Barney Ronay’s match report has arrived, so I’m off for a nap before my next liveblog. Bye!
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Here’s Mauricio Pochettino
“Hugo is in hospital now. The club will communicate what has happened, but there is no good news. It had a massive emotional impact on the team, and we lost a goal as well. We tried to find a solution in the second half, a different way to play, but it was impossible. We are living a tough moment. We need to keep going and stick together. I feel sorry for the fans.
“It’s not easy – after five and a half years this is the first tough moment we are living. It’s new for all of us. I hope the pressure comes on me, not the players. We cannot underestimate this kind of situation, but in the times that are not so good there is always the possibility to make things stronger.”
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It feels like these are end times for Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino. But there’s an unpleasant bloodlust in the way the situation is being discussed. There’s an undercurrent of glee about the whole thing. Let’s force the issue so that he loses his job and we get our BREAKING NEWS fix, then we can move onto the next one. You want a P45, Ole Gunnar? How about you, Unai? Marco? What about you, Pep? You’ll get yours one day.
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There’s no more news on Hugo Lloris, who was taken to hospital after suffering a hideous elbow injury when Brighton scored their first goal. The replays of the incident, apparently, were extremely grim.
“As much as I like Calum Robinson and David McGoldrick,” begins Eoin Jones, “surely Mick McCarthy needs to bring Connolly into the Irish senior team for the upcoming qualifiers after that performance?”
I guess he’ll want to manage him carefully, but it won’t be long because he looks a serious prospect. He reminds me a bit of Coventry-era Robbie Keane in his relentless movement, his cocky, imaginative finishing and his general Irishness.
Post-match interviews
Aaron Mooy “I thought we played really well, with intent from the start. We’ve played well in most of the games this season but the final touch wasn’t there. Today we put it all together. It’s a perfect day for everyone.
Aaron Connolly “I can’t really put it into words. It’s a dream come true. I’ve been watching the Premier League since I was four or five, I watch Premier League Years all the time, and to be playing in it and scoring in it is indescribable.”
There are some intriguing 3pm games, including a humdinger at Anfield. You can follow them with Barry Glendenning.
Full time: Brighton 3-0 Tottenham
Peep peep! Brighton beat Spurs for the first time in 36 years. They played superbly throughout, with the teenage Aaron Connolly two fine goals on his full Premier League debut. But the focus, inevitably, will be on a miserable Spurs performance and a horrible injury to Hugo Lloris. His season is probably over; Spurs’ season isn’t going swimmingly either.
90+2 min There will be three minutes of added time.
90+1 min “Controversial opinion: Spurs are not a “nearly” team,” says Yoshua Selvadurai. “They made 1 (UCL) final, 0 UCL semis, and 0 top 2 EPL finishes.”
You’re not looking at the whole pie. (And they finished 2nd in 2016-17.)
90 min Glenn Murray replaces the quietly excellent Dale Stephens.
89 min The Man of the Match is Aaron Connolly. Hard to argue with that in the circumstances, though another Aaron, Mooy, has been brilliant.
88 min Steven Alzate, who has had a good game in midfield, is replaced by Gaetan Bong. Brighton have some really promising young players: Maupay, Trossard, Connolly, Alzate and Murray.
87 min “Greatest near miss of the Wenger era is the 07/08 team,” says Mat Coates. “Crippled by injury in season (Rosicky, Van Persie, Eduardo) and progressively picked clean post season (Hleb, Flamini, Adebayor). Capable of a consistent elan the current crop can only dream of.”
Yeah, I think most non-Arsenal fans forget how good that side was. They never really recovered from Birmingham, did they.
86 min Lucas Moura forces another good save from Ryan, this time with a fierce shot towards the bottom corner from 25 yards. Ryan got down very smartly and stretched to his left to beat it away. Lucas Moura has been great since coming on.
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85 min The impressive Maupay controls a cross from the right and selflessly tees up Gross, who shoots straight at Gazzaniga from 17 yards.
