Tottenham stuttered in the race for the top four, after Antonio Conte’s side drew 0-0 with a determined Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Before kick-off all the attention was on Christian Eriksen, who was taking on Tottenham for the first time since leaving the north Londoners in 2020, while also renewing acquaintances with Antonio Conte, who managed the Dane to Inter Milan’s first Serie A title in over a decade last season.
In a quiet first half Brentford had the only chance of significance, after Eriksen floated a delightful corner into the box that was met by the in-form Ivan Toney, but the striker could only rattle his header against the crossbar.
Brentford almost took the lead in the second period, but Harry Kane showed off his defensive instincts to header a Pontus Jansson attempt off the line.
The draw puts a dent in Spurs’ top four chances, with the club now in fifth place, two points behind rivals Arsenal, while the Bees move onto the hallowed 40 points mark.
Next up Brentford go to Old Trafford to take on a Manchester United side in poor form, while Spurs will hope for an improved performance when they play Leicester next week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.