Brighton stuns Tottenham, dashing hopes of Ange Ball as they secured three more points against Tottenham in the American Express stadium

Brighton, currently sitting 6th in the league, aimed to upset Tottenham and succeeded, securing their third win of the season. As a result, Spurs dropped down the table, with Brighton overtaking them, Now Spurs have dropped down to 9th. Following their Europa League clash against Ferencvaros, Tottenham fielded their strongest backline of Udogie, Van de Ven, Romero, and Pedro Porro.

Despite experts hailing this as one of Tottenham’s best squads in years, they were unable to fend off Brighton’s challenge led by Danny Welbeck and Mitoma who were absolutely genius tonight. Son Heung-min was sidelined with an injury.

Tottenham appeared to be cruising towards an easy victory in the first half, with Brennan Johnson scoring his sixth goal in as many matches in the 23rd minute, followed by James Maddison adding a second in the 37th. Dominic Solanke was the standout player on the pitch for Spurs, but the second half turned into a disaster.

Brighton turned the game on its head in just 20 minutes, starting with Yankuba Minteh’s goal in the 48th minute, followed by Georginio Rutter in the 58th, and Danny Welbeck completing the comeback in the 66th. It was a particularly rough outing for Udogie, Bentancur, and Van de Ven, who will need to step up their performances with tougher fixtures on the horizon.

Here are TTLB’s player ratings of Tottenham players in the 2-3 loss over Brighton.

Vicario – 6

Was solid in the first half, coming out of the lines and saving shots but had a lackluster performance in the second half with three goals conceded, one due to poor positioning.

Pedro Porro – 7

He contributed effectively to the build-up on the right side, showcasing his vision with a beautiful ball over the top that set Maddison up for a scoring opportunity. Among the defensive unit, he stood out as the only one who truly delivered a solid performance.

Christian Romero – 5

He allowed Welbeck to slip past him in the first half, nearly leading to a Spurs’ defensive breakdown. His lapse in concentration during Welbeck’s goal was evident as he was caught ball-watching. While he often excels when the play is in front of him, his tendency to lose track of attackers remains a significant flaw in his game.

Van De Ven – 5

His speed is always valuable for covering runs and stopping dangerous attacks, but today he struggled when defending in and around his own box. The left side of Spurs’ defense was especially vulnerable, and he couldn’t provide the solidity needed to prevent Brighton’s pressure.

Destiny Udogie – 4

Gifted Brighton a goal with his mistake at the back post. Had he missed the ball completely or cleared it properly, it would have been fine. He got just enough on his scuffed clearance to set it up perfectly for Minteh. Should have been a lot stronger in defending Brighton’s second too. Copy and paste that for Brighton’s third as well. It was an awful defensive showing from Udogie today.

Kulusevski – 7

He definitely should’ve had a goal or assist today. Nearly every positive Spurs play involved him, and he consistently found space effortlessly on the right flank. A smart player with the ball, he rarely missed chances to spark an offensive threat. However, he did tire slightly in the second half.

Bentancur – 6

Bentancur cannot be a one man defensive midfielder, he is calm on the ball and shows quality in tight areas, so it just clicks. He was imperative to the way Spurs cut through Brighton in the first half. However, he perhaps needed more support in the second half, and his performance dipped significantly. In the end, he deserved to be subbed out.

Maddison – 7

Lucky to score with such a soft shot, but his first-half display was anything but luck. He found excellent spaces between the lines and caused problems. However, he couldn’t dictate play at all in the second half.

Brennan Johnson – 7

Six goals in six matches. Johnson becomes the first player for Spurs to achieve this since Harry Kane in 2019. Moreover, his overall performance and build-up play appear to improve each week. To be honest, he could have scored even more today. We can definitely expect more from this promising youngster.

Solanke – 8

Solanke delivered a typically industrious and intelligent performance. He expertly picked out Johnson with a superb through-ball for the first goal and orchestrated two attacks, holding the ball up effectively while bringing others into play in dangerous areas. Unfortunately, he barely touched the ball in the second half. Overall, it was a solid display, but he just missed the finishing touch.

Timo Werner – 6

He enjoyed plenty of success on the left side, leaving the Brighton defenders in his wake during the first half. He assisted Maddison’s goal and should have contributed even more, but his final pass or cross often fell short. He could have easily assisted Johnson just 30 seconds into the match. However, in the second half, he struggled to make an impact on the game.

SUBSTITUTES

Yves Bissouma – 6

Came on to provide additional solidity to the midfield, and the game did settle down a bit, but it ultimately proved too little, too late.

Pape Matar Sarr – 6

He had a similar impact. This highlights the risk and reward associated with Postecoglou’s system.

Mikey Moore – 5

It was great to see him get a 10-minute cameo, and he had one promising run down the left.