Tottenham vs Brighton Player Ratings as Son Shines on Return, Sarr and Johnson Steal the Spotlight
Tottenham Hotspur pulled off a 2-1 comeback victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday. Brennan Johnson struck the winner for the hosts in the sixth minute of stoppage-time after Pape Mate Sarr had canceled out Pascal Gross’ first-half opener for the Seagulls.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton: Starting Lineups
Tottenham Hotspur
- Coach: Ange Postecoglu
- Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario
- Defenders: Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie
- Midfielders: Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentacur; Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Timo Werner
- Forwards: Richarlison
Brighton
- Coach: Andrea Maldera
- Goalkeepers: Jason Steele
- Defenders: Tariq Lamptey, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Pervis Estupinan
- Midfielders: Pascal Gross, Billy Gilmour, Adam Lallana
- Forwards: Facundo Bounanotte, Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton – Match Statistics
Spurs were the better side in the game. They mustered more shots, kept more possession, created more chances, and completed more passes.
| Summary | Tottenham | Brighton |
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Shots | 16 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 3 |
| Corners | 9 | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red Cards | None | None |
| Goals | Pape Matar Sarr (61′), Brennan Johnson (90+6′) | Pascal Gross (penalty., 17′) |
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton Highlights
Having crushed Tottenham 4-2 at the Amex in December last year, Brighton were eager to complete the league double. The Seagulls came flying out of the blocks and took the game to Spurs with their attacking menace. In the 17th minute, it paid off as they won a penalty which Pascal Gross converted to give his side the lead.
The goal seemed to spur the Lilywhites on, as they turned the screw in the match by upping their attacking game. Ange Postecoglu’s side began creating several chances but lacked the cutting edge to make them count, although it changed in the second half.
Having knocked on Brighton’s door for a while now, Tottenham found the equalizer in the 61st minute through Matar Sarr. Dejan Kulusevski made a wonderful through ball for Sarr to latch onto, but his first shot was blocked, although it then came off the post and right at him again. The Senegalese made no mistake at the second bite of the cherry, sending it in from a tight angle.
Brighton threatened for a fleeting moment as Ansu Fati and Pervis Estupinan both got forward but Spurs dealt with it rather comfortably. Then in stoppage time, Johnson added a second after racing into the area to connect with Son Heung-min’s inch-perfect cross and seal the win at the death.
Tottenham vs Brighton Player Ratings
Tottenham Hotspur
Guglielmo Vicario (GK) – 6.5/10: He guessed the wrong way for Gross’ penalty, but was hardly tested otherwise
Pedro Porro (RB) – 7/10: Kaoru Mitoma kept him busy but Porro came up trumps in their duel for the most part
Cristian Romero (CB) – 7/10: The Argentine held the fort well, making seven clearances and two interceptions
Micky van de Ven (CB) – 6/10: He conceded the penalty to Brighton but was otherwise solid
Destiny Udogie (LB) – 7/10: Mobile and adventurous, Udogie was a big menace on the flanks but also tracked back whenever needed
Pape Matar Sarr (CM) – 7.5/10: He didn’t always win his midfield duels but scored the goal that got Spurs level; extra points for that
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) – 5/10: The Uruguayan was sloppy and lacked the defensive resolve to protect the back-four
James Maddison (AM) – 6/10: An off-day at work for the former Leicester City man, who struggled to impose himself in the match
Dejan Kulusevski (RW) – 6/10: Kulusevski was missing in the attack spark tonight
Richarlison (ST) – 7/10: Richarlison blew hot and cold, but was involved in creating the winner for Tottenham
Timo Werner (LW) – 6/10: He was sorely lacking his usual clinicality
Brighton
Jason Steele (GK) – 7/10: He was the busier goalkeeper on the day and was largely impressive
Tariq Lamptey (RB) – 6.5/10: His duels with Werner produced mixed results
Jan Paul van Hecke (CB) – 7/10: Bold and audacious, Van Hecke put his body on the line to prevent Spurs from scoring, but alas
Lewis Dunk (CB) – 6.5/10: He didn’t do anything wrong for the most part, but was nowhere to be seen for Tottenham’s second goal
Pervis Estupinan (LB) – 7/10: The Ecuadorian was solid for the most part but lacked pace on the recovery
Billy Gilmour (CM) – 7/10: An encouraging show in midfield while also helping out defensively whenever needed
Pascal Gross (CM) – 6.5/10: He won the penalty and then scored it
Adam Lallana (AM) – 6.5/10: The former Liverpool man hooked good passes forward but was never a direct threat
Facundo Buonanotte (RW) – 6/10: He got onto the end of a few half-chances though not a big threat for Spurs
Danny Welbeck (ST) – 6.5/10: A bright spark for the Seagulls earlier on but faded as the match wore on
Kaoru Mitoma (LW) – 7.5/10: Brighton’s best player of the evening, Mitoma gave the Spurs defense plenty to think about
