This game promised goals – and delivered.
Tottenham Hotspur led 2-0 in the first half, and suffered a poor start in the second half, with Brighton leading 3-2 in the 66th minute.
Both teams’ use of a high defensive line was highlighted before kick-off, and there were early chances at both ends before Brennan Johnson continued his impressive form by scoring in a sixth straight game in all competitions – the first Spurs player to do so since Harry. Ken.
James Maddison then doubled Spurs’ lead after more impressive play from Dominic Solanke before Yankuba Menté pounced on a Destiny Udoji error to start the comeback. Further goals from Jorginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck completed the turnaround.
Jack Pitt Brook and Anantajith Raghuraman break down the action from the Amex Stadium.
How did Tottenham lose the lead?
At the end of the first half, it may have looked to some as if the game was over and Spurs were on course for their sixth successive win.
The problem is that Spurs played the second half as if the work had already been done and their minds could already drift to their upcoming international duties. Because the second half here was one of the worst collapses you can ever see from a winning team. Spurs were warned about Kaoru Mitoma in the first half but did nothing to stop him in the second half.
The failure of Micky van de Ven or Destiny Udoji to cut the cross resulted in Minte opening. Rutter was then free to receive Mitouma’s pass and run towards goal unopposed. Worst of all was the third goal when Udoji failed to stop Rutter’s cross from the right, and Welbeck then leapt over Cristian Romero inside the penalty area.
It was a complete failure of defensive responsibility from the Spurs players.
Jack Pitt Brook
Where was Tottenham’s defense discovered?
In our preview of this match, we said that Spurs’ defenders can often fall on their heels when asked to defend by running into the blind side – a problem that leaves them vulnerable to cuts, undercuts and tackles. Tottenham faced this predicament against Brighton too, but this time, the runs caught their centre-backs.
Pedro Porro struggled at times to defend the combined play between Mitouma and Ferdi Kadioglu for most of the first half. In the 32nd minute, this led to Brighton having their biggest clear-cut chance of the first half, as an innovative outside-of-the-boot cross from Mitoma saw Welbeck sneak in behind Romero to slide in, but the ball was dribbled wide of the far post.
Eight minutes later, Mitouma crossed to Kadioglu inside the penalty area. Once again, Welbeck ran in behind Romero before jumping to meet the ball, his header going wide of the post after briefly worrying Vicario.
In the middle of the second half, Tottenham paid the price for not heeding those warnings. Rutter showed great tenacity to slot the ball past several Spurs defenders before diving near the sideline to send in a cross.
Incredibly, neither Van de Ven or Romero, both glued to the ball, noticed Welbeck running into the gap between them and nodding in effortlessly to complete Brighton’s comeback.
Anantajith Raghuraman
Will this undo the recent improvement in form?
Had Spurs hung on for the win here – as they looked certain to do at half-time – it would have been their sixth successive win in all competitions, the first time they’ve achieved this since 2018. If they had, people would have done so. It could have been argued that Ange Postecoglou has turned around Tottenham’s season after a wobbly start.
But collapsing like this in the second half, and canceling the match, will now change the narrative. Especially going into a two-week international break.
People will wonder whether the progress he has made so far this season is real or illusory, especially given that much of the apparent progress this season has been due to Spurs’ defensive solidity.
They finally look like they are tough and difficult to play against. Then they did this. This will bring back questions about whether Angeball is inherently defensively weak. Today it was probably because players were down and making bad decisions, not anything tactical. This season’s improvements may still be real.
But that is the debate that will now take place before West Ham come to Tottenham after the break.
Jack Pitt Brook
How is Solanki’s role evolving?
When Dominic Solanke joined Tottenham in the summer, he had to take on the responsibility of trying to replace Harry Kane. It was a role that Richarlison never looked entirely comfortable in, but in Spurs’ positive first half, you could see a side of his game reminiscent of Kane: Solanke’s ability to drop into deep areas (see first-half touch map below) and play forward passes that hurt the opposition.
Both of Tottenham’s goals in the first half came from Solanke in that space. First when he took a pass from James Maddison and then sent a perfect ball to Brennan Johnson, attacking the space behind the Brighton defense (very similar to the goal Johnson scored against Qarabağ).
Then with the second goal when Solanke passed the ball to Timo Werner who passed to Maddison who made it 2-0. When you have quick strikers running out from the back, you need a deep striker to play those passes, and Solanke can be as adept at that as Kane used to be.
The problem was that when Spurs lost control in the second half, Solanke struggled to impose himself on the game or even get the ball at all, and all the hard work in the first half was wasted.
Jack Pitt Brook
What did Ange Postecoglou say?
The Tottenham coach said after the match: “We did not do what you have to do at this level, it is non-negotiable. We were not able to compete. We did not win our duels, we lacked intensity, we did not provide the things you need at this level, the fundamentals of the game, And we paid the price for that.
“It’s unacceptable at the end of the day. You can understand that you’re not going to win every game. But there’s the way you lose games. This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve lost a game like this. It’s unacceptable.”
“It’s all disappointing. There are certain elements of this team that have been pretty consistent throughout my tenure, and that’s one of the elements, even on the not-so-good days we’ve always fought and competed. I think that’s been non-negotiable.
“Today was the first day that I felt like we weren’t connecting in those areas. Whether it’s defensively, whether it’s with the ball. Sports are as much about competition as it is about anything else. And if you don’t compete, and you allow the opponent to sweep you like that, you’re not going to get any Something like that.
What’s next for Tottenham?
Saturday 19 October: West Ham United (home), Premier League, 12.30pm UK time, 7.30am ET
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(Top image: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
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