83 min Mat Ryan makes a fine close-range block from Lucas Moura, who suddenly injected a bit of speed and quality into Spurs’ play. He ran onto Lamela’s lobbed pass, turned his man in the area and struck a shot that hit the outrushing Ryan.
81 min “My favourite nearly team is probably that Parma side from the mid-late ‘90s that nearly broke the dominance of Milan and Juventus,” says Jim Bach. “Nearly. Crespo, Dino Baggio, Thuram, and a young Buffon...”
And, for one season only, our Seba.
80 min Yves Bissouma replaces Aaron Connolly, who scored two accomplished goals on a memorable full debut. He’ll sleep well tonight.
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79 min “I spent five years in Brighton and used to steward at the Goldstone Ground, so I am loving this,” says Iain Pearson. “Can I, though, nominate my first love as a nearly team: Celtic in the first half of the seventies. We were at the end of our 9-in-a-row run and winning Scottish cups hand-over-fist so this nomination may sound a bit odd until one looks at Europe.
“One European Cup final appearance, two semi-finals (including a penalty-shoot out loss) and one quarter-finals in the European Cup and nothing to add to our single title of 1967. The team sheets of the time included the likes of Jimmy Johnstone, Lou Macari, Kenny Dalglish, Dixie Deans, Billy McNeill, Danny McGrain. All managed by Jock Stein.”
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78 min The match is petering out, although Brighton still look dangerous on the counter-attack. For all Spurs’ woes, Brighton have been seriously good today.
77 min “Romania 1994: the greatest of losers,” says Paul Ewart. “More total than Danish Dynamite + Hagi, gloriously tabbing his way through matches.”
They were entirely wonderful (I wish somebody would write a book on them), but I’d argue Denmark were a more complete package, and they did it at two tournaments. Romania will definitely be on the list if I ever get to write the Joy of Six: Loose Cannons (see also: Zeman’s Foggia and Chris Nicholl’s Southampton).
75 min “Hi Rob,” says Mundane Protest. “Surely the obvious cause for Spurs’ dismal start is that four of the most important players in their first XI have been allowed to enter their final year of contract, meaning 4/11ths of the team isn’t committed to the club and the other half knows that and is justifiably miffed. Under Ferguson, say, can you imagine any player, no matter how good, showing that level of indifference to the club and not being immediately sold?”
Well, it happened with Ronaldo and Keane. But they were the best player in the team on each occasion, so I take your point.
74 min Maupay is poised to head Brighton 4-0 ahead when Alderweireld gets the slighest touch on the ball.
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73 min Son is replaced by Lucas Moura.
71 min Kane misses an excellent chance, lifting a left-footed shot over the bar from 10 yards after turning back inside Burn.
69 min Son, in the six-yard box, fresh-airs an attempted shot on the turn.
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67 min Connolly plays with a lovely arrogance, particularly in his finishing. He almost scored with a confident lob at Newcastle the other week, and both goals today have had a touch of class.
66 min “Not a team,” says Niall Mullen, “but a video of Jimmy White’s 90’s snooker career has replaced the word ‘nearly’ in the dictionary.”
I think we did a Joy of Six on this once. (Edit: yes, we did.)
This is some full debut for Aaron Connolly. He’s been a pest all day and now he’s scored his second goal. The move started when he made a fine run from centre to left to receive Dunk’s long pass. Then he cut back inside, shifted the ball away from Alderweireld and cracked a superb low shot into the far corner from 15 yards.
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GOAL! Brighton 3-0 Tottenham (Connolly 65)
What a terrific goal this is, from a fine young player.
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63 min Mooy, who has been superb on the left of Brighton’s midfield diamond, draws a foul from Sissoko on the left wing. Gross goes for goal from a ludicrous angle, whipping a brilliant disguised effort off the top of the crossbar. That’s their 15th attempt on goal; Spurs have had two.
62 min “Spurs made the European final last year, ahead of any expectations, moved into their new stadium and finally spent money on players,” says Zach Neeley. “Why are they so disaffected?”
