Brentford 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Sam Dalling was at the Gtech Community Stadium for us, so I’ll leave you with his report. Ta-ra!

Thomas Frank’s verdict

Until the Kane goal I think there was only one team on the pitch. They threatened when it was 2-2, but over the 90 minutes I think we deserved the win. It’s a very good performance and we’re disappointed [not to win].

Set-pieces are important. I think we are better than most teams. I would love to go more toe to toe against [teams like Spurs] but first and foremost I want to win. It’s not bad to play five top-six teams and lose only one, to Arsenal.

We said we needed to do three things to win the game: stop Kane, which we almost managed, win the transitions and then win the set-piece battle.

Ivan Toney’s verdict

We shouldn’t have given them a sniff to get back in the game but they’ve got the quality and it was a great header from Harry. In the end a draw was probably a fair result.

It was painful not getting picked in the [England World Cup] squad but that’s life. The more you dwell on it, the more it’s gonna hurt you. Just leave it behind and keep looking forward.

There are four 3pm games in the Premier League, and Simon Burnton is following them.

That was a pretty entertaining game, and the result feels about right. Vitaly Janelt and the superb Ivan Toney gave Brentford a deserved 2-0 lead early in the second half, but Harry Kane’s fine header sparked Spurs into life and they created enough chances in the last half hour to win the game. In the end, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s equaliser was all they could manage.

90+6 min Brentford are hanging on. Kulusevski fires a pass into Son, just outside the area to the right of centre. He shifts the ball onto his left foot and crunches a low shot that is well saved by Raya, diving low to his right.

90+5 min Lenglet is replaced by Ben Davies.

90+3 min Son’s corner is cleared at the near post. Lenglet has gone down holding his face after wearing a stray elbow. There’s a line of blood trickling down his forehead, so he will need treatment. The Brentford players aren’t happy that the physios are attending to Lenglet on the field rather than off it.

90+3 min Hojbjerg’s cross is headed behind by Zanka for a Spurs corner…

90+2 min Kane threads a neat pass through to Kulusevski, who rides Mee’s tackle on the edge of the area and cuts the ball back towards the penalty spot. There’s nobody there for Spurs and a Brentford defender has time to boot it clear.

90+2 min Dier hoofs a cross straight out of play. Antonio Conte turns on his heels in disgust.

90+1 min There will be five minutes of added time.

90 min “I agree that VAR can be frustrating and inconsistent,” says Joe Pearson, “but if you’re a fan of a team that plays a high defensive line and relies on the offside trap, VAR is often your friend. Yes, I am a Liverpool supporter.”

I thought you were going to say Saudi Arabia.

89 min A draw would probably be a fair result. Brentford were better for an hour but Spurs have been terrific since belatedly waking up.

88 min Perisic’s corner goes straight into the welcoming embrace of Raya.

87 min Hojbjerg’s long-range shot deflects behind for another corner. Spurs look the likelier winners, but then so did England against Romania in 1998, Brian.

86 min “Both teams embarrassing themselves with these dives and surrounding the ref,” says Filip Gieldon. “Don’t understand why he is allowing it, one player even put his hands on the ref’s shoulders. There should be retroactive bans for players who cheat this blatantly.”

It was the same at the World Cup. The entitlement is really tedious, isn’t it.

85 min: Chance for Toney! And now an excellent chance for Brentford. Dasilva’s deep cross was headed back across goal by Roerslev, and Toney stabbed a volley over the bar from six yards. He was probably put off by Forster, who was flying towards him, but it was still a really good opportunity.

84 min: Kane hits the bar! Spurs were so close to completing the comeback. Lenglet, the left-sided centre-back, was again the creator with a beautiful cross from deep on the left. Kane got across the keeper Raya at the near post and flicked a header off the face of the crossbar.

84 min “How on earth was that not a penalty for the foul on Doherty?” says Richard Coopey. “Not hard to see why people think VAR is rubbish when goals are disallowed for an offside toenail but a clear foul in the box is left unpunished.”

The argument would be that it wasn’t a clear foul – there was contact, certainly, but was it enough to knock Doherty off his feet? I don’t think you can say it was a clear and obvious error. Equally, had it been given I don’t think it would have been overturned by VAR.

