Tottenham Hotspur’s first match without Harry Kane ended in a 2-2 draw against Brentford on Sunday, giving new manager Ange Postecoglou a wild Premier League debut.
Brentford vs Tottenham
New signature Assuming captain Kane’s No. 10 jersey, James Maddison controlled play in midfield and contributed two assists as Spurs seized the lead, fell behind, then rallied for a point with all the goals in a tense first half.
After a lengthy VAR review for potential offside that extended 11 extra seconds to the first half, Cristian Romero headed the visitors in ahead in the 11th minute with a free kick that was whipped in by Maddison.
Romero was removed immediately following the VAR verdict despite the player’s clear reluctance to do so by Postecoglou, who replaced Antonio Conte in July and is the first Australian manager in the Premier League.
Before that, the center-back was injured after being caught in a head-on collision.
After Son Heung-Min, who replaced Kane as captain, fouled Mathias Jensen, the score was tied 15 minutes later. Bryan Mbeumo then scored the equalizer from the penalty spot.
Son had a rather quiet afternoon overall and was replaced in the second half while Richarlison, the striker, was even less noticeable.
A Yoane Wissa shot that was deflected in by newly acquired Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven gave Brentford a 2-1 lead in the 36th minute.
Emerson Royal’s goal in first-half stoppage time tied the game at 2-2 for Tottenham, who bid farewell to Harry Kane when the club’s all-time leading scorer left for Bayern Munich on Saturday.
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With England striker Ivan Toney suspended until January for 232 betting rule violations, Brentford was also without one of their key players from the last campaign, but they still looked strong and demonstrated once more why they are tough to overcome at home.
In their previous meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last May, Brentford, who finished ninth last season and one spot behind Tottenham, defeated Spurs 3-1 with a goal from Kane for the hosts.
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