Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Seagulls go seven clear of relegation zone with win

Brighton punished a lacklustre Tottenham to grab their first home league win since June and go seven points clear of the drop.

And the hosts always looked likelier to score the match’s second, with substitute Aaron Connolly having his late effort cleared off the line by Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld.

Jose Mourinho’s side struggled to create chances late on, with defeat meaning they stay sixth, six points off the top four.

Flying Seagulls grab rare home win

Brighton’s victory finally ended their seven-month winless run at the Amex Stadium.

Coming into this fixture, Graham Potter’s team were the only side left in England’s top four divisions without a win at home this season.

But the Seagulls were the better side throughout, with Gross striking the woodwork in the third minute.

Trossard’s second goal of the season deservedly put them ahead, before Gareth Bale headed a Lewis Dunk effort off the line on the stroke of half-time.

And it was much of the same in the second period with the hosts continuing to impress.

Ben White saw his shot well-saved by Hugo Lloris after it deflected off Alderweirweld in the 55th minute.

The Spurs defender was also on hand to clear Connolly’s effort off the line in stoppage time when the Republic of Ireland international looked destined to score.

A winless December may have had Brighton boss Potter looking over his shoulder.

But three wins in their past four games in all competitions – including three clean sheets – suggests the Seagulls are starting to find the form they need to pull away from the bottom three.

Sorry Spurs out of ideas

After losing to Liverpool on Thursday night, Spurs needed a response – the omens were not great, given when they lost to the champions in December they followed it up with a 2-0 defeat to Leicester.

A win would have put the visitors fifth in the table. Instead, they suffered back-to-back defeats for a second time this season.

With Harry Kane sidelined with injuries to both ankles, Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale started just his second league game of the season.

But, like the rest of Spurs’ forward line, the four-time Champions League winner did not look interested in the opening 45 minutes. The Welshman was subbed shortly after the hour mark.

Son Heung-min and Carlos Vinicius both tested Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez late on, Vinicius’ effort in particular worrying the Spanish keeper.

But without talisman Kane, Tottenham looked bereft of ideas, rarely threatening their 17th-placed opponents.

First home win in 225 days – the stats

• Brighton have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets for only the second time, and the first since October 2018.
• This was Brighton’s first home win in 15 Premier League games at the Amex Stadium (D7, L7) since beating Arsenal in June 2020, 225 days ago.
• Tottenham have won just three of their past 13 Premier League games in which Harry Kane has not featured (D4, L6), including none of their past four (D1, L3).
• Tottenham have lost four of their past eight league games (W2, D2), as many as in their previous 28 such matches beforehand.
• This was the 11th time a side managed by Jose Mourinho had one shot or fewer in the first half of a Premier League game; six of those occasions have come while in charge of Spurs.
• Mourinho has lost all three of his away league games at Brighton, the first time he has ever lost three consecutive away league visits to an opponent in his managerial career.
• Brighton’s Pascal Gross has assisted 18 Premier League goals; the only Germans with more assists in the competition’s history are Mesut Ozil (54), Leroy Sane (28) and Dietmar Hamann (22).

What’s next?

Brighton are next in action when they travel to Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday, 3 February (20:15 GMT).

Tottenham host Chelsea in a London derby in their next match on Thursday, 4 February (20:00 GMT).