Brentford thrashed Tottenham 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.
Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt a serious reality check as his lavishly assembled Tottenham Hotspur side were hammered 3-0 by Brentford in their Premier League opener.
Brentford started the more aggressive of the two teams and took the lead after 12 minutes as Keane Lewis-Potter slid home Mamadou Sangare’s cut-back. The home side then doubled their lead in the 33rd minute, as Vitaly Janelt pounced after Antonin Kinsky had parried Mathias Jensen’s shot straight into his path.
Spurs barely had anything to show for in the first half and were totally outplayed by the Bees. Things only got worse three minutes in the second half when Michael Kayode hooked into the roof of the net after Kinsky’s reaction save to deny Mohamed Sangare’s shot fell kindly to him.
Brentford had a chance to make the scoreline even more embarrassing for the visitors when they were awarded a penalty. However, Igor Thiago struck the post from the penalty spot. Tottenham created few and far chances in between, and the only meaningful ones fell to Mikey Moore, but the young winger could not score past Caoimhin Kelleher on three occasions.
Archie Gray reacts to Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford
Archie Gray was appointed as one of the five captains earlier this week, as Roberto De Zerbi made changes to his five-man leadership group. Following Cristian Romero’s departure, Micky van de Ven has been named as the official Tottenham skipper for the 2026/27 season.
However, with Van de Ven missing the game due to a lack of fitness, Archie Gray donned the captain’s armband against Brentford. By doing so, the Englishman became Tottenham’s youngest-ever Premier League starting captain. The 20-year-old endured a difficult afternoon at right-back, with Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter running rings around him and creating plenty of opportunities in the final third.
When asked to sum up today’s game, Gray said in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport):
“For some reason on days in football, a team can outfight another team, it’s on us, and the fans have been incredible.”
Reality check given
All the positivity that was built with the new signings and an unbeaten pre-season campaign got evaporated with the defeat at Brentford. Tottenham players were not up to the task, and it showed from the onset. The Bees started on the front foot, pressed and probed, and gave the visitors no time on the ball.
The Lilywhites did not have anything to show for in the first half. De Zerbi was rightly frustrated on the touchline, often speaking to his coaching staff and trying to find solutions. It is the worst start possible to the new season, leaving our gaffer plenty to ponder.
