Baked by the Easter sun and perhaps overwhelmed by expectations, Tottenham failed to strike at Arsenal. Instead, this stadium was teeming with disappointment and anxiety. For the second time in a week, Brighton damaged the club’s challenge in the North London quartet with a late goal by Leandro Trosar, stolen after Christian Romero slipped into his own box, repeating what happened to the Emirates’ Arsenal.
Tottenham was aiming to win its fifth consecutive game in the league for the first time since December 2018, but if they want to end their two-season absence from the Champions League, they must play with much more intensity. Robert Sanchez at Brighton’s door barely escaped, his job usually done by a well-organized defense throwing heroic blocks. Arsenal’s visit to Tottenham on May 12 is now great, although Brentford, Leicester and Liverpool must agree first.
Brighton’s victory against Arsenal ended a series without a victory, which included a 2-0 defeat as host of the Spurs. Graham Potter, who was linked with the post vacated by Nuno Espirito Santo in early November before the appointment of Antonio Conte, suffers from his team’s inability to score, but has always highlighted the quality of their game during this fruitless cycle. These two goals at Arsenal accounted for two-thirds of Brighton’s result in their last eight Premier League games, and a less shy team would certainly have scored all three points earlier than the winner of Trosar.
Alexis McAllister, in perpetual roaring motion, buzzed around as Yves Bisuma patrolled expertly in front of four defenses. Brighton pressed hard, closing the space before the ball reached Harry Kane in his reserved deep position. The early domination of the guests made Conte bark from the edge of this technical zone. He stayed there all the time, although the Italian, like his team, seemed less strong than normal.
The loss of Matt Doherty for the rest of the season led Sergio Regilon to the position of left wing in front of Ryan Sessegnon. Without the Irishman, the team, which has scored 14 goals in four previous games, has stopped, although Brighton deserves credit for the suspension. By the 15th minute, Kane took the ball into Brighton’s penalty area and it proved to be rare.
Harry Kane struggled to make his usual impact on Brighton. Photo: John Patrick Fletcher / Action Plus / Shutterstock
Enock Mwepu’s early goalie looked naked before beating Ben Davis and from behind, and then Joel Weltman was blocked. Dejan Kulusevski, who was otherwise struggling to enter the game, received a yellow card for an elbow blow against Mark Kukurela out of disappointment. This was as important as the Swede received before he withdrew in favor of Lucas Moura.
As Brighton gained pressure in the first half, Rodrigo Bentancour cleared Weltman’s shot after a pass from Pascal Gross and also received a yellow card for taking down Bisuma in midfield. Spurs’ disappointment was shared by fans of the hosts, who began to smell an archetypal mistake. There were cries of anticipation as the ball briefly appeared to have fallen to Kane, only for Kukurela to deflect it, followed by moans as the striker limped.
Kane quickly regained his pace, if not his influence, and the Spurs went into the halftime break with great hesitation. Much of their energy was invested in getting Mwepu a second yellow card, first to clash with Ben Davis and then to deal with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Both would be soft decisions, especially given Kulusevsky’s earlier escape, but Potter understood the hint and sidelined the Zambian at halftime in Danny Welbeck’s favor.
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As Brighton continued to push in the second half, Spurs’ disappointment continued. Sleep, who was previously a passenger, received a blow blocked by Veltman and then another by Trossard. Shortly before class, Brighton’s goal-scoring problems were illustrated by Welbeck’s hopeless blow, which was met with ridicule by home fans seeking solace in the midst of his own team’s failures. Immediately after that, Moisés Caicedo’s poor first touch saved Emerson Royal’s mistake as Brighton continued to threaten, and Mac Allister also fired.
With the introduction of Harry Winx in the midfield, the Spurs have intensified this in the last 15 minutes. A pass to the side pulled the defense out of position which let Reguilón slip through on goal. But Brighton got more chances, with Welbeck leading one of them before Romero slipped away while dealing with reserve Adam Lallana, giving Trosar a chance to mark the winner his team – and Tottenham – deserved.
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