MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham were dealt a huge blow in the fight for fourth place in the Premier League as Leandro Trossard’s late goal gave Brighton and Hove Albion a stunning 1-0 away win.
Spurs had the chance to stretch their advantage over Arsenal to six points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Southampton later on Saturday.
But they never showed any signs of doing that, Tottenham second-best throughout a largely uninspiring encounter that Brighton dominated.
The Seagulls got their reward in the 90th minute as Trossard’s fine finish with the outside of the boot sealed a deserved three points and handed the initiative back to Arsenal – themselves beaten at home by Brighton last week.
The most fascinating battle of the first half was arguably referee Craig Pawson’s struggle with his own judgment amid continued fouls from Enock Mwepu after he had already been booked.
Mwepu, who along with Joel Veltman created the best half-chances for Brighton, avoided a second yellow before half-time and was promptly substituted by Graham Potter.
His replacement, Danny Welbeck, summed up the lack of goalscoring prowess in the Brighton squad when he wasted a presentable opportunity with a volley that went out for a throw-in.
Alexis Mac Allister fired over and Tariq Lamptey drew a comfortable save from Hugo Lloris, but Brighton’s continued pressure eventually told as Trossard stayed composed to settle matters after Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal combined to lose possession deep in their own half.
What does it mean? Advantage Arsenal
Brighton’s win will have been celebrated in the red halves of north London and Manchester, regardless of how unlikely a late revival at Old Trafford looks, as well as in east London by a West Ham side still harbouring Champions League ambitions.
It is Arsenal who are now in position to take control of the fight for fourth place. They can move level on points with Spurs with a win at Southampton and, though Tottenham have a better goal difference, the Gunners crucially have a game in hand.
Spurs streak stopped
Tottenham were looking to win five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since December 2018, but they produced a sleepy display in which they failed to produce a shot on target.
Brighton and Trossard do north London double
Brighton’s win at Tottenham followed their 2-1 victory at Arsenal, making them the second side in Premier League history to beat the north London rivals away from home in consecutive matches, replicating a feat achieved by Hull City in 2008.
By scoring in both games, Trossard joined Diogo Jota as the only other player to score away against both Arsenal and Tottenham this season.
Key Opta Facts
– Tottenham have lost three of their past six home Premier League games (W3), as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 14 on home soil (W10 D1).
– Brighton have won consecutive away league games for the first time since September 2021 and are now unbeaten in three Premier League games overall, winning the past two, after losing each of the six before that.
– Tottenham failed to direct a single shot on target for the first time in their past 21 Premier League games, since November 2021 versus Everton.
– Trossard has netted six goals in the Premier League this season, his best ever return in the competition, eclipsing the five he scored in both 2019-20 and 2020-21.
– Brighton captain Lewis Dunk made his 166th Premier League appearance, with all of them as starts; only six outfield players have better 100 per cent starting numbers in the history of the competition (Gareth Southgate top with 426/426, then Paul Ince, Des Walker, Gary Pallister, Fabricio Coloccini and Stuart Pearce).
What’s next?
Tottenham will look to get back on track away at Brentford next Saturday. Brighton could have a say in the title race away at Manchester City on Wednesday before hosting Southampton on Sunday.