That said, VAR in the bin at your earliest convenience please Fifa.

83 min A sweet long-range strike from Sanchez is held by Raya. He caught it beautifully but it was straight at the keeper.

82 min: Double substitution for Brentford Josh Dasilva and Yoane Wissa replace Norgaard and Mbeumo.

80 min “I agree that Kane’s overall performances in Qatar were better than in Russia (despite the goals - his hat trick in Russia must be the least glorious in World Cup history),” says David Wall. “But i don’t think he was the best centre forward. Sure, he wasn’t fully fit in the final, but otherwise Giroud was excellent throughout for France (plus he got some goals). And Alvarez was similarly excellent for Argentina, his running being crucial to how they wanted to play.”

I suppose it’s just personal taste. I thought Kane was more creative and influential than Giroud and Alvarez, but I appreciate the argument for both.

79 min Perisic’s flat cross is headed wide by the late arriving Doherty. He was under pressure but it was still a decent chance. Perisic and Doherty have run riot in the last 10-15 minutes.

78 min Kane misses an acrobatic effort after good play from the wing-backs Perisic and Doherty. Perisic then appeals for handball against a Brentford defender, but VAR aren’t interested.

76 min “It’s not important but was there any mention of why Lloris is on the bench?” says Joe Balfour. “Was Conte perhaps trying to boost Harry’s confidence by making him lead the team out? Either way, it’s worked.”

I think he only resumed training yesterday and Conte decided to give him a bit more time to get over the final.

75 min Now Mbeumo is booked for diving! He ran onto a long pass, went past Forster and then went over. Replays confirm it was a risible dive.

74 min Doherty goes down in the area after a challenge from Zanka, and the two players square up to each other. There was a bit of contact, but Doherty certainly made the most of it. Zanka shoved Doherty in the face and might have been booked.

73 min Son’s cross is headed over by Kane, who had to stoop away from goal to meet the dipping ball. It was an imaginative effort but he had no realistic chance of scoring.

Kulusevski combined nicely with Doherty before sliding a cutback that deflected off Mee and into the path of Hojbjerg, 12 yards out. He took a touch and calmly sidefooted the ball into the far corner.

71 min This is Spurs’ best spell of the game, with a much greater urgency in their attacking play.

70 min Brentford’s last victory over Spurs was on 20 March 1948.

67 min: Brentford substitution Saman Ghoddos replaces Jensen in midfield.

67 min: Spurs substitution Davinson Sanchez replaces Tanganga, who was outfought and outsmarted by Toney.

67 min Mbeumo misses a good chance, pinging Henry’s low cross over the bar from 12 yards. It might have bounced awkwardly.

Harry Kane has given Spurs hope with a superb goal. Lenglet moved forward and curled a good cross to the far post, where Kane got above Mee and powered an emphatic header back across goal.

64 min “Is it just me or was Kane’s appeal for the penalty a little less animated than usual,” says Brendan Large. “Wonder why?”

I think that’s a bit harsh. Kane will be desperate to take a penalty as soon as possible.

63 min Toney is booked for leaving a bit on Lenglet.

62 min “And just when I thought we were getting into the game,” writes Alexandra Ashton. “That is dismal from Dier, really is, and it’s quite perplexing as to why he’s dropped off in form since his England recall. I can make any number of excuses for this performance, but it’s just not been good enough.”

Most of the players look half asleep, and in fairness I know how they feel.

60 min “Kane scored two goals at the World Cup, one of them was a penalty,” says Hugh Mallon. “He was outscored by both Saka and Rashford for England and was joint 12th highest goalscorer. Too much mulled wine this morning Rob?”

He made three goals as well, but the whole point is that I was talking about performances rather than stats. In 2018 he won the Golden Boot but he scored three penalties, two tap-ins and a deflection. This time I thought his general play was better than any other centre-forward.

59 min Jensen is booked for a foul on Son, and then Bissouma is booked for a foul on Toney. Spurs can’t handle him.

57 min Ivan Toney has been fantastic today, totally unaffected by his FA charge. He rolls Tanganga with ease on the left, cuts inside and gives the ball to Mbeumo, who dithers and loses the ball. Toney could have had a shot himself.