All things move toward their end. It’ll make a good book when the dust has settled. There are tens of reasons; I suspect the biggest is a vague, self-perpetuating inertia.
61 min Brighton try the Beckham/Scholes corner, or rather the Mooy/Stephens, for the second time in the match. This time Stephens belts his volley over the bar.
57 min Stephens is booked for blocking Lamela from taking a quick free-kick. Lamela booted the ball against Stephens to ensure he’d be booked.
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56 min “On the subject of nearly teams,” says Andrew Champney, “I have fond memories of Roy Evans’ Liverpool side.”
Who doesn’t?
55 min Burn’s wallop from the edge of the area is blocked by Winks. Dier was booked for blocking Connolly off the ball. Is VAR allowed to recommend first yellow cards?
53 min Connolly goes down after an off-the-ball incident with Dier. VAR are looking at it while play goes on.
52 min Brighton are sitting much deeper, content to play on the break. It’s a slightly risky tactic but you can udnerstand it in the circumstances.
51 min “Are we a couple of centre-back injuries at either end of the East Lancs Road away from all 20 PL clubs scrapping for fourth?” says Gary Naylor. Arsene knows knew.”
Once upon a time it was always like this.
50 min Sissoko overhits a pass to Son, but it runs through to Davies on the left. His low cross is kicked behind by the stretching Webster. This is better from Spurs.
48 min Here’s Mark Hooper. “Nice to see the Brighton subs bench paying tribute to Abbey Road by spelling out the drum line from Come Together: 3 Bong, 8 Bissouma, 14 Balogun, 16 Jahanbakhsh.”
47 min Spurs win a corner. They already look livelier than in the first half, although they managed that just by taking the kick off.
46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half. They have made a change, with Harry Winks replacing Tanguy Ndombele. That means a switch to a back three, with Eric Dier alongside Aldertonghen.
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“Ah, it isn’t easy watching a nearly team like Spurs do what nearly teams sadly do, which is to wither like leaves under an early frost before harvest,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “And yet, nearly teams are in their way much more interesting – definitely more loved by more neutrals – than champions. With champions, their flaws are forgotten or re-framed as strengths, or tests of will. Nearly teams? Much more like us; much more, well, human really. Like Ireland at the Rugby World Cup over the years, or the 2014 Liverpool team. Spurs will be one of them, in the Hall of Near Fame. What’s your favourite nearly team, as I know you’ve quite enjoyed Spurs these last few years?”
Half-time chitchat
“Rob,” says Felix Wood. “Is it a crisis yet?”
“Watching here in France, they’re showing plenty of replays of the Lloris incident on RMC,” says Marcus Sedgwick. “Obviously concerned for their ‘Frenchie’ as they bizarrely like to say here. It’s a nasty one, not David Busst bad, but nasty.”
Half time: Brighton 2-0 Spurs
Peep peep! Brighton lead Spurs 2-0 at the Amex Stadium. The scoreline is pretty flattering - to Spurs, who have played like a team who know it’s over. In their defence, they were stunned by a double blow in the third minute, when Hugo Lloris gave away a terrible goal and suffered a sickening elbow injury in the process. Aaron Connolly, making his first Premier League start, scored the second, and Spurs must be very glad to hear the half-time whistle.
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45+5 min Maupay’s driven cutback hits Alderweireld and flashes just wide of the far post. It looked like Maupay had taken the ball out of play, and I suspect it would have been overturned by VAR had they scored. Moments later, Maupay’s swooshing 25-yarder is well held by Gazzaniga.
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45+3 min I knew Spurs would miss Serge Aurier.
45+1 min There will be seven minutes of added time because of the injury to Hugo Lloris.
45 min “That man, with the lovely hair, presenting Gazzetta,” says Stephen Bassett. “Whatever happened to him?”
I know what happened to the lovely hair.
44 min Lamela has a shot kicked off the line by Dunk. Actually, it would have gone wide, but it was still a promising move from Spurs.
42 min Spurs needed a good start after Tuesday. Instead they had an unimaginably miserable first five minutes, with a comedy goal and a hideous injury to Hugo Lloris. They haven’t come close to recovering.
