Dominic Solanke scored for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou’s side beat Brentford 3-1 in a thrilling match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The visitors took the lead for the second game in a row after 22 seconds when Bryan Mbeumo hammered Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross into the top right corner, but the rest of a frenzied first half belonged to Spurs.

Seven minutes after Mbeumo’s brilliant opener, the hosts equalised thanks to Solanke, who answered his critics with an instinctive finish after James Maddison’s initial shot was generously deflected into his path.

Spurs capitalised on the momentum and took the lead in the 28th minute when Brennan Johnson was set free by Heung-Min Son and fired a pinpoint shot past Mark Flekken – who remains the Premier League’s busiest goalkeeper.

Brentford were attacked many more times during their unusually disorganised performance.

Solanke offered the tireless Son the chance to score Spurs’ third goal, while Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski also failed to score. Mbeumo had a rare chance to equalise at the other end but was stopped by Guglielmo Vicario, who appeared to have touched the ball with his hand outside his penalty area moments earlier.

However, Maddison had the last word. Cristian Romero launched a quick counterattack and linked up with Son, who unselfishly passed the ball to Maddison with five minutes to go, who lobbed the ball over Flekken.

Tottenham’s second win of the season lifted the team to tenth place, while Brentford – who have dropped more points from winning positions than any other team since the start of last season (36) – have slipped to twelfth.

Should Vicario have been punished?

Brentford were rightly furious in the 58th minute when Vicario awkwardly touched a pass outside his penalty area after attempting to collect it in front of Mikkel Damsgaard but being unable to intercept it.

The entire incident was strangely overlooked by referee John Brooks, prompting angry reactions from Kristoffer Ajer and Thomas Frank, who were both cautioned for dissent.

The result should have been a free kick and a yellow card for Vicario according to the letter of the law, but Frank clarified that the incident was “not game-deciding”.

In his press conference he said: “He handled the ball, but this incident was not decisive. We have to make up for the differences. It was a mistake that could have helped us, but the probability of scoring a goal from it is slim. John Brooks played a very good game overall.”

Postecoglou praises “relentless” Spurs

Tottenham Head Coach Ange Postecoglou:

“It wasn’t an ideal start. But it was as if it had never happened. We knew Brentford would be aggressive and we love that part of the game.”

“We thought if we brought our intensity we could cause problems and we were relentless throughout the game. We fully deserved the win.”

“The whole team was good. We really focused on dominating the game. Brentford try to dominate the game and that’s great for us because we like to apply pressure. The midfielders played a key role in that.”

“Despite all our play, we haven’t really been rewarded for it so far. Three of the club’s leading players contributed to the third goal and that’s what you look for in moments like that.”

Frank: We are missing the strongest players

Brentford Head Coach Thomas Frank:

“We always try to come here to win. You can see that today. There is no away stadium we are afraid of.

“I like the courage of my players. We are playing against a team that is in top form and we are missing five of our strongest players. That should put things in perspective.

“No moaning, no complaints. It’s my job to put out a competitive team. I saw a very good Spurs team today.”

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