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LONDON (Reuters) – When Gareth Bale came off the bench in the 72nd minute to start his second chapter at Tottenham Hotspur, the hosts held a 3-0 lead against West Ham United in London.
Just over 20 minutes later, Bale and his teammates drove away dejected after Manuel Lanzini’s scream in injury time earned West Ham an unlikely 3-3 draw.
Of all the scenarios surrounding Bale’s homecoming, few would have chosen this one.
The 31-year-old Welsh winger is much more likely to mark his return on loan to the club he left seven years ago to sign for Real Madrid with a goal.
Bale, who left in 2013 for a world record of 100 million euros ($ 117 million), got a chance to do something special when his first touch was taking a free kick from a dangerous area. But his tame shot went straight to Lukasz Fabianski.
After a header from Fabián Balbuena in the 82nd minute and an own goal by Davinson Sánchez gave West Ham a lifeline, Bale looked ready to score after a characteristic labyrinthine run, but his shot grazed the outside of the post.
Then Lanzini struck with lightning to completely remove the glow of his return.
Tottenham manager José Mourinho rejected a suggestion that his team had taken their eyes off the ball when Bale entered.
“I don’t think so, I really don’t. The decision not to start him was, I think, a good decision. A decision to show that he doesn’t have a beautiful chair waiting for him on the team and he sits there.” the first time he can, “Mourinho said.
“So it’s all positive and the focus wasn’t on him. The focus was on the game and he was on the bench for 65 minutes or so and I don’t think so, I don’t think so at all.
“It’s a shame he couldn’t score that fourth goal, which was a beauty and would have killed the game. That’s football.”
Son Heung-min gave the Spurs the lead in one minute before Harry Kane scored twice to put his team up 3-0 in 16 minutes.
The victory would have put Tottenham in second place, but when West Ham scored a goal, the nervousness was evident.
“After the first goal, his confidence increased and my boys weren’t strong enough to cope psychologically. Time was running out and in the last seconds we lost two points.”
West Ham manager David Moyes took to the field when Lanzini’s shot hit the net and said he always believed his team could get something out of the game.
“Even in the first half our game was very good,” he said. “It was a proud moment to be the coach of the team today.”
($ 1 = 0.8536 euros)
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)
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