Tottenham Hotspur were on the wrong side of the result yesterday as Ange Postecoglou’s side tasted their first defeat at American Express Stadium when Brighton broke the Lilywhites five-game winning streak. The Seagulls couldn’t have done so in a more humiliating way, as they came back from 2-0 down to secure a 3-2 win.

Spurs faithful would have thought that the game is done and it’s going to be a garden walk for the second half when the visitors scored twice inside the first 37 minutes to get a 2-0 lead on board. Brennan Johnson and James Maddison helped the Lilywhites to the first half lead; however, it was a tie of two halves as Brighton came out buzzing in the second.

The hosts went on to score three goals in space of some twenty minutes to complete a memorable comeback, and that header by Welbeck into Viacrio’s net would be a sight that Tottenham fans wouldn’t forget for a while.

Les Ferdinand criticizes Tottenham’s use of Solanke

Former Spurs striker turned pundit, Les Ferdinand, was speaking about the Lilywhites defeat after the game during Sky Sports’ post-game coverage (via. TBR Football) and suggested that one problem in the second half was a big problem for Ange Postecoglou’s side. The 57-year-old insists that there was a problem in how Tottenham’s summer signing Dominic Solanke was utilised in the second half.

The ex-Liverpool striker put in a wonderful cross in the first half, but he barely touched the ball since, and Les thinks that is little of Solanke’s fault. Les explained: 

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“What they had in the first half was, even though they tried to play out from the back, every time Brighton tried to close them down they had that out ball in Solanke—never used him once in the second half, never saw the ball. Come out from the back and go into Solanke, and he’ll hold it up and bring others in the game; he hardly touched the ball in the second half.”

“Hardly touched the ball in the second half, not through any fault of his own; I thought in the first half they used him well; they went over the press at times when Brighton were closing them down, straight into Solanke—the first goal came off him coming into spaces. Didn’t use him at all in the second half.”

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We can point fingers at everything if we go by how the second half went for Tottenham, but on a positive note, Ange will now have a couple of weeks to look back and right the wrongs as the international break commences, and Spurs will be looking to bounce back stronger when Premier League action resumes.