That’s it from me. I’ll leave with John Brewin’s match report from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - bye!
Post-match thoughts
Lewis Dunk
“We executed the gameplan perfectly. We could hear the crowd getting frustrated. I think they had one chance, the Bergwijn volley at the end, and to restrict them to one chance here is very good. We had a bad run but we’ve got our confidence back now and we’re showing what we can do. That stems from working hard on the training ground.”
Leandro Trossard
“It was a really tough game, and to win it at the end is fantastic. They’re a great side but I think we deserved to win.”
That result means Arsenal will go level on points with Spurs, with a game in hand, if they win at Southampton this afternoon. You can follow that game with David Tindall.
Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Brighton
Peep peep! Another twist in the race for fourth place. Brighton were the better team throughout and, though they didn’t create many clear chances, they deserved Leandro Trossard’s dramatic late winner. Graham Potter’s 3-1-5-1 shape worked so well that a sluggish Spurs didn’t have a single shot on target.
Leandro Trossard bags for Brighton in the 90th minute! 😱
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 16, 2022
A lovely cut inside and finish!
That's a big blow to Tottenham's hopes of #UCL football... 😬 pic.twitter.com/xkggEnBUjF
Updated
90+3 min Emerson Royal is booked.
90+2 min Five minutes of added time.
90+1 min: Bergwijn misses a great chance! A long ball forward was headed down by Kane towards Bergwijn, who screwed a volley wide from 15 yards.
Lallana was challenged by Romero on the right edge of the area, with the ball running towards the onrushing Trossard. He swerved extravagantly away from Dier and poked an early shot with the outside of his right foot that nestled in the far corner. What a superb goal!
Updated
GOAL! Spurs 0-1 Brighton (Trossard 90)
Leandro Trossard has surely won it for Brighton!
Updated
88 min Spurs make their final change - Steven Bergwijn replaces the unusually subdued Son.
87 min Trossard cuts inside from the left and cracks a low drive wide of the near post.
86 min “Will Morgan (from 13:30) is correct,” says JR in Illinois. “Considering the theory that VAR is in use there’s no excuse for Kulusevski not seeing red for that elbow. (Though Cucurella started it with a snide forearm in the back for no reason and should have been booked for it.) The implementation of VAR has been and continues to be a showery shambles.
“As for your second screen, you should be on the Interwetten German Darts Grand Prix like me. Wesley Plaisier just smashed Jim ‘The Quiff’ Williams off the board with a 104 average. And of course one of the best things about darts: no VAR.”
85 min It’s been such a sluggish attacking performance from Spurs, hard to reconcile with their recent form.
Updated
84 min See 57 min.
83 min Gross’s outswinging corner is headed straight at Lloris by Dunk, 12 yards out.
82 min March’s cross towards Welbeck is headed behind by Romero in the six-yard box. Brighton continue to look the likelier team to score.
Updated
82 min Lamptey is replaced by Solly March.
81 min There’s a break in play while Lamptey receives treatment. It has felt like a stop-start game throughout.
79 min Lamptey’s cross is headed over by Welbeck, under pressure from Romero.
77 min Another change for Brighton: Adam Lallana replaces a weary Moises Caicedo.
76 min Lucas Moura outpaces Cucurella on the right and slides a cutback that is really well claimed by the diving Sanchez.
75 min Hojbjerg gets to the byline on the right and smashes a low cross that is just missed by Reguilon, sliding in at the far post.
74 min Lamptey’s cross-shot is held by Lloris, falling to his right.
74 min Trossard’s clever ball over the top just evades Caicedo, who is carefully blocked off by Davies.
72 min Another change for Spurs: Harry Winks replaces Rodrigo Bentancur.
68 min I’ll wake you up when something happens.
66 min “A Spurs fan, in Mallorca, with my dad and my boys,” writes Mark Goodchild. “Dad has gone to find a bar with the game on. I’ve stayed at the pool with my boys. From your account it sounds like I got the best deal.”
I’m not saying it’s dull but my second-screen experience for the last half hour has been QVC.
64 min Lucas Moura replaces Dejan Kulusevski.
64 min Mac Allister whistles a shot over the bar from 20 yards. That stemmed from Caicedo robbing Hojbjerg in the Spurs half.
Updated
62 min Lucas Moura is about to come on for Spurs.
59 min Welbeck controls a crossfield ball beautifully on the chest only to slice his shot out for a throw-in. Brighton win the ball high up the field, but Caicedo’s poor first touch in the area allows Emerson Royal to concede a corner. That was a real chance.
58 min: Fine block from Trossard! Much better from Spurs. Son plays the ball out to Hojbjerg on the left, receives a return pass near the penalty spot and slides a low shot that is blocked by the stretching Trossard. The loose ball runs to Bentancur, who shoots just wide from distance. And Bissouma is booked for fouling Kane earlier in the build up.
Updated
57 min Spurs still haven’t had a shot on target.
