Brentford’s latest visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw a 3-2 reverse after a pulsating fixture where both teams went hammer and tongs for the victory. In the end, a ten-minute spell at the start of the second half saw Spurs turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.
There are no complaints. Brentford gave as good as they got on pitch, in footballing terms. Probably better than Spurs when it came to football’s dark arts. Neal, the master, taking apprentice Ivan under his wing as the pair of them teamed up for the opening goal and a subsequent moment of triumph to match.
Maupay bundling home Ivan’s low cross before the pair of them launched into that James Maddison aping ‘darts’ celebration that has already gone down in Brentford folklore. The ultimate pantomime villain getting a taste of his own medicine.
Yet if the first half – of which the goal was the obvious highlight – saw the Bees ending it on a high with more than enough pressure to perhaps have scored a second, it was our hosts who took things by the scruff of the neck after half-time. A most awful of trebles with not one, not two but three goals conceded in just nine minutes.
Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison doing the damage as the Brentford defence went awol. Deflections not helping their cause but more should still have been done to cut out the threats.
Yet rather than looking down and out, the third seemed to rouse the Bees from their slumbers. The pressure built until Ivan found the back of the net with the third of three great chances. It was an absolute gift from the footballing gods with Udogie playing a horror/hilarious (delete as applicable) backpass straight to Ivan, from which the Bees man made no mistake with only ‘keeper Vicario between him and the goal.
Just shy of twenty-five minutes to go and game on. The Bees pushing and pushing but unable to convert pressure and opportunity into the equaliser. Shandon Baptiste with perhaps the best of the late chances whilst even the arrival of Mark Flekken into the box for the last corner of the game wasn’t enough.
The game ended in frustration after what at one stage was looking like a most famous of victories but saw Thomas and the team empty handed. Look at what we could have won.
We’ve all seen the game by now. Whether in the stadium where the travelling faithful once again out sang opposition who took two goals to wake up and saved their loudest for a hilarious ditty about Ivan. The other option being live on TV where Glenn Hoddle in the co-commentary seat showed more bias than a set of Crown Green bowls. Nothing like a bit of impartiality, eh?
So, let’s forgo any broader analysis and cut to the real reason for being here. Not just our star player award but also the ongoing quest to find Brentford’s overall player of the season with five points awarded for star player, four for second place, three for third etc with the totals added up game by game.
2023-24 Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 21 (vs Tottenham)
1st (Star player: 5 points) – Christian Norgaard
He was immense and must have covered every blade of grass. A huge presence in the middle where his 16th minute yellow card left us all fearing the worst for his time on the pitch. The combination of Tottenham’s theatrics (where it seemed a message about gamesmanship had definitely gone out) and referee Mr Coote predilection for soft yellows seemed as though it would lead to an inevitable conclusion.
No moreso given the way Christian was leading by Captain’s example. Throwing himself into every challenge and hiding nowhere. Every substitution surely one that would see him swapped out before any unfortunate card related mishap but every minute that passed, seeing the Bees more and more grateful that he was on field. Building play (nobody was close to his 37 passes), charging upfield, stopping Spurs in their tracks.
No question for his five points after a massive all-round performance.
2nd (4 points) – Ivan Toney
Got our second goal and set up the first. Had plenty of chances in either half, including one on the second where his thunderbolt from distance on the diagonal flew inches wide. Had it gone in it would have been up there for goal of the season.
As we’ve seen so often, it was his creativity that was as crucial to Brentford as his goal. Like Christian, he didn’t stop running and was still charging down the touchline 93 minutes in, doing his all to create the chances for this team mates.
3rd (3 points) – Neal Maupay
Four goals in four games for Neal. The game was lit up by his attempts to get under Tottenham’s skin which, to be fair, were mostly successful. Don’t you love it?
Then again, don’t you love the partnership with Ivan Toney? The pair of them have hit the ground running with the night’s big surprise being that they ‘only’ managed two goals. Neal was the right man in the right place for our opener and is now creating a partnership that is sure to be as famous as Dec and Ant, Deano and Bliss or Pearl and Dean.
4th (2 points) – Keane Lewis-Potter
Creativity and composure from KLP. He seemed to have a hand in everything. Especially in the first-half where the Bees had already taken the lead through a sweeping move before Mads Roerslev was judged off side.
Playing on the left, it was his high line that suggested more goals were coming. On another day they would have.
5th (1 point) – Ethan Pinnock
Putting to one side the start of the second half, Ethan was once again the main man in the backline. What the scorebooks won’t show is that Spurs began the first half with that same ten-minute surge of pressure. The difference being that it was Ethan putting his foot through everything. Ethan closing down the angles to make simple chances into hard ones. Goal threat into goal clearance.
2023-24 Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Players Overall (after Matchweek 21)
All of which means that heading in to Monday’s game with Manchester City, Ethan Pinnock is still out in front. With Bryan Mbeumo injured, Christian Norgaard takes second place whilst KLP’s recent form sees him join the top five for the season, level with Nathan Collins.
1st – Ethan Pinnock (37 points)
2nd – Christian Norgaard (34 points)
3rd – Bryan Mbeumo (31 points)
4th – Mathias Jensen (27 points)
5th – Nathan Collins (18 points)
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