Tottenham Hotspur gave new manager Ange Postecoglou a rollercoaster Premier League debut when they started life after Harry Kane with a 2-2 draw in their opening game at Brentford on Sunday.
New signing James Maddison, taking on departed captain Kane’s number 10 shirt, pulled the strings in midfield and provided two assists as Spurs took the lead, fell behind and came back for a point with all the goals in a lively first half.
Cristian Romero headed the visitors in front in the 11th minute, after a long VAR check for possible offside that contributed to the 11 minutes time added on in the first half, with the ball whipped in by Maddison from a free kick.
Postecoglou, who arrived in July as the replacement for Antonio Conte and is the first Australian to manage in the Premier League, took Romero off immediately after the VAR decision despite the player’s obvious reluctance to leave.
The centre-back had earlier been caught in a clash of heads and received medical attention.
Bryan Mbeumo equalised 15 minutes later from the penalty spot after Son Heung-Min, taking over from Kane as captain, fouled Mathias Jensen.
The South Korean had an otherwise quiet afternoon and was substituted in the second half while striker Richarlison was even less visible.
The Bees were 2-1 up in the 36th after a Yoane Wissa shot went in off Dutch defender Micky van de Ven, a new arrival from German side Wolfsburg.
Tottenham, who said farewell to Kane when the club’s record scorer signed for Bayern Munich on Saturday, then made it 2-2 in first-half stoppage time when Emerson Royal lashed in a pass from Maddison.
Brentford, also missing a main man from last season with England striker Ivan Toney banned until January for 232 breaches of the betting rules, looked lively and proved once again that they are hard to beat at home.
Brentford, who finished ninth last season and one place behind Tottenham, beat Spurs 3-1 in their previous encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last May, with Kane scoring for the hosts.