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39 min “At school, one kid decided to vault over the gym horse backwards,” says Duncan Edwards. “He landed on the wooden floor and his arm was bent the wrong way at the elbow. This being the late 60s, our PE teacher gave him a bollocking.”
37 min Alderweireld overhits a backpass to Gazzaniga; he saves the corner and then lobs it back to Alderweireld, who miscontrols it with his chest and gives away a throw-in. That sums it all up, etc.
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36 min Another chance for Brighton! After a nice passing move, Gross’s low cross was steered just wide from 14 yards by Connolly. It’s sad to see Spurs, who have been a model team for so long, playing like this. They’re a complete mess.
35 min Spurs’ heads have gone. Gross’s deflected shot goes just wide of the far post, with Gazzaniga scrambling across his goal.
35 min “It was such a beautiful summer of cricket; now all you can talk about it is people vomiting with pain,” says John Little. “Where did it all go wrong?”
In fairness, Steve Smith wasn’t exactly ticketyboo when Jofra Archer pinned him.
Brighton have been much the better team and now they lead by two. Burn hit a bouncing cross towards the near post, where Connolly got in front of the dozy Davies to flick the ball towards goal from six yards. Gazzaniga made a brilliant save, low to his left, but Connolly reacted first to steer the loose ball into the net. The first effort from Connolly was superb, an improvised flick with his studs as the ball bounced slightly awkwardly.
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GOAL! Brighton 2-0 Tottenham (Connolly 32)
The teenager Aaron Connolly scores on his Premier League debut!
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30 min Connolly goes over on the edge of the box after a bit of a shove from Sissoko. Jon Moss says there’s no foul, although he was miles behind play. I think it was a foul, but the original contact was just outside the area. VARman decides it was not a clear and obvious error.
28 min “So Paulo Gazzaniga takes Lloris’s place?” says Bill Hargreaves. “I believe his cousin from the English side of the family used to play in midfield for the Spurs?”
That’s as good a reason as any to post this, possibly the greatest intro to a football program.
26 min Lloris is on his way to A&E. Meanwile, Eriksen has Spurs’ first shot on target, a well-struck 25-yarder that is grabbed at the second attempt by Ryan.
26 min “Players don’t receive oxygen when injured,” says Dean Moull. “It’s entonox which is nitrous oxide. Oxygen wouldn’t do much for pain! Nitrous on the other hand...”
Ah yes, fair point. I’m with stupid, because I am stupid.
24 min Ndombele makes a vital interception from Montoya’s cutback. Spurs aren’t at the races. Brighton should try to put them away before half-time, because they won’t play this badly after the break.
22 min “I dislocated my elbow playing football 10 years ago after being challenged for a header and landing with my arm outstretched,” says Martin O’Connor. “It was the most shockingly painful thing I’ve ever experienced - I felt the two bone of my forearm pop out of place and back in again - and I have had both my knees reconstructed due to ACL ruptured. I feel for Lloris, he’s likely to be vomiting from the pain right now and will be out for months. To literally add insult to injury, the other team scored while I was writhing in pain and I had spent 2 years trying to get promoted to the team I was playing for that day in my club. As a Spurs fan, it was even more painful than watching them this week.”
Vomiting from the pain. Now that’s what I call grim.
20 min An accidental clash of heads between Maupay and Vertonghen, who has been in the wars in this game. He’s receiving a concussion test but seems fine to continue. He has a black eye but I think that’s the same one he’s had for a few weeks.
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17 min “Evening Rob,” says Phil Withall. “You have to wonder if Spurs are now caught in a cycle of hell. A spiral of bad luck that seems to have no visible exit. Norwich have had more than their fair share of misfortune with injuries but Spurs seem hell bent on creating ever more inventive ways of introducing misfortune into their season.”
15 min Brighton have started really strongly, and are playing with greater urgency than has sometimes been the case this season. Spurs look stunned, both by the goal and that grisly injury to Hugo Lloris.