56 min Spurs try a training-ground free-kick and make a mess of it.
55 min Bissouma is penalised for a high challenge on Emerson Royal. Free-kick to Spurs, 25 yards from goal on the right...
54 min Spurs have been unable to generate any momentum in this game.
51 min: Good block from Veltman! A quick long throw from Kane finds Son in the area. He lobs the ball neatly over Veltman, who reacts well to block the subsequent shot.
49 min It’s been a scruffy start to the second half. The Spurs fans really aren’t happy. Has Antonio Conte taken this team as far as he can?
Updated
47 min “Welbeck on for Mwepu,” says Roy Allen. “That’s a victory for cheating.”
Well, Mwepu wasn’t entirely blameless.
46 min Peep peep!
Surprise, surprise, Brighton are making a half-time change. Danny Welbeck replaces Enock Mwepu, so Alexis Mac Allister will drop into midfield.
“I know you ain’t the FA Cup but can I just say I am genuinely a tingle with excitement about the City/Liverpool semi,” says Ian Copestake. “At my age though I do get excited at any sign of a semi.”
Lord knows what state you’ll be in before they meet in the Champions League final.
Half-time reading
“I don’t understand how Kulusevski doesn’t get sent off after a VAR review,” says Will Morgan. “The ball’s long gone and his sole intention appeared to be to land one on Cucurella. Straight red.”
I missed an incident just before half-time in which Cucurella stamped on Kulusevski’s Achilles off the ball, so he could have gone as well. It might have been an accident.
Half time: Spurs 0-0 Brighton
Peep peep! Mwepu ends the half with a fierce long-range shot straight at Lloris. It was an uneventful 45 minutes - Brighton were the better team without creating many chances, and the main talking point is whether Dejan Kulusevski (probably) and Enock Mwepu (maybe) should have been sent off.
45 min Spurs again try to get Mwepu sent off when Hojbjerg goes down dramatically on the edge of the Spurs area. Graham Potter will surely have to take him off at half-time.
42 min Spurs want a second yellow card for Mwepu after a high challenge on Davies. Craig Pawson disagrees, and life goes on. I think that’s fair enough - Mwepu didn’t see Davies coming and had eyes only for the ball. It could have gone either way.
Updated
38 min A nothing ball forward is headed across the area by Reguilon towards Kane, who controls it on the chest and is about to volley it towards goal when Cucurella appears on his blindside to make a vital, probably goal-saving interception.
36 min The home crowd are getting frustrated. Brighton have been excellent, even if their dominance hasn’t translated into a load of clear chances.
34 min Bentancur is booked for a lunge at Bissouma. He took the ball but then flattened Bissouma in his follow through.
33 min “Whether Kulusevski connects or not, the intent is what matters and he wasn’t even looking properly so really should have seen red,” says Tomasz Rykala.
Yeah, I typed that and then realised it was probably nonsense. I remember Cristiano Ronaldo getting sent off for a two-footed tackle on fresh air at Manchester City in 2006, so presumably the same principle applies here. I guess he was lucky to stay on.
30 min “Spurs so far playing like a team that has been reading too many good reviews of its own performances and started believing them...” says Jonathan Gresty.
I would give Brighton a fair bit of credit - when they are playing well they are a really awkward team. Don’t forget they’ve won at Arsenal and drawn away to Chelsea and Liverpool this season.
Updated
29 min Gross’s inswinging corner from the left is headed across goal by Mac Allister and cleared desperately by Bentancur.
28 min Lamptey’s cross just evades Mac Allister and is headed behind by Royal. Brighton have been the better team so far.
27 min Now Kulusevski is booked for swinging an elbow in frustration at Cucurella. He could have been sent off for that. He didn’t connect properly and Cucurella didn’t go down, which may have saved him.
Updated
27 min Mwepu is booked for a late tackle on Reguilon.
26 min Glenn Hoddle, co-commentating on BT Sport, makes the point that Yves Bissouma - who is playing in front of the back three - is doing an excellent job of ensuring that Harry Kane can’t drop in and dictate play.
24 min Davies’s blind backpass is almost pinched by Mac Allister in the six-yard box. He just can’t reach it, though, and Lloris calmly clears.
23 min: Another chance for Brighton! Gross curls a deep corner to Cucurella on the edge of the area. He mishits his volley so badly that the ball goes back across to Gross on the right. Gross reacts smartly and picks out Veltman, whose snapshot is blocked in the six-yard line by Kane.
22 min: Chance for Brighton! Trossard’s header across the clear is only half cleared to the edge of the area. Mwepu charges onto the bouncing ball, twists his body and smacks a shot that deflects just wide off Davies. That was beautifully struck.
21 min Spurs have had 53 per cent of the possession, which is a surprising statistic as it feels like Brighton have controlled the tempo of the game and had more of the ball.
Updated
20 min Lamptey overhits a relatively simple pass to the underlapping Mwepu, who found a rare bit of space in the Spurs area.
