LONDON: England captain Harry Kane scored in the first Premier League match since the World Cup as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Brentford. Harry Kane was on target on his return to Premier League action as Tottenham came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Brentford.
The Bees were on course for their first win over Spurs since 1948 after goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, before Spurs netted twice in the last 25 minutes. Kane, who scored one penalty and missed another in England’s 2-1 quarter-final loss to France, pulled one back in the 65th minute with an excellent header from Clement Lenglet’s cross.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made it 2-2 with a curling finish six minutes later – and neither side was able to find a winner, with Kane heading a chance against the crossbar. The hosts had taken a 15th-minute lead through Janelt’s close-range effort after goalkeeper Fraser Forster, in his first league start for Spurs, could only block the ball into his path following Mathias Jensen’s volley. Brentford doubled their advantage as Toney grabbed his 11th league goal of the season, reacting quickest to tap in after Christian Norgaard had headed on a corner, but it was not enough.
Toney, 26, was appearing in his first game since being charged by the Football Association with 262 alleged betting breaches. He has until 4 January to respond to the charges. Just 16 days after his penalty miss in the World Cup quarter-final against France, England skipper Kane scored with a towering header to drag Spurs back from the brink of defeat.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then grabbed an equaliser as Tottenham cancelled out goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney. Their second-half display was a far cry from a lethargic first 45 minutes, with Kane’s only opportunity coming from an early free-kick which clipped the wall.
Brentford went ahead in the 15th minute when Toney flicked the ball on to Bryan Mbeumo, who swept it diagonally to Mathias Jensen in the penalty area. Fraser Forster, making his first Premier League appearance for Spurs as deputy for World Cup finalist Hugo Lloris, kept out Jensen’s first-time shot but the ball fell at the feet of Janelt for a tap-in.
It was a familiarly slow start from the visitors, the sixth game in a row in which they had slipped behind. Toney was back in action for the first time since it emerged he had been charged by the Football Association for alleged breaches of betting rules.
The striker, who missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad despite his hot form, had the ball in the net after rounding Forster but an offside flag belatedly ruled out the goal. Toney was not to be denied after the interval, however, as he showed the Bees what they will be missing if he is hit with a ban by the FA.
Mbeumo swung in a near-post corner, Christian Norgaard flicked the ball on and the 26-year-old struck at the far post for his 12th goal of the season. Kane hauled Spurs back into the match just after the hour when he met a sweeping Clement Lenglet cross with a superb header back across goal. It was the striker’s 10th St Stephen’s Day goal for Spurs, a Premier League record.
Mbeumo had a chance to restore Brentford’s two-goal lead but he blazed over and moments later Tottenham were level. The dangerous Dejan Kulusevski pulled the ball back from the byline into the path of Hojbjerg, who lashed it home from 12 yards. Back came the Bees and Mbeumo was booked for a blatant dive as he looked for a penalty after Forster came racing out of his goal. Harry Kane was on target on his return to Premier League action as Tottenham came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Brentford. Just 16 days after his penalty miss in the World Cup quarter-final against France, England skipper Kane scored with a towering header to drag Spurs back from the brink of defeat. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then grabbed an equaliser as Tottenham cancelled out goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.
Their second-half display was a far cry from a lethargic first 45 minutes, with Kane’s only opportunity coming from an early free-kick which clipped the wall. His first touch had been greeted by Brentford supporters with chants of “You let your country down”, prompting Tottenham fans to respond with a chorus of ‘He’s one of our own’.
Brentford went ahead in the 15th minute when Toney flicked the ball on to Bryan Mbeumo, who swept it diagonally to Mathias Jensen in the penalty area. Fraser Forster, making his first Premier League appearance for Spurs as deputy for World Cup finalist Hugo Lloris, kept out Jensen’s first-time shot but the ball fell at the feet of Janelt for a tap-in. It was a familiarly slow start from the visitors, the sixth game in a row in which they had slipped behind.
Toney was back in action for the first time since it emerged he had been charged by the Football Association for alleged breaches of betting rules. The striker, who missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad despite his hot form, had the ball in the net after rounding Forster but an offside flag belatedly ruled out the goal.
Toney was not to be denied after the interval, however, as he showed the Bees what they will be missing if he is hit with a ban by the FA. Mbeumo swung in a near-post corner, Christian Norgaard flicked the ball on and the 26-year-old struck at the far post for his 12th goal of the season. Toney had a chance to win it for Brentford but hooked his effort over the crossbar before David Raya’s late save denied Son Heung-Min a stoppage-time winner. The result leaves Spurs fourth in the table while Brentford are ninth before the 15:00 GMT kick-offs.