Premier League: Tottenham end losing streak with victory over Brentford
What's the story
Tottenham Hotspur have ended a four-match losing streak in the Premier League, with a hard-fought 2-0 win against Brentford in matchweek 24.
The victory was sealed through an own goal by Vitaly Janelt and a late strike by Pape Sarr.
This win has lifted Spurs to the 14th position in the league table.
Despite an injury crisis, the team will return to North London with boosted morale after bagging three crucial points.
Match highlights
Janelt's own goal and Sarr's late strike seal Spurs's win
The match was defined by a scrappy own goal from Brentford's Vitaly Janelt, putting Spurs in the lead.
In the second half of the game, Tottenham successfully warded off several crosses from their hosts.
The victory was finally sealed when Pape Sarr capitalized on a pass from Heung-Min Son to score on a counter-attack.
This win comes as a major boost for Spurs ahead of their crucial Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Thursday.
Game analysis
Brentford's missed opportunities and defensive errors
Brentford had a few chances to score but were mostly limited to half-chances by Tottenham's defense.
A major miss came from Yoane Wissa, who couldn't convert a close-range shot into a goal.
Brentford's home ground has witnessed more defeats than usual lately, with the team now going six games without a win across all competitions.
Despite dominating possession in Spurs's final third for long, they couldn't make the most of it.
Decisive moments
Defensive set-piece and goalkeeper's positioning cost Brentford
Ultimately, Brentford's downfall was a defensive set-piece.
Iceland goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, making his first Premier League start in place of the injured Mark Flekken, was overwhelmed as Son delivered a threatening cross.
Sky Sports's Jamie Carragher criticized Valdimarsson's positioning as a 'recipe for disaster.'
This error proved costly for Brentford before Sarr added to their woes with his late goal.
Details
Match stats and points table
Brentford had 4 shots on target from 20 attempts. Spurs had two shots on target from 13 attempts.
Brentford had 2.29 expected goals with Spurs managing a tally of 0.75.
The Bees had 48 touches in the opposition box with Spurs managing 21.
Brentford are 11th with 31 points from 24 matches. This was their 11th defeat.
Spurs have moved to 14th. This was their 8th win of the season.
Information
Contrasting records for the two teams
The Bees have lost 4 of their last 5 Premier League home games this season by at least a two-goal margin. Meanwhile, Spurs are now unbeaten against Brentford in the Premier League under their manager Ange Postecoglou (W3 D1).