Tottenham’s ‘new captain’ Son Heung-min made his first appearance. However, he hit the ground running with a heartbreaking penalty kick dedication in the first half.
Tottenham finished the first half of their 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) first-round match against Brentford at the GTEK Community Stadium in London, England, on Wednesday (Nov. 13) at 2-2.
Cristian Romero gave head coach Enze Postecoglou’s side the lead in the 11th minute, but Brentford scored two goals in quick succession. Fortunately, Emerson Royal rattled the net in first-half stoppage time to level the score.
Postecoglou went with a 4-3-3 system. Son, Heung-min, and Dejan Kluczewski formed the back three. Heung-min was the first choice up front following Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich. James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, and Oliver Skipp were in the midfield. Maddison played in the attacking role, while Bissouma and Skip played in the defensive midfield.
In the back, Destiny Udoji, Micky van der Vaart, Christian Romero, and Emerson Royale lined up. Spurs announced Van der Vaart’s arrival on August 8. It was expected that he would need time to adapt to the team, but Postecoglou had other ideas.
Hugo Llorez’s position in goal has changed. New signing Guglielmo Vicario made his first appearance in the EPL.
It’s the first round, so there was a lot of tension on the pitch. Tottenham got off to a nervous start, with a misplaced pass in the backline.
It was Maddison who broke the deadlock in the seventh minute with a through ball that rattled Brentford’s defense. In the 11th minute, Tottenham’s first goal of the season came.
It came from the toe of Maddison. He won a free kick on the left side of the penalty area and stepped up to take it. His free kick was met by Romero’s header, and the goal rattled.
After a video assistant referee (VAR) review, it was ruled onside. However, Romero complained of a headache after colliding with an opposing striker early on. Postecoglou was bold. Despite Romero signaling that he was fine, he replaced him with Davinson Sanchez. It was a protective move, but Romero was not happy.
After the blow, Brentford went on the attack. Tottenham pressed hard from the front. The extra weight on the attack was starting to open up the flanks. In the 19th minute, a Brentford attack was narrowly cleared off the line by Udoji.
But three minutes later, Son Heung-min collided with Mathias Jensen in the box. The referee awarded a ‘no foul’, but the VAR called for a review. After an ‘on-field review’, a penalty was awarded. Brian Mbomo stepped up to the plate and calmly converted in the 26th minute.
Son Heung-min missed a heartbreaker. Heung-Min Son had a chance in the 34th minute when he received a cross from Emerson, but he failed to capitalize on his first touch.
Tottenham pulled a goal back for Brentford in the 36th minute. Emerson broke down and set up Yoan Wissah for the second goal. Wissah’s shot deflected off Van der Vaan’s leg.
There were 11 minutes of first-half added time. Son Heung-min opened the scoring in the 48th minute, before Emerson equalized with a right-footed volley in the 50th minute. Brentford had a crucial chance in the 55th minute when Mbemo fired wide. 파워볼사이트