Harry Kane has had 16 days to reflect on that missed penalty against France. To relive the decisions that saw him choose power over subtlety and target the same side of the goal as his first successful attempt. And to review in agonising detail his execution of the kick, which resulted in the ball flying high into the stands rather than into the roof of Hugo Lloris’ net as intended.
In the first 45 minutes of his first game back, it looked as though that moment – perhaps the most painful setback Kane has faced in his professional career – was still weighing on his mind. Kane had 18 touches in the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium, fewer than any outfield player from Tottenham or Brentford and only more than Lloris’ understudy Fraser Forster.
Kane needs consistent game time to maintain his rhythm and sharpness on the pitch, which is partly why Antonio Conte has chosen to start him in all 23 of Tottenham’s competitive matches this season. It is easy to spot when Kane isn’t at peak fitness, the most telltale signs being his laboured movement, heavy touches, and limited impact. All three were evident in Brentford as Spurs went 1-0 down in the first half and 2-0 down shortly after the break.
An English centre-forward was the standout player on the pitch, but it was the one omitted from Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, rather than the one who captained the Three Lions in Qatar. Ivan Toney was as inspirational for Brentford as Kane was peripheral for Spurs. Toney scored his 11th Premier League goal of the campaign and bullied Japhet Tanganga to such an extent that Conte took him off as an act of mercy in the second half.
Tottenham’s tendency to give their opponents a leg up has evidently endured post-World Cup. They went behind for the sixth league game in a row and once again were forced into salvage mission mode, at which point Kane twitched into life. He probably should have had a penalty moments before Toney doubled Brentford’s advantage after being wrestled to the floor by Ben Mee.
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What. A. Header.
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It also continued Kane’s streak of scoring in every Boxing Day fixture he has played in; he’s netted 10 times in seven matches on the day after Christmas. If ever a statistic summed up Kane’s steadfast professionalism it’s that one. After all, it takes superhuman levels of willpower to shun the extra roast potatoes and endless stream of chocolate boxes.
Kane’s goal instantly galvanised his side. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg equalised six minutes later and suddenly Brentford were forced to dig deep for a point after seemingly cruising towards three. Spurs came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in their previous away match in the league against Bournemouth at the end of October and almost repeated the trick when Kane wobbled the crossbar with another header from a second pinpoint Lenglet delivery.
Not for the first time this month, Kane’s face contorted in anguish after seeing a scoring opportunity go awry. It would have been just reward for his perseverance on what had been a thankless afternoon up until the 65th minute.
“You can have positive or negative moments,” Conte said after the game. “If you are strong mentally, if you are a top player, if you are a player of a big, big level, then there is a moment you have to put to one side a negative situation and move on. I think Harry did this.
“I repeat we are talking about a really, really good player and especially a good person. For this reason, our fans and also the fans of the other teams should clap him.”
Conte will need Kane to keep finding the net if his side continue to make things difficult for themselves. They have conceded at least twice in each of their last six league matches, and draws are not going to be sufficient to hold off the chasing pack.
“You let your country down,” taunted the Brentford fans, who also mustered up a more original “Ivan Toney, he would have scored that.” The adoring Spurs faithful were quick to snipe back: “Harry Kane, he’s one of our own.”
They know all too well about his powers of recovery. In the hours after the France loss, Kane said “it will take some time” to get over the disappointment of his penalty miss. By the looks of it, that process is already well under way.
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