BRIGHTON’S TROSSARD’S LATE GOAL PUTS A DENT ON TOTTENHAM’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE POSITION HOPES.
Brighton and Hove Albion became only the second team in Premier League history to win away at both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in consecutive league games as Leandro Trossard’s late poked finish secured all three points.
‘Spurs’ have won eight consecutive home games against Brighton in all competitions but looked largely flat in the opening 20 minutes as the ‘Seagulls’ attempted to assert themselves in the final third. On 21 minutes, Enock Mwepu’s fierce drive was blocked by Ben Davies and from the resulting corner, Joël Veltman was also denied at close range.
Brighton’s strong start to the season seems like a distant memory, but are back in the hunt for a top-half finish after ending a six-game winless run by beating Arsenal last weekend, and they caused a lethargic ‘Spurs’ all manner of problems in the opening 45. The hosts were lucky to still have 11 men on the pitch, with Dejan Kulusevski only given a yellow card for what appeared to be an intentional elbow on Marc Cucurella.
Harry Kane has scored eight times in nine games against Brighton in all competitions but was largely isolated up front with only Son Heung-min finding pockets of space in which to operate. Spurs’ best chance came in the 58th minute, and it fell to the South Korean, but his smart swivel and strike was foiled by a sliding Trossard.
After defensive heroics at one end, the Belgian was then the match-winner at the other. As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, the ball fell kindly to Trossard 12-yards from goal, before the forward chopped inside to poke a measured finish with the outside of his right foot beyond Hugo Lloris. It was Brighton’s first top-flight away win at Tottenham for over 40 years and leaves Antonio Conte’s men vulnerable in 4th place with Arsenal breathing down their necks in 5th.
