Match report: Tottenham 3-2 Brentford
Time to sign off with Ed Aarons’ match report. Thanks for joining me.
“Apart from the 10-minute blackout at the start of the second half, I thought we played well,” says Thomas Frank. “They’re a good team, very good players [but] the second goal cannot ever happen, straight after conceding the first.”
A ridiculous game in the Women’s Champions League: Benfica had fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to lead Barcelona 4-3, but Lucy Bronze – whose own goal put Benfica in front – has scored a 96th-minute equaliser. Final score: Benfica 4-4 Barcelona.
In La Liga, meanwhile, Memphis Depay has scored late as Atlético Madrid edged past Rayo Vallecano with a 2-1 win.
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A bit of transfer news to bring you – Gio Reyna has joined Nottingham Forest on loan from Dortmund. The US star has also extended his BVB contract, and there is no purchase option as part of the deal.
Gio is a Red ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/K0P4WnRGqc
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 31, 2024
GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Chelsea (Nkunku 71')
A goal back for the visitors at Anfield, care of Christopher Nkunku. Game on? We’ll find out …
Match report: Manchester City 3-1 Burnley
Time for James Maddison: “It’s lovely to be back – reminded me why I love the game. In the second half, we had too much for them, we were clean with the ball. It’s never plain sailing here, but we got the win.”
On top-four hopes: “We’ve had a stop-start season, injuries have derailed us. People keep asking: ‘what’s the aim for this season?’ The gaffer doesn’t want to put limits on it. We’re only three points behind [Arsenal and City], why can’t we do something special?”
What did he say to Maupay? “He hasn’t scored enough goals to have his own celebration, so he had to copy mine!”
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Chelsea (Szoboszlai 65')
It’s turning into a great night for Liverpool, and a painful one for Mauricio Pochettino. From Conor Bradley’s cross, Dominik Szoboszlai makes it 3-0 …
Full time: Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Watford Tonight’s only Championship game ends in a stalemate; it’s not a result that does much for Wednesday’s survival hopes, or Watford’s playoff push.
Kevin De Bruyne speaks! “It feels good, progressing from the last game,” he says of his return to the team. “We practiced the free kick for Burnley, I wasn’t going to do it but then saw there was space for Julian. We have a full squad back now, and that can only help us.”
On the title race: “We have to keep in touch [with Liverpool], so there’s pressure to win. If we lose tonight and they win, they start to get away. There are always competitors, and it seems like more teams this year, a bigger fight. But we want to beat the best teams.”
Liverpool v Chelsea is back under way – the hosts lead 2-0. Join Scott Murray for live coverage:
Here’s Brennan Johnson: “It was a tough game, I think we fell for it in the first half, getting frustrated. The manager said ‘once we score, we’ll score two or three,’ and that’s what happened. He wants our wingers to get in at the back post, so I had to be there [to score].”
“[Brentford] are a really hard-working team, they’re always in games. They made it hard for us at the end. I haven’t been at my best lately, so happy with tonight. In the Cup, we weren’t good enough [but] we’ve got plenty to look forward to.”
Full time! Tottenham 3-2 Brentford
Richarlison heads it away, and the final whistle blows! Toney has some words for Vicario, a fitting conclusion to a spiky encounter. It wasn’t pretty – to be honest, it was chaos at times – but Spurs’ second-half surge proved enough to deliver victory, and a place in the top four.
A final corner for Brentford, and goalkeeper Flekken is coming forward for it …
More penalty box pinball has Spurs fans sweating, but they are edging closer to the finish line. Richarlison is named man of the match, which is fair enough, but Maupay was pulling the banter strings throughout.
Full time! Manchester City 3-1 Burnley
Two goals from Julian Alvarez and one from Rodri made the game safe before Erling Haaland’s cameo and a late consolation from Ameen Al-Dakhil. City back up to second, five points behind Liverpool with a game in hand as it stands.
