Key events
Half-time: Brighton 0-2 Tottenham
Brighton have been bamboozled, and Tottenham excellent. Brennan Johnson’s finish was fine, James Maddison was a tad lucky. A couple of decent Brighton chances draw only a fig leaf over the gulf in class between these two.
45+2 min: A case in point: Rutter, a passenger all half, is miles offside when the ball is played to him.
45+1 min: Spurs invite on the Brighton press but the home team are struggling to put anything together.
45 min: Three minutes are added on, and the Falmerdome is very quiet.
44 min: It could have been three, Johnson outmuscling the tracking run of Mitoma to thrash over the bar. Ange is aghast though that looked a difficult chance.
42 min: Brighton seek their way back, but Tottenham seek to see out the half. As was pointed out elsewhere, they have a fine defensive record.
40 min: Van der Ven’s speed stops Welbeck’s run. The quickest in the business – confirmed.
38 min: Spurs look very good, full of attacking dimensions. They have had a share of fortune with that goal but have been easily the better team. Still, from Kadioglu’s ball from the flank, Welbeck heads wide.
Goal! Brighton 0-2 Tottenham (Maddison, 37)
That Brighton pressure means more room for Tottenham. Solanke out to Werner, the ball slotted inside to Maddison, who strokes it goalwards, and Verbruggen makes a hash of it. The goalie holds his head in despair.
36 min: Welbeck gets down the channels, and Mioma and him exchange passes. Eventually, Mitoma lands the ball on Hinshelwood’s head but the ball drifts behind.
35 min: Can Brighton maintain the momentum they have at last located?
33 min: Sudden waves of Brighton attacks, Minteh to the fore, and a corner forced. The corner sees a foul. Veltman and Maddison at it? Next, Igor Julio yellow-carded for bringing down Kulusevski.
32 min: And yet, Brighton almost score. Mitoma’s cross is a beauty, and Welbeck misses, Oh Danny, Danny. That’s a sore one.
30 min: As if to illustrate that, Lewis Dunk is forced into using his turning circle to clear the ball.
29 min: Jeers from the Tottenham vans as Verbruggen is forced to thwack the ball out of play. In the battle of high-pressing, Spurs are winning.
27 min: Some ludicrous acting, as Maddison and Veltman clash. The Dutchman accuses him of diving. Then does a theatrical fall to make his point. No booking, and Veltman makes a limp-wristed gesture to his foe. Amusing stuff. More please?
26 min: A rare Brighton attack, but Mitoma is disappointed when he doesn’t get on the receiving end.
25 min: With that goal, Johnson has equalled a feat by Harry Kane. Remember him? Brighton have no answer to Spurs’ pace all over the park.
Goal! Brighton 0-1 Tottenham (Johnson, 24)
Another goal – sixth in a row – from Johnson. Fine play from Solanke, winning the loose ball and Johnson scores. That goal had been coming. Spurs have been excellent.
Spurs have a goal disallowed
21 min: Porro gallops down the wing, ball to Johnson, and then a ball into Werner, the header down, and Maddison pokes in. Offside. Though how?
19th min: Verbruggen can only shank the ball back to Spurs. Brighton camped in their area. This is not how they usually have to play. Big test for their young manager. Lewis Dunk is having to do some old-style stopping, and comes across to stop Solanke.
16th min: Here’s some zip from Timo Werner, and Lewis Dunk closes down Udogie. Brighton are trying to play out from defence but are really struggling. Tottenham pushing up high.
15th min: On the Sky broadcast, Alan Smith has just admitted he got three points on his driving licence for doing 24 in a 20. The game’s not that bad. Much more zip than at Villa Park.
14 min: Here comes the Irish question, from Tik: “Does Evan Ferguson need to wait for Danny Welbeck to start collecting his pension before he starts again or is it time for him to go on loan in January, even if it’s in the Championship? With Pedro out injured and Evan back training full time for about two months surely if Hurzeler had any intention of using him it would have happened by now.”
13 min: Mary Waltz gets in touch: “John good morning from California. Praying for an exciting match. Watched the first half of the United v Villa tussle, it put me to sleep so I switched to the Chelsea Forrest fixture and was rewarded with a slam bang 1-1 draw and followed the United snooze fest on the MBM. When the MBM is better than the actual match it is so sad.”
