A concluding own goal from Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke resulted in a 2-2 Premier League tie for Tottenham at the Amex Stadium, after Spurs had earlier trailed by two goals.
The outcome looked bleak for Spurs, facing their first away loss in the league since Thomas Frank became manager during the summer, following goals from Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari in the first half.
Yet, Richarlison scored just before the halftime whistle, narrowing the deficit, and Van Hecke inadvertently directed the ball past Brighton’s goalie, Bart Verbruggen, with only eight minutes remaining. The introduction of Xavi Simons had injected more vigor into Tottenham’s attack.
Frank’s leadership has now garnered 10 points from five matches, propelling the Europa League champions to the second position, surpassing Arsenal, their North London rivals, who are set to play Manchester City on Sunday.
Tottenham welcomed back Destiny Udogie, João Palhinha, and Wilson Odobert after their 1-0 Champions League victory against Villarreal on Tuesday, while Brighton’s lineup featured the return of Carlos Baleba and Brajan Gruda as part of four changes made by their manager.
The early part of the game saw the visitors taking control, but they soon found themselves trailing in the eighth minute.
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Following Gruda’s effective play, a pass from Georginio Rutter stretched Tottenham’s defensive line, enabling Minteh to move past Guglielmo Vicario, the Tottenham goalkeeper, and slot the ball into the unguarded net.
Tottenham maintained ball control, although without posing a significant threat, only to concede another goal in the 31st minute.
Despite Tottenham’s appeals for a foul on Richarlison near the halfway line, Ayari intercepted a misplaced pass from Lucas Bergvall, launching a shot from the edge of the penalty area that evaded Vicario and landed in the corner of the goal.
Tottenham finally managed a shot on target just before halftime.
Mohammed Kudus’ initial attempt seemed to be drifting wide, but Richarlison intervened in the six-yard area, executing a sliding finish to shift the momentum of the match.
Brighton, who felt a handball should have been called leading up to Tottenham’s goal, replaced Baleba with Diego Gómez at the start of the second half, adopting a defensive stance while searching for counter-attacking opportunities.
Tottenham’s coach, Frank, introduced Simons, a recent acquisition, in place of Rodrigo Bentancur in the 61st minute, aiming to boost his team’s offensive capabilities against Brighton’s resilient defense.
The Netherlands international prompted a notable save from Verbruggen, Brighton’s goalkeeper, and later missed a clear opportunity following Kudus’ cross.
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Under constant duress, Brighton spent much of the game’s final stages defending deep within their own territory.
They managed to hold on until the 82nd minute, when Kudus’ cross from the right deflected off Van Hecke’s thigh and into the net.
Tottenham called for a penalty when Simons fell following a challenge from Brighton’s substitute, Diego Coppola, and a deflected shot from Kudus narrowly missed the target during a frantic conclusion to the match.
