Spurs’ “best performance of the season” rescues a precious point at Brighton

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Brighton & Hove Albion (2) 2 v Tottenham Hotspur (1) 2

Minteh 8

Ayari 31

Richarlison 43

van Hecke (og) 82

By Kaz Mochlinski at the Amex Community Stadium

Premier League

Matchweek 5

Tottenham Hotspur had to conjure a comeback from two goals down to rescue a very well deserved point away at Brighton & Hove Albion and maintain their unbeaten record on the road in the Premier League this season.

Richarlison crucially scored a couple of minutes before half-time to begin the recovery, and the increasingly unrelenting waves of Tottenham attacks were eventually rewarded by the equaliser through a Jan Paul van Hecke own goal with eight minutes left.

It meant that for the second successive match Spurs benefitted from an own goal changing the result in their favour, after overcoming Villarreal 1-0 in the Champions League four days earlier thanks to the opposition goalkeeper, Luiz Júnior.

That own goal came from a right wing cross to the near post, and so did the one which secured a draw at Brighton. The latter was played in by Mohammed Kudus, who also provided an assist with the initial shot for Richarlison’s finish.

“I think this is our best performance of the season,” enthused Tottenham’s head coach, Thomas Frank, afterwards. “I actually think that overall, if there should have been a winner, it should have been us.

“So many crosses into the box, near chances, missed opportunities. We were physically strong and mentally strong, and that is so important if you want to achieve something.”

A year ago at Brighton under Frank’s predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, Spurs took a two-goal lead in the first half, but surrendered it after the interval and ended up losing the game 3-2. They very nearly this time exactly reversed that outcome.

Rather than regrets, Frank preferred to focus on the positives of the performance: “The mentality that we showed, I was so impressed with. The mentality to stay in the game, to keep going, to keep pushing and come back and get a well deserved 2-2.”

However, he will have been horrified by the manner in which his side slipped to a two-goal deficit in just over half-an-hour, with it vividly recalling some of the worst moments of Postecoglou’s two seasons in charge of Tottenham.

The visitors were lulled into an over-enthusiastic press by Brighton, who then played through the resulting defensive high line at pace, repeatedly carving clear openings in the early stages of the match.

Photo: ©️ Capital Football

On a pitch with the markings still visible from the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 matches recently played on it, Albion took the lead through their first attack, as quick passes by Brajan Gruda and Georginio Rutter put Yankuba Minteh clear.

Having initially started the move when tracking back to win possession, Minteh got away down the right to take the ball round Guglielmo Vicario and finish from a tight angle with his wrong foot, using his left when the right seemed more natural.

A VAR check confirmed that Minteh had timed his run perfectly to beat the attempted offside, with the Spurs captain, Cristian Romero, being the culprit in misstepping out of the back four. The warning was hardly heeded.

Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma had further similarly dangerous openings which were not converted, before Brighton doubled their advantage with a goal that must be considered as entirely avoidable from the Tottenham viewpoint.

Lucas Bergvall gave the ball away in the right-back position, playing it straight to Yasin Ayari, who instantly reacted with a long-range shot swerved across and beyond Vicario, although the keeper unequivocally should made a better attempt to stop it.

Vicario may have lost the flight of the ball in the air, as he let it go through his hands without fully throwing himself in its direction. The Londoners were also unhappy that appeals for a foul in the build-up were turned down by the referee, Chris Kavanagh.

Richarlison was left on the ground after contact with van Hecke, but a VAR review confirmed that the coming together was insufficient for a free-kick, and anyway the forward seemed to be backing into the covering centre-back.

The Spurs response was very impressive, never letting their heads drop or appearing to feel sorry for themselves, instead setting about working their way back into the game, aided by three players with recent question marks over their Albion futures.

Both van Hecke and Mitoma were linked with summer moves to Bayern Munich, while Carlos Baleba was wanted by Manchester United. Mitoma squandered several situations against Spurs, looking like his reactions and movement have slowed down.

And just what daydream Baleba was distracted by when losing the ball for Richarlison’s goal is open to speculation. Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler had to haul him off at half-time after Baleba kept failing repeatedly to retain possession.

Photo: ©️ Capital Football

For the goal, Tottenham moved the ball rapidly from right to left and then back again across the penalty area to give Kudus the chance of a first-time strike. It was blocked inadvertently by Richarlison, but he was alert enough to then drive it home himself.

Thereafter, Frank’s team had more and more control and threat, especially when Xavi Simons came on with an hour played. Fitting in behind Richarlison, his elusiveness forced Albion into a back five with James Milner brought on as a defensive midfielder.

The hosts still struggled to stop Simons, who twice narrowly missed the target with quick-fire low shots and in-between drew a fine diving save out of Bart Verbruggen when cutting inside off the left for a fierce right-footed effort.

Inevitably a Simons run finally led to the equaliser, as he twisted and panicked the Brighton defence before feeding a pass out for Kudus on the right to curl in a left-footed cross that was inadvertently directed into the net off van Hecke’s left thigh.

It was not a new kind of disappointment for Albion. Remarkably, since their return to the Premier League for the 2017-18 season, Brighton have conceded 20 own goals - more than any other side in the top flight during this time.

However, they held on for a draw to remain undefeated in seven successive home matches, while Spurs have not won any of their last eight Premier League games immediately after playing in Europe in midweek (not counting the UEFA Super Cup).

The Tottenham boss was reasonably satisfied: “I think maybe this was our most complete performance so far in the season. I know that we conceded two goals, but I think actually there were so many positives overall in the game.”

According to Frank’s assessment “It’s never that black and white. You can concede goals, but other than that we defended well, and we were winning the ball back all the time and creating chances. On top of that we had the mentality to come back.

“Of course we needed structure, and tactics, and a game plan, and all that we like to praise ourselves for as coaches. But, at the end of the day, it’s mentality. I’m very pleased with the resilience.

“The way we sprinted on recovery runs gave me goosebumps.” Now that is a very special kind of delight.

Brighton and Hove Albion: (4-2-3-1) Verbruggen - Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadıoğlu (Wieffer 85) - Baleba (Gómez 45), Ayari - Minteh (Coppola 76), Gruda (Milner 63), Mitoma - Rutter (Welbeck 75)

Tottenham Hotspur: (4-3-3) Vicario - Porro (Spence 89), Romero, van de Ven, Udogie - Bergvall (Gray 89), João Palhinha, Bentancur (Xavi Simons 61) - Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert (Johnson 72)

Attendance: 31,488