With that penalty miss still fresh in the memory, what better way for Harry Kane to put World Cup heartbreak behind him than by breaking a Premier League record in his first game back for Tottenham Hotspur?
Kicking off at London rivals Brentford, Antonio Conte’s Spurs side will herald the beginning of a typically hectic post-Christmas fixture schedule on Monday lunchtime.
And should Kane finds the net at the Brentford Community Stadium, the England international will officially become the most prolific Boxing Day goalscorer in the history of the Premier League.
Who are the Premier League’s best Boxing Day goalscorers?
As it stands, Kane shares the record with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler. Both players scored nine times in Boxing Day fixtures.
Robbie Keane and Alan Shearer netted eight goals apiece on December 26th. Former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry, meanwhile, got himself in the festive spirit with seven under iconic Gunners boss Arsene Wenger between 1999 and 2007.
And Conte certainly isn’t expecting any after-effects from Kane’s spot-kick woe; his free-scoring number ten a wounded animal ready to take out his frustration on poor Premier League defences.
“Honestly, I am not worried about him,” Conte tells the BBC of Kane during his Friday press conference; backing the 29-year-old to bounce back quickly from England’s World Cup exit to France in Qatar.
“I saw him very well in these two days with us. We’re talking about a world-class striker.”
“In football, you can have exciting moments. And you can also have a moment where you are a bit disappointed because you missed a penalty. “For sure, (in) the first period, you are sad. But then you know that you have to move on.
“Football gives you the opportunity to have other chances.”
With Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski expected to start either side of Kane away from home at Brentford, the Tottenham talisman surely won’t be short of ‘chances’ to pull clear of Robbie Fowler and write yet another chapter in the Premier League’s history books.
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