James Maddison ended a 195-day wait, a painful period in which he had suffered greatly from being left out of the England squad for the European Championship, and he could not hide his joy when his stunning clip found the net.
He enjoyed the applause and took off his shirt, earning himself a yellow card. The celebration darts that had caused such a stir during Brentford’s previous visit to N17, including the veteran trickster Neal Maupay, were also brought out.
The away fans booed Maddison before the game, but the Bees rarely manage to revive him. His goal, Tottenham’s third in the 85th minute, capped a magnificent personal display and calmed Ange Postecoglou’s nerves in the closing stages.
Spurs went behind within a minute of the break through a superb volley from Bryan Mbeumo, but were back ahead at the break thanks to goals from Dominic Solanke, his first for the club, and Brennan Johnson, his second in four days.
But missed chances kept the game tense and Brentford were chasing a point when Yves Bissouma won the ball in defence. Cristian Romero found Heung-min Son, who made the final pass, and Maddison finished with style.
Brennan Johnson scored his second winning goal for Tottenham this week
Dominic Solanke scored his first goal since his arrival and sparked Tottenham’s comeback
Brentford took the lead after just 23 seconds thanks to star player Bryan Mbeumo
‘We should have won by a lot more, but we did it anyway,’ grumbled Postecoglou. ‘You always keep the opponent in the game and that’s been the story of our season so far. It was a quality goal, involving three of our four captains. It was important to finish the game.’
Brentford shocked their hosts for the second weekend in a row within a minute. At Manchester City it was Yoane Wissa who gave them a surprise lead with just 22 seconds left on the clock. Here, with Wissa one of eight first-team players out injured, it was Mbeumo.
Just like at the Etihad Stadium, the goal came after 22 seconds and it was a savoury one. From right to left, Keane Lewis-Potter broke away from Pedro Porro and crossed. Mbuemo drifted away from Micky van de Ven and volleyed the ball into the top corner with his left foot.
However, as at the Etihad, the lead did not last long and the Bees were already behind at half-time. Solanke equalised when Spurs forced the visitors into a mistake when they played out of defence.
Maddison intercepted a pass from Ethan Pinnock, drove into the penalty area and tested Mark Flekken, who laid on his save for Solanke.
With only eight minutes gone, Tottenham took control, Maddison causing problems in the channel between Sepp van den Berg, on the right of a three-man defence, and wing-back Kristoffer Ajer.
Brentford’s defenders threw bodies in front of shots and suppressed attacks. Flekken also made a few saves, but the best save came at the feet of Son as he headed towards goal.
Johnson cut through the resistance. He was a stoppage-time hero in the Carabao Cup at Coventry in midweek, collecting a pass from Son, beating Nathan Collins at pace and finishing inside the far post.
Postecogolou got Tottenham back on track in the Premier League after the loss to Arsenal
The Tottenham manager is embraced by his captain Son and defender Romero after the match
Brentford suffered their second defeat in as many games after taking an early lead
Maddison scored Tottenham’s third goal in the 85th minute to put the result beyond doubt
The midfielder’s late goal was his first in 195 days and he will undoubtedly be aiming for more
Both goalkeepers provided sensations, springing to life with a mix of superb shot-stopping and risky passing moves deep in their own area. Guglielmo Vicario made great saves from Mbeumo and Mikkel Damsgaard, and Kevin Schade was the best as his team led 2-1.
Spurs keeper Vicario also escaped, despite handling the ball outside his penalty area. In the second half, he chased down a cross he wanted but failed to convert.
Referee John Brooks missed the foul and VAR did not intervene as they did not consider it a red card as it was not a clear scoring opportunity. Frank reacted angrily and picked up a yellow card but accepted that it had not changed the game.
“He gave the ball outside the box,” said the Bees boss. “It wasn’t game-changing. It wasn’t a penalty and it wasn’t a red card. It was just a free-kick outside the box, which John should have seen. I think he refereed a good game, it was a small thing. When you come here you have to give everything to maximise your chances.”