When Gareth Bale came off the bench in the 72nd minute to begin his second chapter at Tottenham Hotspur the host were 3-0 ahead and cruising against London rival West Ham United.
Little more than 20 minutes later Bale and his team mates trudged off crestfallen after Manuel Lanzini’s stoppage-time screamer earned West Ham an unlikely 3-3 draw.
Of all the scenarios around Bale’s homecoming, few would have chosen this one.
Much more likely that the 31-year old Welsh winger would mark his return on loan to the club he left seven years ago to join Real Madrid with a goal.
Bale, who left in 2013 for a then world-record 100m euros ($117m), was given the chance to do something special when his first touch was to take a free kick from a dangerous area.
But his tame shot went straight at Lukasz Fabianski.
After Fabian Balbuena’s 82nd-minute header and Davinson Sanchez’s own goal gave West Ham a lifeline, Bale then looked poised to score after a trademark mazy run, but his shot grazed the outside of the post.
Then Lanzini struck with a thunderbolt to completely take the gloss of his return.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho rejected a suggestion that his side had taken their eye off the ball when Bale came on.
Son Heung-min gave Spurs the lead inside a minute before Harry Kane scored twice to put his side 3-0 up in 16 minutes.
Victory would have put Tottenham in second place but when West Ham pulled a goal back the jitters were evident.
West Ham manager David Moyes charged on to the field when Lanzini’s shot hit the net and he said he always believed his side could get something out of the game.
