Spurs 3-2 Brentford | Ange’s verdict: “It’s about us as a team - how we want to play, how we want to behave, how we want to act”

Ange Postecoglou praised the players for a shift in focus from the end of the first half to the start of the second half as we secured a 3-2 victory against Brentford in the Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Ange felt we lost that focus after Neal Maupay opened the scoring on 15 minutes but we found it again after the break with the introduction of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Brennan Johnson off the bench and a tactical switch with Dejan Kulusevski moving centrally.

Three goals followed in a devastating seven-minute spell that ultimately won us the game. Destiny Udogie levelled on 48 minutes, Brennan tapped home Timo Werner’s inch-perfect cross for 2-1 a minute later and Richarlison made it 3-1 from close range with 56 on the clock.

Ivan Toney pulled a goal back as Brentford ramped up the pressure late on but we held on for three points that move us above Villa into fourth via more goals scored.

Speaking on our Review Show, Ange told us: “I was a little frustrated with the first half, I thought we started well but then we got dragged into things that didn’t allow us to play our football. After they scored, we lost focus, some ill discipline that didn’t allow the game to flow. Brentford are good at stopping the game and forcing you to defend deep in your own half.

“The second half was better. We started really well, first 20, 25 minutes really good, scored three good goals, probably should have scored a couple more. Then we gave a goal away and even after that, there wasn’t a lot of football played, we had to defend a lot, which I think for the most part we handled okay.

“So, good character from the boys to get the three points, but there is a lot of improvement. We’re still a young side, trying to grow, trying to find our identity and within that context, opposition teams will test us in different ways. We didn’t handle it well in the first half but, as I said, good character from the boys to handle it better in the second half.

“That’s the challenge for us as a team… you either get dragged into these things or stand on your own two feet and try to impose (yourselves). It’s not about winning or losing as much as that’s the ultimate outcome, it’s about us as a football team how we want to play, how we want to behave, how we want to act… what’s important to us?

“We got back to that in the second half. I think the two boys coming on, Pierre and Brennan, made a big difference, but generally the whole team had a much clearer focus.”