Brighton 4-2 Tottenham: Pervis Estupinan scores stunner as Seagulls end Spurs' winning run
The triumphant three-game streak of Tottenham was abruptly cut short by a dominant Brighton led by Roberto De Zerbi, who secured a convincing 4-2 victory at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls appeared to be on their way to an impressive 4-0 triumph thanks to a pair of goals scored by Joao Pedro through penalties, a forceful shot by Jack Hinshelwood, and an astounding long-distance shot by Pervis Estupinan.
However, as the fans at the stadium cheered on "we want five" and the opposing team's supporters began to leave, Spurs made an unexpected comeback with goals by Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies in the final moments.
Lewis Dunk escaped a red card for a nasty tackle on Dejan Kulusevski, which Ange Postecoglou wondered why VAR did not step in. Despite dominating the game, Brighton had to hold onto their lead during the last few minutes.
However, De Zerbi's team managed to hold on and remain just seven points behind the fourth-place Manchester City. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur failed to seize the opportunity to climb back into the top four.
The Brighton team had Steele as their goalkeeper and he performed well with a score of 6. Hinshelwood played as a defender and his performance was decent with a score of 7. Van Hecke also defended well and gained a score of 7, while Dunk had an average performance with a score of 6. In the midfield, Igor played decently with a score of 6, Gross played well with a score of 7, and Gilmour also performed decently with a score of 7. Buonanotte's performance as a midfielder was average with a score of 6. Milner played well with a score of 8, and Welbeck also had a good performance with a score of 7. Pedro was the star player of the team and performed exceptionally well with a score of 9.
Players: Estupinan scored 8 points, Baleba scored 6 points, Ferguson scored 7 points, Moder scored 6 points, and Lallana did not score any points.
Tottenham lineup showcased Vicario, Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie, Sarr, Hojbjerg, Johnson, Kulusevski, Son, and Richarlison, with varying match ratings between 4 to 7.
Alternative: Gil with jersey number 6, Lo Celso wearing 5, and Veliz with 7 on their backs.
Star performer of the game: Joao Pedro.
Brighton's Frantic Finale: How They Held On
The way Spurs reacted to their five matches without a victory leading up to Christmas was remarkable. Postecoglou's team managed to collect nine points in their last three games. They then traveled to the southern coast for their next match.
When we examine that particular performance in more detail, we see that Newcastle seemed quite exhausted, and that Nottingham Forest, which had been coached by the now-removed Steve Cooper, was also defeated by them. In contrast, Tottenham Hotspur appeared to have won against Everton recently due to some fortunate circumstances.
Brighton was determined to avoid being on that list and started to make the visitors vulnerable. Guglielmo Vicario was required to make two impressive saves at the beginning of the game from Danny Welbeck.
However, the Seagulls promptly took the lead that they had earned when Hinshelwood aggressively kicked the ball into the upper part of the net following Pedro's skillful movements on the field.
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After a VAR review, Welbeck was found to have been pulled down to the ground by Kulusevski during a set-piece, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the Brazilian player who converted it successfully.
It was lucky for Spurs that they only conceded two goals before halftime. Vicario made an excellent save to deflect Pedro's shot after a bad pass from Pedro Porro. James Milner, who was playing very well on the left wing, hit the post.
After the break, Spurs looked like they were going to make a comeback. Richarlison and Destiny Udogie had chances to score, but they missed them. Richarlison thought he had scored twice, but the goals were not allowed because of offside.
However, Estupinan managed to stop Spurs in their path. He came back after a long injury as a substitute during the second half of the game. He then scored an incredible goal from outside the box, hitting the top corner of the net.
Pedro scored a fourth goal when Evan Ferguson was fouled by Giovani Lo Celso in the area. At this moment, it seemed like Spurs were going to lose.
In typical fashion, Brighton caused their own problems when Dunk lost the ball in his half to Kulusevski, resulting in Veliz scoring a goal that initially appeared to be insignificant.
Afterwards, Davies scored by nodding the ball in at the back post. In the following nine minutes of extra time, Tottenham had a shot that hit the post from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and a Porro shot that seemed headed for the goal was stopped in the six-yard box.
However, Spurs were unable to overcome Brighton's lead, and De Zerbi's team secured their first victory in three games. This win is crucial for their goal of staying in the running for European qualification.
Postecoglou Queries Kulusevski Selection
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Postecoglou acknowledged that his team was exhausted in their loss, but wondered why VAR didn't step in following Dunk's challenge on Kulusevski.
The manager of Spurs made a joke in response to a question about Kulusevski's foul on Welbeck for the penalty. He said it was very clear because it only took him three minutes to notice it on the screen.
The VAR made a call on every situation today, with the exception of one tackle that could result in another player being penalized. These judgments can be unpredictable.
Postecoglou stated that it's reasonable to say that our team appeared exhausted today, and that is a comprehensible fact. We've been demanding a lot from our players for an extended period, making it quite predictable that we would lack some energy today.
"They are an impressive team and we found it difficult to keep up with them. Nonetheless, we persevered and that's the best we could do. They gave their all and left nothing behind."
Zerbi: Spurs Win Ideal For Ending Year
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De Zerbi was extremely happy with his team's performance, stating: "I'm thrilled that we were able to end the year on a high note. What really stood out to me was the last 10 minutes, and I'm immensely proud of my team for that. It's not as easy to talk about the rest of the 80 minutes, but we'll continue to work on that."
I feel a strong sense of pride for the recent 10-minute period where we encountered significant difficulties and made an error resulting in the first goal we let in."
It is necessary to have a clear destination in mind as well as a strong sense of our own identity. Additionally, our team displayed remarkable bravery throughout the entirety of the game by consistently defending on a man-to-man basis.
Pedro scored his 13th goal of the season and De Zerbi expressed his satisfaction, stating: "He had another amazing performance. I am very happy with his mindset and approach. He also defended like a center-back throughout the entire game."
"He's on his way to becoming a highly skilled player. Though, I anticipate it will be challenging to collaborate with him in the upcoming year."
Seagulls Set For Thrilling 2024 Season: Analysis
Joe Shread from Sky Sports reporting live from Amex Stadium:
As soon as Brighton's Joao Pedro scored his second penalty kick, leading them to a 4-0 victory against Tottenham with 15 minutes remaining, it seemed like Ange Postecoglou's team would suffer a massive defeat due to their weak performance throughout the game.
Brighton didn't manage to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season and made the game more exciting by giving Spurs two last-minute goals.
De Zerbi disregarded those errors, acknowledging that the impressive offensive strategy and the careless defense define his unique Brighton team.
The Premier League has a team that is extremely fun to watch, and their coach De Zerbi is known for being very innovative.
With many of his wingers unavailable, who would have thought to use James Milner, a 37-year-old player, as an aggressive left winger?
De Zerbi struck gold once again, as he so often does. The Seagulls have been soaring high in 2023 and it seems like they have the potential to continue this trend in 2024 and beyond.
Spurs' Defence Leaks, Per Opta Stats
Brighton will be facing West Ham in their upcoming match on Tuesday. The game will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports with the start time set for 7.30pm.
Starting from 7:00pm of Tuesday, 2nd January, the game begins at 7:30pm.
On Saturday January 6 at 3pm, the Seagulls will make a trip to Stoke for the FA Cup third round.
The next game for Tottenham is on December 31st. They will play against Bournemouth and the match will begin at 2 pm.
The upcoming match between Spurs and Burnley in the third round of the FA Cup will take place on January 5th at 8pm in north London.
