Tottenham recorded a dominant 2-0 win over Brentford as Antonio Conte made it three games unbeaten in the Premier League on Thursday.
Spurs took the lead in their first top-flight meeting with Brentford in fortuitous fashion as Sergio Canos deflected into his own net after 12 minutes, the Bees’ first ever own goal in the competition.
Thomas Frank’s side did not manage a shot on target until the 63rd minute, though that proved in vain when Son Heung-Min doubled the lead two minutes later.
Conte’s side – who are unbeaten in 12 matches against London rivals Brentford in all competitions, dating back to 1948 – move up to sixth and are within touching distance of the top four.
Alvaro Fernandez denied Lucas Moura in the opening stages, but Spurs were soon ahead when Pontus Jansson headed Son’s cross against team-mate Canos, who turned into his own net by no fault of his own.
Bryan Mbeumo responded by sending a speculative long-range volley wide before Sergio Reguilon looped a header off target and Fernandez pushed Son’s low effort away.
Harry Kane raced through one-on-one after the interval but was thwarted by Fernandez, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inexplicably prodded wide following the England captain’s low delivery.
Ivan Toney then drilled tamely into Hugo Lloris’ hands before Spurs doubled their advantage as Son tapped in Reguilon’s cross to cap an expert counter-attack started by Kane.
Frank’s side rarely troubled Spurs’ goal in the closing stages as Conte oversaw his second league victory in as many games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
What does it mean? Spurs end derby hoodoo to move closer to top four
Conte admitted that Spurs were his biggest challenge yet but remains unbeaten in his first three Premier League games after collecting a point at Everton and beating Leeds United before this latest win.
Tottenham finally end their five-game losing run in top-flight London derbies and move right into contention for a Champions League spot.
Classy Kane
The visitors became the 31st side that Kane had faced in the Premier League, the striker having scored against all of the previous 30 he had lined up against.
While there was no goal for the 28-year-old, he produced a classy display in which he registered a game-high four key passes, as many as the whole Brentford team combined.
Off day for Onyeka
Brentford’s three-man midfield was dominated by Spurs’ combination of Oliver Skipp and Hojbjerg in a timid performance that was typified by Frank Onyeka’s poor showing.
The 23-year-old was hauled off before the hour mark after winning less than half of his five duels and completing just 11 passes in an underwhelming outing.
Key Opta Facts:
– Tottenham have won all three of their home matches under Conte in all competitions, with the Italian the fourth consecutive Spurs manager to start his tenure with wins in each of his first three home games in charge (also Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason and Nuno Espirito Santo), with Mauricio Pochettino in 2014 the last to fail to do so.
– Having lost to Chelsea in October and Tottenham tonight, Brentford have suffered defeats in back-to-back league London derbies for the first time since March 2016, when they lost to Charlton and QPR.
– Spurs have won 28 of their last 32 Premier League home games against promoted sides (D2 L2), including each of their last three without conceding.
– Canos’ own goal was the first Brentford have scored in the Premier League, meaning 49 of the 50 sides to play in the competition have now put through their own net at least once, with Cardiff City the only side not to (76 games, zero own goals).
– Son scored his 75th Premier League goal for Tottenham, and fifth this season – no other Spurs player has scored more than two league goals in 2021-22.
What’s next?
Tottenham host Norwich City on Sunday, while Brentford travel to Leeds United on the same day.
