'Brilliant player': Gary Lineker seriously impressed with £40m Tottenham man in 3-1 win vs Brentford

Today at 06:15 AM

Tottenham Hotspur certainly delivered a much needed win and performance in front of their home fans in N17 on Saturday.

Ange Postecoglou opted to name an unchanged side from the Arsenal defeat, putting the onus on his Tottenham players to improve their display.

And despite a shaky start, they did exactly that.

Dominic Solanke got his goal, James Maddison was excellent in the middle and Brennan Johnson proved a point on the right – shushing any negativity heading in his direction.

Of course, three points for Spurs will mean very little in isolation, Postecoglou now needs to find a way to win against Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion before the next international break.

But it's certainly a positive that Tottenham have shown a strong reaction to recent disappointment, and a successful blueprint seems to be in place.

James Maddison hailed for his ‘brilliant’ all-round performance against Brentford

Speaking on Match of the Day, both Danny Murphy and Gary Lineker were seriously impressed by Maddison for Spurs – singling out his individual performance.

Murphy headed the chat, complimenting the £40m midfielder's start to the season as a whole, and then Lineker chimed in with his own praise.

READ MORE: James Maddison and Destiny Udogie left in awe of £55m Tottenham win

Murphy began: "I did pick him out because he was the best player on the pitch. Some sections of the media or people have questioned his start to the season, and I think that's because Tottenham have started poorly. 

"He has started this season very similar to the beginning of the last. He was the best player on the opening day at Leicester. Against Everton, he was superb when they won.

"Against Newcastle, he helped them dominate the game for long periods and probably should have done, and today in this deeper role that Postecoglou has put him in as a central midfielder, Kulusevski ahead of him, he was absolutely outstanding.

"He is always brave, goes and gets the ball under pressure, and he's always positive with his passing. And so many times he set them on the attack because he takes responsibility.

Lineker then added: "He's a brilliant player, he really is."

Guglielmo Vicario continues to cause concern for Spurs

Among the good performances for Tottenham, Guglielmo Vicario did enjoy some highlight moments against Brentford.

As usual, the Italian made some brilliant saves, but his performance was once against undermined by his decision-making in his box.

Vicario lost the ball at his feet in an incredibly dangerous position in the first half, then appeared to handle it outside of his box in the second.

Perhaps Tottenham will need to replace Vicario to succeed in the long-term, a player who could still prove to be their Achilles heel.

But overall it was a positive day in N17, a performance many will hope is a turning point.