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Big chance for Brentford! Shandon Baptiste was almost the unlikely hero for Brentford, having just come on – but with nobody close to him, he hooks a first-time volley over the bar!
Tottenham 3-2 Brentford: Richarlison forces Flekken into a good save from a tight angle. Seven added minutes …
GOAL! Man City 3-1 Burnley (Al-Dakhil 92')
Burnley pull one back! It’s created by David Datro Fofana, who shrugs off Gvardiol and crosses low to Ameen Al-Dakhil, whose first touch is enough to squeeze the ball over the line.
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Man City 3-0 Burnley: Five added minutes at the Etihad, none of them necessary. Nunes is named player of the match, which is nice for him but harsh on Alvarez.
Tottenham 3-2 Brentford: Maddison has a touch of cramp – it doesn’t look like anything more – and is replaced by new recruit Radu Dragusin as Postecoglou shuts up shop. Boo! Big Ange, for shame.
Barcelona are back in front through Caroline Graham Hansen. At Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday are pushing for a vital three points but are still goalless against Watford.
Man City 3-0 Burnley: Haaland cuts onto his left foot, sees the space open up, swings and misses – it’s close to an air shot, the ball only moving a few inches. Happens to the best. City have sent Jack Grealish on and now Mateo Kovacic joins him, with Alvarez taken off.
Tottenham 3-2 Brentford: The visitors make changes as they seek a late leveller, with Josh Dasilva and Kristoffer Ajer on for Roerslev and Collins. The hosts are happy to look for a fourth goal, rather than hold on to their one-goal lead.
Man City 3-0 Burnley: Doku dances about 50 yards forward, but just as Haaland moves right, he plays a pass left. The Belgian winger then goes in the book for a foul on Burnley substitute Anass Zaroury.
In the Women’s Champions League, Benfica have pulled back level with Barcelona, Alidou on target again for the hosts. Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt lead Rosengard 1-0 in a meeting between eliminated teams.
Half time at Anfield: It’s Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea, but it could have been even better for the league leaders – Darwin Núñez has just hit the post from the penalty spot!
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Destiny Udogie has had a mixed evening – his runs through midfield created two of Spurs’ three goals, but defensively he’s been all over the place.
Neal Maupay has no pace, no strength and no height, @niallmcveigh, but he has low cunning and an arrogance based on his confident finishing. That is enough for him to be a handy lower half striker. At Everton, he didn't have the confidence - at Brentford, he does.
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) January 31, 2024
Erling Haaland is back! With 20 minutes to go, he’s sent on by Pep Guardiola – replacing Kevin De Bruyne. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see both men on the pitch together.
GOAL! Tottenham 3-2 Brentford (Toney 67')
Game back on! Ivan Toney punishes a woeful back pass from Udogie that leaves him one-on-one with Vicario, taking a touch and firing into the bottom corner.
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Man City 3-0 Burnley: The tempo here is giving Sunday stroll around the park, and the visitors have looked the more likely to score in the last 10 minutes, Josh Brownhill getting forward but firing straight at Ederson.
Spurs 3-1 Brentford: Toney offers Tottenham a reminder that this isn’t over yet, fizzing a shot just wide from 20 yards. Moments later, he stumbles in the box but gets back up to collect a loose ball, turn – and roll his shot wide of the far post.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea (Bradley 40')
Has Jürgen Klopp unearthed another gem in Conor Bradley? The right-back has just produced a brilliant finish to put Liverpool in charge at Chelsea.
Half time in Madrid, where Atlético have been pegged back by Alvaro Garcia’s fine strike for Rayo Vallecano – it’s 1-1 at the break. In the Championship, it’s Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Watford at the interval.
Spurs are having fun now, a quick one-touch move freeing Kulusevski who delayed his shot for too long. Brentford executed their game plan perfectly in the first half, and it’s all gone up in smoke.
