Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Brentford: 8/10 for Son and the midfielders; uninventive Lucas gets 5

Son Heung-min and the midfielders impressed as Tottenham sealed a 2-0 win over Brentford to reach the final of the Carabao Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur reached the final of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday. They will now await the winners of the Manchester derby in the other semi-final on Wednesday night.

It was hardly a surprising result as Jose Mourinho had fielded a strong team in an attempt to oust Thomas Frank’s men, who did show a lot of promise and panache. The Bees’ early momentum was thwarted by a well-placed Moussa Sissoko header in the 12th minute that broke the deadlock, giving Tottenham a crucial lead during the first phase of the game.

Brentford deserve credit for stepping a notch after the restart. They even created two excellent goalscoring opportunities, one of which was turned in by Ivan Toney only for the VAR to disallow the goal due to offside. It proved to be costly for the visitors, as Tottenham eventually scored their second goal in the 70th minute through Son Heung-min.

Brentford’s hopes of a sensational late comeback were further spiked by Josh Dasilva’s 84th minute red card, effectively sealing the win for the hosts. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will now run the rule over the Tottenham players following their 2-0 win over the Bees on Tuesday.

Hugo Lloris: 6/10

Hugo Lloris could have done a much better job of keeping hold of Ethan Pinnock’s header as Toney eventually scored the rebound. Although the goal was chalked off by VAR due to offside, it could have proved to be a turning point in the match. The Spurs goalkeeper does, however, deserve credit for making one comfortable save in the 34th minute to deny Toney.

Serge Aurier: 7.5/10

Serge Aurier’s block to deny Toney saved Tottenham’s blushes as it would have given Brentford the ideal platform to stage a comeback. The right-back was not exactly faultless, but he did a good job defensively while also marching forward with the ball whenever it was necessary. A promising display indeed in the absence of the suspended Matt Doherty.

Davinson Sanchez: 6.5/10

Davinson Sanchez was initially impressive in dealing with Toney. But, the Colombian looked all over the place as the game progressed and was beyond clueless on a few occasions, especially when defending set-pieces. It allowed Brentford to push for the equaliser.

Eric Dier: 7/10

With Sanchez struggling with a lack of consistency, Eric Dier played a key role in the Tottenham backline. His imposing presence at the back made it difficult for the Brentford attackers to dominate the game. In addition, the English defender was a vital cog in Spurs’ build-up, although he did not produce any extraordinary diagonal balls.

Sergio Reguilon: 7.5/10

Sergio Reguilon had a decent game on the left flank. It was his accurate cross that found Sissoko for the early opener, while the defender was called into action a few times in the defensive department. He did not allow Bryan Mbuemo to overrun him on the flank, and it is a performance that should help him get back to his full form.

Moussa Sissoko: 8/10

Moussa Sissoko enjoyed an excellent game in the middle of the park. He scored his first goal in over a year, with a thumping header early on in the proceedings. The Frenchman was also a vital figure in Tottenham’s second line of press, as he covered a lot of ground, denying the likes of Dasilva and Vitaly Janelt room to dominate the proceedings.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8/10

It was another impressive performance from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. His ability to read the game combined with his eagerness to win back possession for his team helped Tottenham gain the upper hand for large periods of the match. It even led to the second goal, as the Dane created the turnover that initiated the counter-attack for Son’s late strike.

Lucas Moura: 5/10

Starting ahead of Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura failed to offer anything in the Tottenham attack against Brentford. His biggest contribution to the game was a header that was brilliantly saved by David Raya in goal.

Tanguy Ndombele: 8/10

Another Tottenham midfielder who impressed against Brentford, Tanguy Ndombele’s brilliance on the ball played a key role in his side’s victory. Indeed, the Frenchman expertly evaded the opposition press with his silky footwork and most notably threaded a well-timed through pass to assist Son’s late goal.

Son Heung-min: 8/10

Following a few dodgy performances last month, Son seems to once again be back to his best. And it was evident in this game as the South Korean international was a lively figure for the Lilywhites in the final third. His ability to make incisive runs in behind the defence made life difficult for the Brentford backline. He was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with a goal but he could have scored at least another.

Harry Kane: 6.5/10

Harry Kane made the clever movements and played the passes as he usually does. Yet, the Tottenham Hotspur superstar did not exactly make a huge impact in the proceedings. Fortunately for Mourinho, it did not affect the scoreline, especially with Son producing an excellent display in the final third.

SUBSTITUTES

Ben Davies: 6/10

Ben Davies replaced Reguilon shortly after the second goal in order to provide more defensive balance to the Spurs backline. The left-back was caught off-guard by an excellent run of Mbuemo, whose header was wayward.

Harry Winks: 6/10

Harry Winks offered more balance to the Tottenham side after coming on for Lucas Moura around the 71st minute.

Japhet Tanganga: N/A

A late replacement for Hojbjerg, who was lucky to evade any serious injury after being on the end of a rash challenge from Dasilva. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.