Brentford Rout Tottenham 3-0 as Debutant Sangaré Outshines £100 Million Man Tonali

BRENTFORD, England —

Brentford beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in the opening match of the Premier League season on Saturday, handing new Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi a rough start after a summer of heavy spending, according to the Guardian and BBC Sport.

Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring in the 12th minute at the Gtech Community Stadium, finishing a move started by debutant Mamadou Sangaré, according to the Guardian. Vitaly Janelt added a second before halftime after Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky failed to hold a shot from Mathias Jensen, the Guardian reported. Michael Kayode scored a third in the 49th minute after a corner routine, according to BBC Sport. Brentford striker Igor Thiago hit the post with a second-half penalty, the Guardian reported.

A bargain debut and a costly one

Sangaré, who joined Brentford from the French club Lens for £39 million (about $49 million), became the club's record signing and delivered what BBC Sport called an outstanding performance, winning possession repeatedly and setting up the opening goal. The outlet rated him 8 out of 10, its highest mark for either team. The Guardian said the Malian midfielder outshone Sandro Tonali, who became Tottenham's record signing this summer in a deal reported at around £100 million (about $126 million).

BBC Sport gave Tonali a 4, calling his debut desperately poor and noting he had little influence on the game beyond one first-half effort that drew ironic cheers from Tottenham fans. Fellow midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher also received 4s from BBC Sport, with Gallagher booked for a foul on Sangaré before being substituted at halftime.

Tottenham had rebuilt their back four over the summer, with Andrew Robertson at left back and Jan Paul van Hecke partnering Marcos Senesi in the middle, according to the Guardian. All three struggled, along with emergency right back Archie Gray, who was playing as the club's youngest-ever captain, BBC Sport said.

A costly summer, an ugly opener

Tottenham's spending this offseason will soon top £300 million (about $378 million), according to the Guardian, in the club's first summer without Daniel Levy as chairman. De Zerbi brought on Mateus Fernandes, signed from West Ham for a reported £85 million (about $107 million), and Rodrigo Bentancur at halftime, but the substitutions did little to change the outcome, the Guardian reported. Bentancur later gave away the penalty that Thiago missed.

It was only the second time in 11 seasons that Tottenham had lost their Premier League opener, according to Yahoo Sports. Brentford, under second-year head coach Keith Andrews, start the season with a maximum three points.