56 min “In the age of analytics, has anyone studied exactly what transforms a decent lower league player into a top Premier League star?” says Gary Naylor. “What is Ivan Toney doing now that he didn’t do for seven seasons in League One? Is it fitness, confidence, coaching, style of play, attitude, pay? More importantly, how do you spot the next one?”

Dier shanked a volleyed clearance behind for a corner, and Brentford made him pay. Mbeumo’s inswinger from the right was headed across goal by Norgaard (I think) and Toney studded it into the net from three yards.

52 min: No penalty! Perisic curled a deep, inswinging cross to the far post, where Mee had his arm round Kane and ensured he couldn’t get clean contact on the ball. I suppose it doesn’t count as a clear and obvious error, but Kane will feel he had a case.

51 min Kane appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after wrestling with Mee in the area. This might be given by VAR…

50 min Son’s corner is headed away at the near post.

49 min Kane and Son combine to find Perisic, whose low cross is turned behind by Mee.

49 min “Thanks to Joe for the compliment,” says Mary Waltz, “but being an old retiree myself afternoon naps make it easy to get up early, combined with the state of my kidneys means I am up around that time anyway. Look at what you youngsters have to look forward to!”

Merry Christmas!

48 min Son collects a loose ball 35 yards from goal but then overhits a relatively simple pass to Kulusevski. That sums up Spurs’ performance so far.

46 min Peep peep! Brentford begin the second half.

“Only four minutes of added time?” sniffs David Cross. “Surely we expect a minimum of five, rising to 14 or 15 after the World Cup.”

Half-time reading

“Hello Rob,” says Ray Lewis. "“From here in pitch dark and gusty northwest Washington state, the Premier League has been gone so long I had forgotten that Tottenham doesn’t wake up until the second half so perhaps should have done the same.”

They’ve definitely picked up where they left off before Qatar.

45+4 min Perisic’s dangerous deep cross looks set to find Doherty in front of goal, but Mbeumo appears from nowhere to force the ball clear. Fine defending.

45+2 min Perisic’s cross is headed away to the edge of the D, where Hojbjerg’s half-volley is blocked by Janelt.

45+1 min Four minutes of added time.

45 min Lenglet’s flat cross is headed back across goal by Kane, and Raya comes from his line to grab the ball just in front of Son.

43 min: Disallowed goal Toney calmly walks round Forster to score, though deep down he and everyone else knew he was offside. VAR confirms as much.

42 min “Morning Rob, from a dark and freezing Austin,” says David C Hunter. “A little tranquility time with tea before the tree must be de-decorated. Your tradition may differ. Definitely put ‘66 up at the top of most exciting WC finals. ‘94 in LA, Brazil v Italy among the worst.”

41 min An Amazon statbox tells us Harry Kane has had 10 touches, the fewest of any player on the pitch.

40 min Tanganga mistimes a header and instead nuts Janelt in the back of the neck. That looked pretty painful, and Tanganga is a bit fortunate not to be booked.

39 min “Regarding Mary Waltz`s dedication,” begins Bogdan Kotarlic. “I remember when I was a fourteen-year-old during the Mexico 1986 World Cup. Some of the matches were starting very late (for us Europeans),I followed almost all of the games and I had school classes early in the morning so I hardly slept for a few weeks. Still, I was very proud to tell my scholomates that England had won 3-0 against Poland and that Gary Lineker had scored a hat-trick. I wouldn`t do that never again, I am 50 now and I love sleeping. But those were the days.”

Even when I was young I couldn’t manage that. During USA 94 I woke up to the BBC Test Card every second morning, having fallen asleep during the late game.

37 min Lenglet’s deflected long-range shot is headed away by Mee. Spurs have dominated possession but it’s all been in front of Brentford. Kane has hardly touched the ball.

34 min: Good save from Forster! Jensen’s long throw from the right isn’t cleared properly by Spurs. Zanka, on the right side of the six-yard box, hooks a good shot on the turn that is instinctively kicked away by Forster.

34 min A quiet few minutes, nothing to report.

30 min Spurs are getting better, though Kane remains on the periphery of the game.

30 min Dier moves forward and plays a square pass to Son, 25 yards from goal. He shapes a left-footed curler that is comfortably saved to his right by the diving Raya.

