Brentford cruised past Tottenham and beat them 3-0 in the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League.
It took the Bees 12 minutes to open the scoring, but they had already enjoyed a great start before that. Keane Lewis-Potter got things started and Vitaly Janelt doubled their lead before half time.
Michael Kayode made it 3-0 just after the break and it could have been four, but Igor Thiago missed a penalty six minutes later.
Spurs did manage to create a few chances in the second half, but Mikey Moore received all of them and stopped at Caoimhin Kelleher every single time.
Brentford had the joint-most goals scored (3), most shots (26), shots on target (8), expected goals (3.4 xG) and big chances (6) of any team on Matchweek 1 so far. All of that despite having just 41% possession.
How did Brentford suffocate Tottenham?
Intensity and effort
Make no mistake about it: Brentford showed up and meant business as soon as Michael Oliver blew the whistle for the first time – and Tottenham didn’t. Partly because of their own careless approach, but also because the Bees didn’t let them breathe from kick-off.
Keith Andrews’ men showed a sharp counterpress plus infinite energy to step up and ‘bite’. They recovered possession a number of times in the attacking third – 10 to be exact.
That’s the most Brentford have managed in a single Premier League game since the start of last season. And also the third most Tottenham have allowed any opponent in the same span (19 to Arsenal and 11 to Newcastle).
At the back, centre-back duo Nathan Collins and especially Kristoffer Ajer completely nullified Richarlison. Roberto De Zerbi had the Brazilian dropping deep in a sort of false nine role, as Squawka previously speculated.
But the Brazilian always received with his back to goal and a defender glued to him. One of those duels lost actually initiated the lead-up to the second goal.
Ajer poked the ball out of Richarlison’s feet and Mathias Jensen dispossessed Lucas Bergvall two seconds later. He fired a shot from the edge of the box and Antonin Kinsky parried it forwards, where Janelt appeared to double the Bees’ lead.
That was a product of Brentford’s sharp man-oriented marking. Which brings us to the next segment.
Difference in manipulating the opponent
Both Brentford and Tottenham man-marked for most of the game. Even when they went to a more zonal approach, players never lost track of their man, being able to quickly switching back to man-to-man.
However, there was a huge difference in how they managed to manipulate each other. Ajer and Collins followed their man everywhere, no matter how far from their own box. And they did it sharply, always staying attached and not allowing their man any breathing room.
In possession, they always found ways to invite the press and play through it. Identifying whoever it was that stepped up (mainly in the left with Lewis-Potter looking for Kevin Schade’s runs) and passing it to the next man until there was a free one in behind.
Spurs, however, only managed to create the same sort of domino effect for the first time in the second half. Richarlison kept Ajer busy inside the box towards the left, while Bergvall realised he could do the same to Collins on the right.
That created a huge gap between Brentford’s centre-backs and Conor Gallagher identified the space. He received the ball unmarked inside the box in a central position, but passed it to Bergvall instead of turning and shooting.
The Swedish midfielder, however, tried to pass it back rather than fire at goal, so not even then they managed to get a shot off. Still a promising and dangerous attack, though – probably their first in the whole game, 52 minutes in.
Brentford also dominated other areas of the game. Their set pieces remain incredibly sharp and dangerous, as well as their short combinations to invite the press and only then go long. High/counter-press, fast breaks and counter-attacks also gave them a lot to work with.
As for Totttenham, it still felt like a game from last season. In fact, their poor, no-show performance reminded a lot of the Bournemouth game at home. Only this time they actually conceded the goals they ‘deserved’, rather than just losing 0-1.
Which actually goes to show they played more like a Thomas Frank Spurs side than a De Zerbi one. At best, it felt like one of the games as soon as the Italian took over. They accepted the Bees dominating and showed little effort to turn the game on its head. Lots of work for them ahead of the new season – but perhaps a couple of (more) impactful signings could help.