RICHARLISON! 💥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 31, 2024
Seven goals in seven matches for the Brazilian and three in eight minutes for Spurs. He celebrates by hitting the darts celebration 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/C0dCE9zlxF
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GOAL! Tottenham 3-1 Brentford (Richarlison 56')
What a turnaround! Spurs get their third goal of the second half as Maddison finds space to shoot and the ball ricochets to Richarlison, who fires beyond the defender stationed on the goal line.
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Fervour from the home fans at the Etihad as Erling Haaland warms up on the touchline. Burnley are going to make three changes – Gudmundsson, Foster and Amdouni off, Aaron Ramsey, David Fofana and Connor Roberts on.
So, the two half-time changes from Postecoglou worked wonders – Hojbjerg on for Skipp and Johnson replacing Bentancur, who was poor in the first half. Maddison and Maupay are still bantering away at each other, the Brentford man perhaps suggesting Maddison’s roast dinner skills are sub-par, or similar.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (Jota 23')
Diogo Jota has the league leaders in front at Anfield, the goal given after a VAR handball check. Scott Murray has more:
GOAL! Tottenham 2-1 Brentford (Johnson 49')
And within seconds, Spurs have another! It’s Werner who creates it, playing a perfect low ball across goal for half-time sub Brennan Johnson to tap in. That, it’s fair to say, is a bit more like it.
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GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Brentford (Udogie 48')
Spurs are level! It’s Udogie who makes it with a driving run, and then scores it after Richarlison’s flick falls into his path …
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GOAL! Man City 3-0 Burnley (Rodri 46')
I tried to build the tension there, but of course it’s City who get it. Phil Foden romps down the right and pulls the ball back for Rodri on the edge of the area. He curls the ball inside the post, Champions League final style.
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It’s been a week of quickfire goals, and we’ve got one after 27 seconds of the second half at the Etihad …
In the Women’s Champions League, a late own goal earned Slavia Prague a point at Lyon, the underdogs earning a 2-2 draw to end their campaign. Barcelona are 2-1 up at Benfica and on their way to a sixth win from six in Group A; Caroline Hansen and Patricia Guijarro on target for Barça before Marie-Yasmine Alidou pulled one back.
Liverpool v Chelsea is under way – follow that one with Scott Murray.
Half time: Tottenham 0-1 Brentford
A sliced Timo Werner cross ends the half. Spurs have been sluggish in attack and careless at the back, and Brentford are good value for their lead through Neal Maupay’s finish on the rebound. Much for Big Ange to ponder at the break …
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Six added minutes in the first half, with Spurs trying to build a clear-cut chance, up against massed Brentford defence.
Half time! Man City 2-0 Burnley
Lyle Foster bends a shot wide of the far post, and that’s about as much bother as Burnley have been able to cause their hosts so far. Two Júlian Álvarez goals have City firmly in control.
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Dear me, Spurs need to start defending. A long free kick finds Toney unmarked, close to the penalty spot – and the hosts are lucky that his header is steered at Vicario, rather than towards either corner.
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Maupay is delivering an exceptional heel turn – something he said to Kulusevski leads the Swede to shove him to the ground. Both players are booked. Maupay and Toney in a strike partnership, that’s some serious nuisance value.
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Richarlison puts pressure on Collins, who goes down in a heap, allowing the Spurs striker to chip the ball over Flekken and into the net. But play is stopped for a foul – there was contact, but Collins took a chance going over so theatrically.
Man City 2-0 Burnley: Doku is bundled over by Vitinho, allowing De Bruyne another chance to whip a free kick in. Nunes can’t get enough power on his header, but is offside anyway.
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Anything Gvardiol can do, Ethan Pinnock can do better. From a corner, the ball drops to the centre-back and he tries a quick backheel that rolls just wide. That would have been something.
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Man City 2-0 Burnley: Nunes continues an impressive half with a break from midfield, and sets up Josko Gvardiol, a left-sided centre-back tonight in theory. Out on the wing here, he cuts inside and curls his shot wide of the far post.
