Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: 3 reasons why Spurs won the game | Premier League 2019-20

#2 Brighton’s failure to build on the initial momentum

Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League

Early in the game, Steven Alzate created space in the edge of the Tottenham box and unleashed a shot. Even though it failed to hit the target, it was a clear intention of Brighton’s intent. They had not travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to make up the numbers. Alzate was at it again in the 13th minute, combining well with Gross and carving out a chance for himself. His shot required intervention from Paulo Gazzaniga, who palmed it away from goal. On the other end of the pitch, the away defense managed to keep the Tottenham attack at bay and Brighton matched the home side step for step around the park, even surpassing them at times.

After Tottenham’s disallowed goal, the away side grew in confidence and then dealt the opposition with a killer blow through Webster. They even went into the break with a lead but failed to build on their momentum in the second half. They allowed Tottenham to get back into the game and lacked a bit of composure at the back, which ultimately cost them the game.

#1 Individual brilliance

Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League

Mourinho got more than he bargained for against Brighton and had to rely on the individual brilliance of some of his players to bail him out on the day. Kane was certainly disappointed when his first-half goal was ruled out for offside, but he did not let it get to his head. Instead, the Englishman managed to inspire his team and showed his fantastic goalscoring ability early in the second half.

It started with Lucas Moura’s fantastic run and with a stroke of luck, the ball fell to Kane. The Englishman took it in his stride and unleashed a fierce shot at goal, which was saved by Mathew Ryan in the Brighton goal. However, the ball came back to Kane, who unleashed another inch-perfect shot, despite being off-balance, that found its way into the back of the net.

The second goal was equally impressive. It involved Christian Eriksen’s vision, which saw the ball arrive at the feet of Aurier. The Ivorian’s cut back to Alli wasn’t the greatest, but the Englishman improvised brilliantly, lifting the ball over Ryan and giving his team a deserved lead.