29 min Mbeumo’s deep, flighted corner is claimed at the second attempt by Forster.

28 min Mbeumo’s free-kick is headed over his own bar by Dier.

27 min Hojbjerg fouls Mbeumo 25 yards from goal, a fair way to the left of centre.

26 min Kulusevski glides elegantly away from Mee on the right, cuts into the area and cracks a low drive straight at Raya. That was a lovely little run from a highly watchable player.

25 min The stretching Mbeumo just fails to control a long pass over the top. Had he done so, he’d have been through on Forster.

25 min Son’s long-range shot bounces gently through to Raya.

23 min There’s a long way to go, and Spurs have had comebacks galore this season, but at the moment Brentford look hungrier and sharper.

21 min Henry squares up to Kulusevski, who fouled him and then seemed to leave his foot in as he walked past.

21 min Spurs aren’t at the races yet.

19 min “Kudos to Mary Waltz for her dedication,” says Joe Pearson. “As I am an old person, I sometimes wake up at 4.30am. But I don’t get up that early intentionally just to watch football. There are such things as DVRs after all.”

18 min Jensen’s corner is looped towards goal by a Brentford player and pushed away a little nervously by Forster. I thought he might have been fouled but the referee disagreed.

17 min This is the fifth consecutive Premier League game in which Spurs have conceded the first goal.

Mee’s speculative ball forward was headed on expertly by Toney to Mbeumo on the left wing. His deep cross picked out Norgaard, whose volley was going well wide until it hit Lenglet and ricocheted towards goal. Forster made a smart reaction save but Janelt gobbled up the rebound from six yards.

13 min “Just me, or does the Brentford pitch look awful?” asks Steve Coleman. “Faded rugby lines never help, but has the feel of a ground that’s been cut with a pair of scissors.”

I wondered about that as well – some players look like they are running through treacle.

12 min Kane whips the free-kick into the wall and behind for a corner.

12 min “Rob, greetings from cold, pitch dark California,” writes Mary Waltz. “Boxing Day means nothing to most Americans but the return of the PL is reason enough to get up at the crack of dawn. No depression for Harry Kane, he has already left that penalty miss in the past.”

11 min Son is cleaned out on the edge of the D by Ben Mee. This is a really good opportunity for Spurs.

8 min I think Harry Kane is being booed by the Brentford fans, though he hasn’t been on the ball enough for me to be sure.

7 min Spurs are really struggling to get out. Thomas Frank will be really pleased with this start.

6 min Brentford have made the better start, causing Spurs a few problems with long balls and set pieces.

3 min Jensen’s corner is flicked on at the near post and headed away crucially by Lenglet at the far. There was a player behind him who would otherwise have had a simple headed chance.

2 min Janelt plays a one-two with Toney and finds Mbeumo, whose cross hits Doherty and goes behind for the first corner.

1 min Peep peep! After a minute’s applause for the late George Cohen, Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski gets the match under way.

Ready? Well tough, the players are out on the field, the Brentford fans are singing Hey Jude, and the Premier League is about to resume.

Antonio Conte on Harry Kane

You can have a good tournament – he played really well – but at the same time he missed an important penalty. This is football. It’s important now to move on and focus on Tottenham.

Thomas Frank, who has signed a new five-year contract at Brentford, is chatting to the Amazon Prime team. He’s as jaunty and engaging as ever, and yes they did ask him about Ivan Toney: “If there’s one player I believe is mentally strong enough to deal with everything around him, it’s Ivan. He’s a remarkable character.”

“I wouldn’t worry about Toney’s state of mind,” says Ian Copestake. “He will clearly back himself.”

And there it is!

Previously on Premier League

“Don’t you think the 1966 World Cup final is a contender for the best final?” says Francis Mead. “I’m old enough to have watched it live. It had a dramatic last-minute equaliser, an incredibly dramatic last-minute goal sealing the win, and also the still (rightly) contested third goal by England, as well as a hattrick. Maybe the 2022 is the best - but I think 1966 is in there, along with 1954 if you like.”

Yes, fair point. It is, in the parlance of our time, in the conversation along with 1930, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1986 and 2022.