Tottenham 0-1 Brentford: Some raised tempers at Spurs, with Maupay and Maddison exchanging words and now a tussle between Romero (of course) and Nathan Collins. It delays a Brentford free kick, which is eventually nodded away from danger by Ollie Skipp.
After that second City goal, Guardiola sprinted up the dugout steps to congratulate Carlos Vicens, the assistant coach responsible for set pieces. Pep is up against a managerial protege tonight, which means he will want to win convincingly, and in style.
Barcelona 1-0 Osasuna: Full time in Catalonia, and Vitor Roque’s header has got Xavi’s long goodbye off to a winning start. They go three points ahead of Atlético Madrid in third place; Atleti are kicking off against Rayo Vallecano right now.
Man City 2-0 Burnley: A half-chance on the break for Burnley, but Odobert can’t quite adjust his feet to get the shot away. Hjalmar Ekdal was booked for the visitors before that second Alvarez goal; the Argentinian has now scored 15 goals in all comps this season.
Apologies for momentarily having Brentford ahead at Tottenham and behind at the Etihad. I’ve now corrected. The Bees remain in the lead, and are threatening on the break – although Richarlison has just gone very close with a long range effort for the hosts.
Kevin De Bruyne is well and truly back!
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 31, 2024
What a brilliant assist 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/7UprpTwmbe
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GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Burnley (Alvarez 23')
De Bruyne has looked ready to do something special, and from a central free kick he pings a slide-rule pass into the area. Alvarez races on to it and flicks into the far corner, with most Burnley defenders still standing in the wall!
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Burnley (Alvarez 17')
I was about to say that Burnley had started quite promisingly here, and now they’re behind. Matheus Nunes makes it happen, timing his cross perfectly for the onrushing Alvarez to head home. That was a very Haaland kind of goal.
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GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Brentford (Maupay 15')
Well, that was inevitable after my ill-advised dig. Spurs are exposed at the back again, Romero playing Toney onside, and his shot is parried weakly back into danger by Vicario. Neal Maupay slides in, bundles the ball inside the near post and drops the James Maddison darts celebration in front of the home fans!
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Brentford goal disallowed! The visitors repeat the trick, with Mathias Jensen playing in Mads Roerslev, who finishes really well across Vicario – but Jensen is flagged for offside in the buildup. Replays show that the assistant got that one spot on.
Spurs 0-0 Brentford: Brentford get in behind the Spurs high line, but Maupay delays his shot for too long. I’m intrigued by this new Maupay-Toney front two for Brentford – it’s a good striker/bad striker double act.
Spurs 0-0 Brentford: Kulusevski threatens to run right through the Brentford back line, but gets the ball caught under his feet with Richarlison waiting alongside him. Ah, and now the flag goes up.
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Man City 0-0 Burnley: De Bruyne’s free kick is deflected over by Brownhill, and the corner is collected by Trafford.
Barcelona 1-0 Osasuna: In La Liga, a glimpse of the future as new recruit Vitor Roque gets his first goal for the club, heading home João Cancelo’s cross. Osasuna are down to 10 men after Unai García picked up two bookings.
Spurs make the early running – they’re the league’s top scorers in the first 15 minutes – and Skipp sees his shot closed down. At the Etihad, Foden’s deep cross almost eludes James Trafford, with Jeremy Doku lurking.
“I recently watched the film Bank of Dave, a rosy portrait of plucky small-town England in which Burnley FC features prominently,” writes Peter Oh. “Meanwhile, their opponents tonight can afford to leave their Silva, Norwegian treasure and a few Bobb just sitting on the bench.”
Peep!
We’re underway in north London and east Manchester.
Some pitchside thoughts from Ange Postecoglou: “It’s good to have [Maddison] back, not just what he brings as a footballer, his personality, he really wants to be at the forefront of things.”
“I think it’s important for the growth of the team,” he says of his attacking tactics. “I used to have a coach who didn’t care about losing, just wanted to play, score goals. We [managers] try to suck the joy of it sometimes – but you’ve got to have structure and work hard.”
