I've found Tottenham going to be 55 in the Premier League with any opponent – but the game itself is always a thrilling and even a bit of desperation in the end, and the winner is hiding in that tormented despair. There is a statistic that says Tottenham have dropped 15 points this season when they are in the lead, and they have also recovered 15 points when they are behind!
Brighton beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at home more than 1 month ago, and it is said that when they return to Tottenham Hotspur, they should have some reflection & preparation, right? On 17 minutes, a foul on Van der Veen finally resulted in a penalty that Gross hits. Tottenham have been awarded six penalties this season, a Premier League record.
The main problem for Tottenham to be suppressed was the difficulty of receiving the ball in the middle of the midfield Bentancur + Sarr, and this problem was gradually solved by Maddison after 20 minutes. Maddison's beautiful footwork gradually stabilized Tottenham's position, Timo Werner was frequently open on the counter-attack on the left, and Richarlison also had a lot of chances up front, but unfortunately he hit the goalkeeper with a single shot and a shot from Maddison that also went wide of the far corner.
Overall, it took some effort for Tottenham to get the pace back into their hands in the first half – but by this time they were already behind. The confrontation between Van der Ven and Welbeck was a little difficult today, and Dunk made Richarlison suffer a lot, so it can be said that in the focus of the competition before and after, Tottenham Hotspur was a little powerless today.
Tottenham continued to push forward in the second half, with Kulubi looking to pick up the ground in the first half, as his brilliant diagonal cross from the right set up Sarr's second Premier League goal of the season, before Dunk, who had been dedicated throughout the pitch, had his first shot blocked at the post and Sarr himself slotted home from the top of the line. Tottenham, who equalised, replaced Son Heung-min, who had just returned to England from the Asian Cup, and almost lined up a six-striker lineup, which boosted morale.
But Brighton weren't afraid of Tottenham – after almost five or six minutes of adjustments, Brighton turned things around without even making substitutions, and after Fati came on, a couple of subtle breakthroughs from Mitomo almost gave his team-mates a must-score. In the situation of "stabbing each other" between the two sides, Tottenham is actually rougher in terms of technical details, and therefore more risky.
Ferguson replaced Welbeck in the final moments, and Brighton took the final moments of the game into their own hands in a courageous and spiritual way. Tottenham's usual strong pressure position often loses the crosshairs in the opponent's desperate pressing, and once the Brighton player gets the ball, it will be difficult for Tottenham to get it back - but at the last moment, Maddison-Richarlison-Son Heung-min connection took effect, Sun Ball's cross from the left side crossed through all of Brighton's defense, and Johnson's "rush" in front of the goal completed the reversal!
With Brighton's corner not conceded, a number of Tottenham players looked thrilled – it's fair to say that the win was very lucky for Tottenham, Brighton lost sadly, and I think a draw would have made more sense for everyone.
Tottenham's performance didn't seem to be satisfactory enough when the defence and midfield were now getting in place, so that's my overall impression of the game. When it comes to the competition between Santofu vs Son Xingmin, the level of play on both sides is actually between the two sides, if Fati's push can be accurate, then in fact, they also have an assist contribution each.