Harry Kane Scores Twice And Misses A Penalty In Win Of Tottenham

Harry Kane scores twice and misses a penalty as he scores his 200th league goal and adds another to keep Tottenham's unbeaten streak alive.

Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Harry Kane had a busy day, scoring two goals and having a penalty saved by Dean Henderson.

His team beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City Ground on Sunday, August 28, 2022.

Spurs finish third, tied on points with Manchester City and Brighton, and two points behind leaders and North London rivals Arsenal.

Harry Kane Scores Twice And Misses A Penalty

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Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest, with Harry Kane scoring twice and saving a penalty.

On six minutes, the England striker calmly rolled in Dejan Kulusevski's pass to score his 200th league goal of his career.

Spurs remained dangerous on the break, but Forest dominated for much of the first half, with record signing Morgan White going close twice.

On 56 minutes, the visitors had the opportunity to double their lead, but Kane's low spot kick was brilliantly saved by Dean Henderson.

Forest, who had just been promoted, continued to play with zeal and almost leveled when Neco Williams fizzed inches wide.

However, Antonio Conte's side sealed the victory nine minutes from time when Kane nodded in substitute Richarlison's cross to tie Andrew Cole for third place in the Premier League's all-time top scorers list.

The result moves the Lilywhites up to third place in the table, two points behind leaders Arsenal after four games.

Forest currently ranks 14th with four points.

Spurs will play West Ham on Wednesday night, while Forest will face their toughest test yet when they travel to champions Manchester City.

Factors That Impacted The Game

Kane and Spurs provide encouraging signs as visitors keep the hungry Forest at bay.

Tottenham faced a tougher test than many expected, with Steve Cooper's newly promoted side dominating for long stretches.

While some fans may want to see their team dictate more, the result may show why Conte's men can be a real force this season.

Despite the intense atmosphere created by a buoyant home faithful, the Lilywhites look assured at the back and managed to limit a vibrant Reds attack throughout.

Many believe Spurs have yet to reach their peak this season, so 10 points from a possible 12 is a good start.

Conte has pushed hard for depth at all positions, and the impact from the bench has been obvious, with quality replacing quality.

It's early days, but the last time Tottenham avoided defeat in their first four league games, they finished second.

Forest can take plenty of positives from their performance, but scoring is always more difficult at the highest level, and they will need to improve in the opposition penalty area in the coming weeks and months if they are to stay in the top flight beyond this season.

Harry Kane's Winning Brace

If Nottingham Forest could not take any points from their first loss at the City Ground since joining the Premier League, they could take heart.

Another spirited display of proactive, front-foot football by the newly-promoted side demonstrated that, thanks to their ambitious spending and astute coaching from Steve Cooper, they have more than a fighting chance of survival.

However, at this level, there is no substitute for quality and pedigree, as demonstrated.

Harry Kane's match-winning brace not only took him past a century of career Premier League goals but also brought him to level with Andrew Cole as the third-highest scorer in Premier League history.

It also boosted another mediocre Tottenham performance, allowing them to take all three points.

He could have had a hat-trick had Dean Henderson not saved a second-half penalty.

The 2-0 scoreline was slightly flattering on Spurs, even if they could have extended it to three.

Antonio Conte's side is still finding their feet, but they are unbeaten in their first four games for the first time since the 2016-17 season when they finished second to Conte's title-winning Chelsea.

Even if the performances could be improved, the signs are positive, and Forest can be pleased with their response to a slow start.

Cooper had his head in his hands within five minutes of the game's start, and twice in a matter of seconds: first, when Lewis O'Brien's heavy touch in midfield allowed the ball to break kindly for Dejan Kulusevski.

Then there was Kane's scuffed shot that bobbled into the bottom left-hand corner of Forest's goal.

Kulusevski had ignored Son Heung-min's and Ivan Perisic's runs to his left, instead switching the ball right with a cute disguised pass.

Tottenham Defeats Nottingham Forest

Kane is nearing the point in his career where every goal he scores appears to set a record or at the very least mark a milestone.

He wasted no time in adding Forest to his long list of Premier League victims, with the goal meaning he has scored against 31 of the 32 top-flight opponents he has faced, with only Brentford claiming to have kept him at bay.

And the ease with which Tottenham was bypassing Forest's midfield at the time suggested that there could be more to come.

The admirable approach of the newly promoted side left them vulnerable to counter-attacks, and it was not uncommon to see a simple through ball result in four or five lilywhite shirts bursting at three in Garibaldi red.

Joe Worrall's perfectly timed challenge prevented Kane from capitalizing on one such opportunity.

Forest, on the other hand, began to manage Tottenham's threat on the break better, to the point where they were controlling the pace and tempo of the game.

This was not the typical dynamic between a newly promoted team and a top-four contender - or, rather, it was, but in reverse.

At the half-hour mark, Forest had two-thirds of the ball.

Tottenham were far from the game's protagonists.

Forest capitalized on the raucous energy released by Henderson's save, coming within a whisker of equalizing through Neco Williams, who sent a bouncing shot across goal and just wide of the far post.

This increased ferocity only made the Spurs' transitions more dangerous, and Henderson was forced to dig his defense out of a hole once more to deny Son's cut inside and shot.

Meanwhile, Forest continued to struggle to create the quality of chances at the other end that would force an equalizer.

Tottenham's and Kane's second goal would come with eight minutes remaining.

Kane came alive when substitute Richarlison kept the ball in play and revived a dormant cause, peeling away from Forest's defense to stand unmarked at the far post.

Henderson was stranded and couldn't get near Richarlison's diving header on an outside-of-the-foot cross.

Richarlison was a thorny presence in the closing stages, juggling the ball and being scythed down for his bravado.

As much as the City Ground cheered when he was taken out, it only brought Tottenham closer to a victory that felt harsh on a lively Forest side, but also deserved.

Conclusion

Harry Kane scores twice and misses a penalty as his 200th and 201st league goals, extending Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten start to the season, their best in 13 years, and condemning Nottingham Forest to defeat.

There are various interpretations of Tottenham's season-opening performance.

One is that a team playing this modestly, with such a reliance on the counterattack, will eventually revert to the mean.

Another reason is that their results show resilience and confidence, and once performances catch up and new signings gel, they will be a formidable presence.