Pep Guardiola on Kevin De Bruyne: “He has trained two or three weeks with no problem.” Erling Haaland, who starts on the bench. “It’s a long time for someone like him – we are happy when every injured player comes back to the team.” And on Vincent Kompany: “Always a pleasure to see him again … and Burnley are playing better than their results.”
As for Kompany, he is pleased to have Sander Berge back, and explains why David Fofana isn’t starting. “Sander is a big player for us, not having him in the last game was a big loss. Fofana has only trained a couple of weeks, and Lyle Foster is in good form for us.”
Join Scott Murray for a big night at Anfield:
In the Women’s Champions League, it’s Lyon 1-1 Slavia Prague at half-time after an early exchange of goals. Follow that match with Sarah Rendell:
In La Liga, Barcelona are in action at home to Osasuna in their first game since Xavi announced he will leave the club this summer. It’s 0-0 at half time, news of their coach’s departure not particularly affecting the team’s levels either way.
Tottenham v Brentford: the teams
James Maddison is back in the starting line-up and Oliver Skipp also comes in, with Højbjerg and Johnson dropping to the bench after the narrow 1-0 FA Cup loss to City. Only one change to the Brentford team that beat Forest, as Thomas Frank brings in Christian Nørgaard and drops Damsgaard from his cast of Scandinavian midfielders.
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Skipp, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Richarlison.
Subs: Forster, Højbjerg, Dragusin, Gil, Emerson, Johnson, Davies, Scarlett, Donley.
Brentford (3-5-2): Flekken; Collins, Pinnock, Mee; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Lewis-Potter; Maupay, Toney.
Subs: Strakosha, Fredrick, Dasilva, Jorgensen, Ajer, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Yarmolyuk, Brierley.
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Man City v Burnley teams: Haaland on bench
Erling Haaland is back on the team sheet, but only on the bench as Júlian Álvarez starts up front with Kevin De Bruyne making his first start since coming back from injury. Burnley make one change from the 1-1 draw with Luton on 12 January, with Sander Berge replacing Josh Cullen in midfield.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Aké, Gvardiol; Rodri, Matheus Nunes; Foden, De Bruyne, Doku; Álvarez.
Subs: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Kovacic, Bernardo Silva, Gomez, Grealish, Haaland, Bobb.
Burnley (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Ekdal, Al Dakhil; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Foster, Amdouni.
Subs: Muric, Fofana, Cork, Roberts, Zaroury, Ramsey, Cullen, Bruun Larsen, Massengo.
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Preamble
This week’s glut of Premier League games are the reverse fixtures from the opening day back in distant, sun-kissed August, and so offer us an opportunity to take stock of the teams’ campaigns so far.
Manchester City began the season in ominous fashion, winning 3-0 at Burnley; the problem for Pep Guardiola is that was also the last time Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were on the pitch together. Both could feature tonight and with a winnable run of games ahead for City, that’s bad news for everyone else.
For Burnley, that was the first puncture in a balloon of pre-season hope that quickly deflated. Vincent Kompany’s side have collected 12 points in 20 games since, but a shock win tonight at the ground where he has a statue outside could kickstart an unlikely escape bid.
The vibes at Tottenham remain positive, with Ange Postecoglou steering the team towards the top four. After kicking off with a 2-2 at Brentford, Spurs won eight of their next nine games – but have followed that up with four wins from the last 11 league matches.
Expectations meeting reality, or a worrying downward trend? Tonight’s game will offer us clues. Thomas Frank’s busy Bees have lost their sting in a slide down the table, but Ivan Toney is back and presumably keen to make an impact against a club that could still buy him tomorrow.
We’ll also keep tabs on Liverpool v Chelsea – which is being covered separately by Scott Murray – and check in on La Liga, the Women’s Champions League and EFL Championship. Stay tuned!
