On the first weekend of the Premier League season, Tottenham began life after Harry Kane with an entertaining draw against Brentford.

Kane’s transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich was completed on Saturday, and goals from Christian Romero and Emerson Royal earned a point for new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou on Sunday.

Brentford, who started the season without talisman Ivan Toney, took the lead through Yoane Wissa after Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty equalized Romero’s opener.

Spurs have now lost all three games at the Gtech Community Stadium, where kickoff was delayed by six minutes due to a water supply issue.

Argentina defender Romero opened the scoring with a precise header from newcomer James Maddison’s powerful free-kick.

It was Romero’s final contribution, as he was removed as a precaution by Postecoglou after appearing to complain of a blow to the head during the celebration.

The Bees recovered and gained a penalty after Spurs’ new captain Son Heung-min pulled down Mathias Jensen, which Mbuemo converted to extend his top-flight goal streak to four games.

Wissa then took advantage of Rico Henry’s blazing run down the left flank, side-footing the cutback past Guglielmo Vicario by a deflection off Micky van de Ven’s boot to dampen their debuts.

Royal took the lead with a smooth finish in the fifth minute of extra time at the end of an exciting first half.

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There will be no complications if Toney is not present.
Thomas Frank’s team is aware that they would be without vital forward Toney until mid-January after he was banned for eight months for violating Football Association betting rules.

The England attacker finished third in the Premier League last season, behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Kane, but the club is not missing him.

Brentford won four of the five games they played without Toney last season, and they have two capable forwards at this level in Mbeumo and Wissa.

Wissa diverted the ball over the line, albeit not with the cleanest shot of his career, while Mbuemo took his penalty with panache, wrong-footing Guglielmo Vicario.

If Mbuemo and Wissa are the finishers, Henry is a potent supplier, as he demonstrated on multiple times with his searing pace to torment Royal.

He performed superbly to beat his man and find Mbuemo at the far post, with the striker unable to divert the ball past Vicario from close range, as well as cruising on to his own touch past Royal to cut the ball back for Wissa’s goal.

Richarlison struggles in the pivotal role.
The most crucial aspect of any squad is its ability to score goals, and Kane’s departure will worry Spurs fans.

With 280 goals in 435 appearances, Kane leaves the Premier League as Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer.

He leaves large shoes to fill, but in the immediate term, Brazil forward Richarlison appears prepared to respond to Postecoglou’s request for goals.

Unfortunately for the Spurs and their fans, Richarlison cut a solitary figure, which did little to alleviate their anxieties. The attacker touched the ball only 16 times in a quiet first half in which Spurs dominated with 66% possession.

Romero was the only Spurs outfielder to have less touches (10) before being replaced in the 14th minute.

Maddison, who joined Spurs from Leicester in the summer, tried to roll the ball through early on, but Richarlison was pushed out of the way and failed to pose a threat.

In the second half, the identical combination linked up again, but this time Richarlison clutched at the opportunity and fired straight at Burnley’s £11 million summer addition Mark Flekken in goal.

Time will tell if Richarlison is the Spurs’ long-term replacement for Kane.