So does Tim Young: “I notice in your MBM a contributor suggesting that the way these two teams are ‘scoring and conceding’ it could be 8-8, reflecting the commonly held view that both teams have been profligate at the back. But Tottenham have so far conceded the second fewest goals in the league, so why do you think this idea has become so well accepted as true?”
Tim, it’s Spurs.
11 min: Porro – with his wand of a right foot – hits a diag Maddison might have done rather better with. Next, Mitoma looks to get away for the first time. He’s offside; Ange using the halfway line again. Risky business.
10 min: How do Brighton respond? They almost catch out Bentancur with the highest of presses, Spurs desperately clearing the danger.
8 min: That will be it for Webster. Igor Julio will come on. Webster in some pain, having had a mare last week at Chelsea. Good player, Webster, and a reminder the lower leagues bring through plenty. Julio speeds on.
7 min: Baleba tries to cut back but is crowded out. Adam Webster is down, and injured. He pulled it when clearing his lines, a hamstring or a calf injury.
5 min: Another Tottenham attack, Brighton so open. Romero’s ball is a beauty and Maddison has time once he brings down the ball, and Webster blocks.
3 min: Brighton try and get a move underway but Udogie clears his lines when the exciting, speedy Minteh looks to get away. Spurs go back to the other end, Kulusevski cuts the ball in and Dunk uses his experience to put the block in. It’s an open game so far.
And away we go…
1 min: Spurs get off to a flier, and it’s the Timo show underway. Does he shoot? No, he aims a pass at Brennan Johnson. And misses his target.
The players pay tribute to Barry Lloyd, the club’s one-time manager and chief scout. A name from a very different Brighton.
We are deeply saddened to report the passing of our former manager Barry Lloyd, aged 75.
We extend our sincere condolences to Barry’s family and friends at this saddest of times. The players will wear black armbands today and there will be a tribute next weekend against Spurs.
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 28, 2024
Pascal Gross – or is that Groß? – is shown off to the Falmer faithful, as a means of saying goodbye. He’s at Dortmund now. What a player he was for Brighton. One of those so underrated he’s rated players.
Via the BBC: Some interesting quotes from Ange Postecoglou, who welcomed Fabian Hurzeler to Tottenham’s training facility last season. “He spent a day with us. He asked a lot of questions and I gave him too many answers, for sure.
“I actually palmed him off at one stage because he was asking too many. I passed him to the other coaches. He was inquisitive about everything. He was already a senior manager, doing a good job, and the fact that he still wanted to ask questions – he made a real impression on everyone.”
Yash Gupta gets in touch: “David Squires made cartoon about Werner after Chelsea-Man City final in 2021. Best player on land outside box. Okay maybe 6th best in this Tottenham team. As long as he contributes well, I think his ‘show’ can be sidelined for now.”
I’m a fan. A total entertainer.
Congratulations, Daniel Harris, for staying awake during this. I was glad the Arc came on in the second half.
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1. That’s a fine result for Nuno, a manager we all wrote off, didn’t we. (OK, I did.)
Jeremy Boyce gets in touch: “Given the way these two are scoring and conceding it’s either 8 – 8 or 0 – 0 isn’t it?”
Getting that vibe, yes.
Last time out for these two teams.
Fabian Hurzeler makes two changes from Chelsea last week. Yankuba Minteh and Joel Veltman in, Mats Wieffer and Pervis Estupinan dropping to the bench. Ange Postecoglou opts for the same team that smashed Manchester United. That means the Timo Werner show rolls on.
The teams
Brighton: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, Webster, Dunk, Veltman, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma, Welbeck. Subs: Steele, Lamptey, Igor, Gruda, Enciso, Ayari, Wieffer, Ferguson, Estupinan.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Werner. Subs: Forster, Dragusin, Bissouma, Gray, Bergvall, Spence, Sarr, Lankshear, Moore.
Preamble
As the season starts to shake out, Brighton’s great start to the season has dissipated, and so have fears that Tottenham are about to explode. Five wins in a row will do that sort of thing. Spurs were impressive against Manchester United, and then in midweek toughed it out at Ferencvaros. A win could take Ange Postecoglou’s team into the top four, where they would like to be. Brighton haven’t won in the Premier League since August and were on the wrong end of a thriller last week with Chelsea. Fabian Hurzeler’s already shown off that he has fire in his belly, and so does Ange. So let’s hope for fireworks in Falmer.
Kick-off at 4.30pm, UK time. Join me.
