, while Micky van de Ven should have been closer to Mbeumo.

It was a nightmare start for Tottenham in a game they needed to win after two consecutive Premier League defeats. The stadium was stunned but their intense pressure overwhelmed Brentford and within seven minutes Solanke had equalised.


What did Ange Postecoglou say?

We will let you know after he speaks at the post-match press conference.


What’s next for Tottenham?

Thursday, September 26: Qarabag (H), Europa League, 20:00 BST, 15:00 ET

Sunday, September 29th: Manchester United (A), Premier League, 4:30pm BST, 11:30am ET


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(GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)