13 min The first good move from Spurs, with Davies’s through pass towards Eriksen intercepted confidently by Dunk.
10 min A nice set-piece routine from Brighton. Mooy drives a left-wing corner to the edge of the area for Stephens, whose vicious volley is blocked by the head of Vertonghen. I think that was going in. It knocked Vertongen off his feet, but he seems fine now.
Lloris strechered off after serious arm injury
8 min After a delay of around five minutes, Hugo Lloris is stretchered carefully off the field. He is still receiving oxygen. The poor bloke, that looks extremely nasty. Paulo Gazzaniga replaces him.
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6 min Lloris is still being treated. In fact he’s receiving oxygen, and it looks far more serious than I first thought. Apparently his left arm bent horribly as he landed, and it was sufficiently bad that BT Sport aren’t showing replays.
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That was a bad error from Lloris. Burn’s booming, overhit cross from the left forced Lloris to backpedal towards his own line. He made a split-second decision to catch the ball instead of pushing it over the bar, but he misjudged where he was in relation to the goalline. As he caught the ball, his momentum took him over the line, so he had to drop it in front of an open goal. Maupay reacted fastest to head it in from a yard. Lloris landed badly and looks in serious pain. He won’t be able to continue.
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GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Spurs (Maupay 3)
Oh dear lord. Hugo Lloris has given away a goal and injured himself in the process.
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2 min Brighton are actually playing a back four, with Burn at left-back and Alzate to the right of centre in a diamond midfield.
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1 min Peep peep! Brighton kick off from left to right.
The players emerge in the tunnel, most of them looking very serious. Harry Kane has the expression of someone who’s mad to hell and not going to take this anymore.
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An email! “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” writes Quentin Lefarge. “What I know about football could be written, but when a manager messes with the full-back/defensive winger position by putting an Eric Dier there or some such the whole team will fail to function.”
At ease, Lefarge: Moussa Sissoko will be the right-back.
Pre-match reading
Team news
Graham Potter has addressed Brighton’s goallessness by bringing in an extra striker, the talented Irish teenager Aaron Connolly. Mauricio Pochettino has made four changes from the Spurs team that was plugged 7-2 by Bayern Munich. The big losers are Dele Alli and Harry Winks, who are on the bench, and Danny Rose, who isn’t in the squad at all. Serge Aurier is suspended for repeated galootery, so Moussa Sissoko will play at right-back.
Brighton & Hove Albion (possible 3-3-2-2) Ryan; Webster, Dunk, Burn; Montoya, Stephens, Alzate; Gross, Mooy; Maupay, Connolly.
Substitutes: Button, Bong, Balogun, March, Bissouma, Jahanbakhsh, Murray.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-D-2) Lloris; Sissoko, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier; Ndombele, Eriksen; Lamela; Son, Kane.
Substitutes: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Foyth, Winks, Alli, Lucas Moura, Skipp.
Referee Jon Moss.
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Preamble
Hello. Welcome to live coverage of Tottenham’s attempt to get back on the horse after their bizarre humiliation against Bayern Munich. There’s an end-of-days feel around Spurs at the moment, with the manager and half the squad reportedly keen to do one. A blissful five-year relationship, one that almost everybody envied and admired, was not supposed to end like this.
Spurs could end the weekend in third place, so it’s not exactly 1976-77 revisited. For that to happen, they first need to win a Premier League game away from home for the first time since January.
In that time they have drawn two and lost seven, a run that becomes even harder to explain given their form before that. When Harry Winks scored an injury-time winner at Fulham on 20 January, it gave Spurs their 15th victory in the previous 19 away games.
Their opponents, Brighton, have played better than the table suggests, and with a bit more luck they could be in fifth or sixth place rather than 16th.
They are sixth in one table - the one that tells you which side has played the most passes this season. Brighton’s football, though undeniably confident and impressive, has had a kind of sexless beauty. They have struggled to create chances, and only Newcastle and Watford have scored fewer goals. Spurs can rest easy; they won’t be conceding seven today.
Kick off is at 12.30pm BST.
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