19 min Trossard is booed for the crime of being whacked in the face by Emerson Royal. It was accidental but Trossard looks a bit groggy. He’s going to continue.
17 min Romero, still upfield following a corner, surges to the byline on the right side of the area and stabs a cross that is kicked behind by the keeper Sanchez. Son takes the corner short and makes a balls of it.
15 min Hojbjerg’s header forward is controlled majestically on the turn by Kane, who is about to shoot from 10 yards when Veltman slides in to make an excellent challenge. The resulting corner is flapped away by Sanchez.
Updated
13 min Dunk tries to block Kane from chasing down the goalkeeper, so Kane plants a knee into his back. That looked pretty painful, though the referee Craig Pawson doesn’t think it warrants a yellow card.
Updated
12 min Another extended spell of possession for Brighton, though it’s all front of the Spurs defence. It’s been a somnolent start to the game.
9 min Despite being the away side Brighton are dominating possession, which kind of suits both sides. Antonio Conte’s teams are often deadly on the counter-attack.
7 min The game hasn’t really got going yet. Don’t worry, if it stays like this I’ll start making up some goalmouth excitement.
5 min Brighton’s shape is interesting. They are basically playing with four central midfielders, with Bissouma behind a line of Mwepu, Gross and Caicedo.
5 min Caicedo wins the ball high up the field, and in a flash Gross is away on the left of the area. He tries to cut back inside Romero, who makes a good tackle.
3 min Mwepu is fine.
2 min Mwepu is on his haunches after an accidental hand in the face from Davies. I think he might have poked Mwepu in the eye.
1 min It looks like a 3-1-5-1 for Brighton, with Lamptey and Trossard at wing-back and Mac Allister as the false nine.
Updated
1 min Peep peep! Brighton, in their mint green away kit, kick off from left to right.
The players stroll out of the tunnel into the sunshine. It’s a lovely day in north London, it says here.
“Truth and certainty have taken a huge battering over the past decade (or since 1968),” says Ian Copestake, “but if any sliver of these remain then a Spurs loss just when everyone is getting all cosy with them again would be just the ticket.”
You’ve nicked that from a Sir Alex Ferguson teamtalk haven’t you.
A reminder of the teams
Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3) Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
Substitutes: Gollini, Sessegnon, Rodon, Lavinier, Sanchez, Winks, White, Bergwijn, Lucas.
Brighton (possible 4-1-4-1) Sanchez; Lamptey, Veltman, Dunk, Cucurella; Bissouma; Gross, Mwepu, Caicedo, Mac Allister; Trossard.
Substitutes: Steele, Offiah, Webster, Lallana, Ferguson, Sarmiento, March, Maupay, Welbeck.
Updated
Matt Doherty is at the game today. Alas, he’s on crutches. His absence is a blow for Spurs because he has quietly been in outstanding form. Sergio Reguilon is a decent replacement, mind.
Updated
This is the first of four Premier League games today. The others all kick off at 3pm:
- Manchester United v Norwich City
- Southampton v Arsenal
- Watford v Brentford
As things stand Spurs are three points clear of Arsenal having played a game more.
Team news
Sergio Reguilon replaces the injured Matt Doherty, the only change from the Spurs side that hammered Aston Villa last weekend.
Your team to face Brighton! 👇 pic.twitter.com/nkF9PUMubz
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 16, 2022
Graham Potter makes one change from the Brighton side that won at Arsenal last weekend. Tariq Lamptey replaces Danny Welbeck, which will mean a rejig up front. Leandro Trossard could play as a false nine. They could also switch to a back four, though Potter was giving nothing away during his pre-match interview.
TEAM. 💙 Here's the Albion XI to face Spurs in the @PremierLeague today! 📝
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 16, 2022
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIvOB3 ✘ #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/iRpRLVly06
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Spurs v Brighton from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It’s exactly a month since the return fixture, and in that time the mood at Spurs has changed considerably. They went into that match at Brighton in seventh place, having just lost in frustrating circumstances at Old Trafford. That was Spurs’ fifth defeat in eight league games and, though there were also some stirring victories in that time, it would have surprised nobody if Antonio Conte’s agent was under the strictest instructions to spend every waking hour scrutinising some small print.
Spurs won 2-0 at the Amex Stadium, the start of an immaculate little run: four games, four wins, 14 goals scored. Just as importantly, in the same period Arsenal have haemorrhaged nine points, so Spurs are now a) in fourth and b) favourites to finish fourth. Their front three look as devastating as any in the league, quite a compliment given the quality of you know who, and two of South America’s finest – Cristiano Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur – have stiffened their spine.
Spurs are favourites to win today, though the residual taste of schadenfreude should remind them that it’s not a sure thing. Brighton won at Arsenal last Saturday, ending a stinking run of form and reminding us all what an impressive, resourceful side they are. As the doyen of minute-by-minute reports would say, it’s on!
Kick off 12.30pm.
