Brighton 1-0 Tottenham: Graham Potter’s side secure first home win of season
Match report as Leandro Trossard’s goal secures Brighton’s first home win of the season; Spurs struggle on the south coast and slip to back-to-back defeats; Brighton move seven points clear of the relegation zone; Spurs stay sixth
Sunday 31 January 2021 21:39, UK
Brighton boosted their survival chances after securing their first home success of the season with a 1-0 victory over a lacklustre Tottenham.
Graham Potter’s side were by far the better of the two sides in the first half, but they only had Leandro Trossard’s 17th-minute strike to show for their dominance.
Spurs, who handed Gareth Bale just his second Premier League start since his return to the club in place of the injured Harry Kane, struggled for any sort of rhythm and it took them until the 75th minute to fashion their first real chance as Robert Sanchez brilliantly saved substitute Carlos Vinicius’ strike.
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Brighton spurned a golden opportunity late on through Aaron Connolly to make the game safe, but they weren’t punished as Spurs failed to find an equaliser on what was a disappointing night for Jose Mourinho and his side.
Victory sees Brighton move seven points clear of the relegation zone, while the result means Spurs, who have suffered back-to-back defeats in the league, stay sixth.
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They led for 73 minutes v Tottenham tonight, having led for a total 71 minutes in their previous 10 home PL games this season pic.twitter.com/hCtMXuAAjA
How Brighton stunned Spurs…
Brighton showed their intentions from the off as Pascal Gross’ shot struck the upright after good play from Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister was at the centre of everything for Brighton as they dominated the game and his pass helped create the opener. He picked out Gross in behind and the German cut the ball back for Trossard to steer in at the near post.
Player ratings
Brighton: Sanchez (7), Veltman (7), Webster (8), Dunk (7), White (7), March (7), Bissouma (7), Gross (8), Trossard (7), Mac Allister (8), Maupay (7).
Subs: Burn (6), Connolly (n/a), Lallana (n/a).
Tottenham: Lloris (6), Sanchez (6), Alderweireld (8), Rodon (6), Davies (6), Hojbjerg (6), Sissoko (6), Ndombele (6), Bergwijn (6), Son (5), Bale (4).
Subs: Vinicius (7), Moura (6), Lamela (n/a).
Man of the match: Pascal Gross.
It was a deserved lead and they continued to push Spurs back as Mourinho cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines.
Steven Bergwijn fired wide from the edge of the penalty area, but that’s as close as Spurs came in what was a below-par first-half performance.
For all their dominance, however, Brighton could not find a second goal before the break. Lewis Dunk’s header, which looked to be drifting wide of the target, was headed away by Bale near the goal line, while Mac Allister fired wide from the edge of the penalty area.
Mourinho reacted to his side’s poor showing by bringing on Vinicius for Davinson Sanchez, and the striker almost had an immediate impact as his header forced goalkeeper Sanchez into a save at his near post.
Brighton still had chances to extend their lead and Spurs needed Hugo Lloris to show sharp reactions to keep out Ben White’s flick towards goal.
Spurs made further changes as they looked to get back into the match. Bale was replaced by Lucas Moura, while Tanguy Ndombele made way for Erik Lamela, but it was Brighton who created another chance to extend their advantage.
Neal Maupay found space in between defenders but he could not get enough on Solly March’s cross to trouble Lloris.
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Spurs finally clicked into gear 15 minutes from time and Sanchez had to be at his very best to keep out Vinicius’ powerful strike at his near post.
Brighton then passed up a golden opportunity to seal all three points as a casual Connolly failed to get his shot past Alderweireld with the goal at his mercy. However, it didn’t prove to be a crucial miss as Brighton held on for what could be a vital victory in their fight to stay in the top flight.
3 – José Mourinho has lost all three of his away league games against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, the first time he has ever lost three consecutive away league visits to an opponent in his managerial career. Declined. pic.twitter.com/ZNFPWoy0zk
‘Spurs were lacking energy’ – What the pundits said…
Sky Sports‘ Jamie Redknapp: “Brighton should have won the game more comfortably.
“Tottenham had a lack of energy, a lack of desire, they were lacklustre. All the basics.
“You can say that ‘yes, Harry Kane wasn’t playing’. But they have only won two of their last eight games when he was playing.
“There’s something wrong with this Tottenham team.”
Sky Sports‘ Graeme Souness: “Were Spurs so poor or Brighton so good? The reality was something in between.
“The kindest thing I can say about Spurs is that they were lacking energy.”
Man of the match – Pascal Gross
Sky Sports‘ Alan Smith: “Alexis Mac Allister had an excellent game, but Gross just pips him. He’s been brilliant.
“He was instrumental in everything Brighton did well against Spurs. He also set up the all-important goal.”
⭐️ Man of the Match, @OfficialBHAFC’s Pascal Gross
78 touches
41/48 passes completed
9x possession gained
12.33km covered – most in match
5 chances created – joint most by a Brighton player in a PL game this season
Assist for Trossard’s winner pic.twitter.com/e3dGZ7xaNW
Opta stats – Brighton end barren home run; Spurs struggle without Kane
- This was Brighton’s first home win in 15 Premier League games at the Amex Stadium (D7 L7) since beating Arsenal in June 2020, 225 days ago.
- Brighton have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets for only the second time, and the first since October 2018.
- Tottenham have won just three of their last 13 Premier League games in which Harry Kane has not featured (D4 L6), including none of their last four (D1 L3).
- Tottenham have lost four of their last eight league games (W2 D2), as many as their previous 28 such matches beforehand.
- This was the 11th time a side managed by José Mourinho had one shot or fewer in the first half of a Premier League game; six of those occasions have come while in charge of Spurs. Mourinho has lost all three of his away league games at Brighton, the first time he has ever lost three consecutive away league visits to an opponent in his managerial career.
- This was Tottenham’s 1,096th Premier League game, and the first in which they did not start a single English player. Indeed, the last side to name a starting XI entirely of non-English players were Arsenal against Spurs in July of last season.
What’s next?
Brighton are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Liverpool in the Premier League; kick-off 8.15pm.
Meanwhile, Tottenham play on Thursday when they host Chelsea; kick-off 8pm.
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