LONDON, Dec 26: Harry Kane returned to the Premier League and scored a goal to help Tottenham come back from a two-goal deficit in a 2-2 draw with Brentford on Monday.
Brentford were on course for their first win over Spurs since 1948 after goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, before Spurs netted twice within six 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 for his Premier League record 10th goal for Tottenham on Boxing Day, a traditional day of playing in England on the day after Christmas.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made it 2-2 with a curling finish – and neither side was able to find a winner.
Tottenham had a late chance to win it but Kane failed to connect with an acrobatic volley, while Brentford wanted a penalty when Bryan Mbeumo fell under a challenge from Forster, but there was clearly no contact with the Bees man booked for simulation.
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.
It was the sixth game in a row in which Tottenham had fallen behind.
“For nine games in a row we have conceded first,” sighed Antonio Conte, the Tottenham head coach.
“This is not a positive. Yes we have character, yes have had a reaction and yes we believe in ourselves, but for a team who wants to stay in a good position we have to be stable and we have to find a solution. This was not an easy game against a physical team., but I want to underline the fact we could have won it. I’m happy with the second part of our game.”
The match was the first in the Premier League in more than a month because of the long break for the World Cup in Qatar. (Agencies)
