Tottenham Hotspur began the post-Harry Kane era with a battling draw at Brentford – with new boy James Maddison providing two assists.
With Spurs' record goalscorer Kane completing his move to Bayern Munich, it was left to defender Christian Romero and Emerson Royal to grab the goals in a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
New Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou fielded four debutants, including Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and goalkeeper Gugliermo Vicario, for his first Premier League game in the season's opener.
New vice-captain Romero put Spurs in front after 11 minutes, guiding a whipped Maddison free kick home with his head. But he had to be taken off shortly afterwards with suspected concussion after taking a knock to the head in the celebrations.
But Bryan Mbeumo responded for Brentford from the penalty spot after 26 minutes after new Tottenham captain Son Heung-min had brought down Mathias Jensen in the box.
And Yoane Wissa gave the home side the lead after 36 minutes, side-footing a cutback from Rico Henry past Vicario.
Royal levelled it for Tottenham in first-half injury time crisply guiding home an assist by Maddison.
Tottenham manager Postecoglou said after the game: "Considering the events of the day I thought we handled ourselves pretty well.
"Harry Kane was massive figure for this club for a long time and will continue to be whether he is in the building or not. We wanted to go out and give our supporters some hope and belief in the team. I thought they did that today.
"In terms of effort I couldn't ask any more. We got a great start to the game and then had to take Romero off. I thought we reacted well to that. But conceding the two goals, it would be easy to drop out heads but I don't think we did that.
"We worked our way back in, scored and controlled the second half for the most part. We could maybe have been more creative in the final third to create some more opportunities."
Brentford 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 - in pictures
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been deprived of main striker Ivan Toney, who has been banned for eight months for breaking betting rules.
Frank said after the game: "I thought we performed fine in many ways. I thought we definitely created more chances. In a relatively tight game I think we should have won it. They are a good team, we kept them to little with a low block. The two goals were the smallest chances that they had. In the end, we got a point.
"The decisive moments, there was a big chance for Bryan [Mbeumo] in the first half and one for Mikkel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade and other situations where we didn't get enough out of it. Probably just that final bit of quality on the day.
"They [Wissa and Mbeumo] have a good habit of scoring when Ivan [Toney] is not playing. I am pleased they continued that today.
"It is a long, long season. I have said it before I hope we can attack the league and be an asset."
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
