Brighton & Hove Albion (Away) 28.12.2023

Storm Gerrit had battered the city during the day and the remnants of it left Brighton breezy.  Ange Postecoglou had to ring the winds of change as suspension and injury robbed him of almost a team’s worth of players, but then apparently, most clubs have a similar injury list according to pundit’s comments.  However, missing key players who are fundamental to the way Ange wants to play hits us harder than other sides.

It was surprising that there were empty seats at the start of the game in the Brighton sections, which I could have done with as being in the second row behind the goal was not the ideal view of the match.

Lining up with two first choice central defenders missing, one of our defensive midfielders and one of the creative attacking midfielders left Spurs being given a run-around that they haven’t experienced before this season.  From the start Brighton started closing down energetically, but we were able to play around them, but, while we had a blocked free-kick, Brighton had the first opening in the fifth minute, when Welbeck got into the box at an angle on the left, but Vicario reacted really quickly to push the shot up in the air and Udogie got the ball away.  Being that close to the play you realise how hard shots come in and how little time there is for keepers to react.  That was proved once more when Buonanotte had a shot blocked from the edge of the box and it ran through to Welbeck, a bit like West Ham’s first goal the other week,  The former Gooner was standing by the penalty spot and tried to place it hard and low to Vicario’s left.  The keeper dived instinctively and pushed the ball aside with another superb reflex save, having initially gone the other way to cover the first shot and got up to recover his position so quickly.  

Being pressed, Spurs were being forced to play the ball longer than they usually like and with the wind swirling around, high balls were either carried too long or were difficult to judge as they held up.  Sonny lost control of the ball on our left and the home side moved it across to their left wing, where Joao Pedro took the ball along the 18 yard line from the corner of the box to inside the D, where he played it to his right and with space, Hinshelwood hit it powerfully past Guglielmo from 12 yards out.  This time he had no chance to save it.  Eleven minutes in and we were behind to a side who had not won in three matches.

Spurs were doing some pressing of their own and won the ball 10 yards outside the Brighton box as they tried to play the ball out, but then Johnson, Kulusevski and Son all were unable to get a shot away as the blue and white shirts massed in front of them.  When they got the ball up the front Brighton looked dangerous, stopped once by Porro’s stretching interception to prevent Milner getting into the area and then when Pedro did, his fierce effort from the left was stopped by Vicario, but fortunately, the loose ball that came off his chest was cleared by Davies.  A move that started by the Seagulls winning the ball when Welbeck pushed Sarr over with two hands in the chest in the centre-circle won a corner.  There was plenty of intimacy in the box before the ball came in but then van Hecke climbed high at the far post to head against the post and as the ball bobbled around, it was eventually played out with the game going on for 45 seconds before the referee stopped it on the advice of VAR.  From where we were, we had no idea why although both sets of players had appealed in the melee after the ball came off the upright.  We found out that Kulusevski had apparently pulled back Welbeck’s shirt as he looked to try a scissor kick, which was borne out by replays seen after the match.  It was a daft foul and one which now rules him out of the Bournemouth match, as he picked up his fifth yellow card for it.  Pedro stepped up and sent Vicario diving to his left, as he put the ball in the opposite bottom corner.  

2-0 down and 24 minutes on the clock.  It wasn’t quite Newcastle away last season, but it didn’t look great (especially from Row B).  It was a odd booking as it wasn’t deemed a goal-scoring opportunity (well, it was Welbeck after all), otherwise it would have been a red, because there was no effort to play the ball.  We hadn’t tested their keeper at all and only in the 16th minute did we have a shot that got deflected wide.  From the play after the corner was cleared, Johnson got released on the right and his low ball went across goal, with Richarlison a yard away from it at the far post.  

Lewis Dunkw as having a busy evening, playing centre-half and refereeing the match, offering his view to the match official on a large number of occasions, including asking for yellow and red cards.  Just after the half hour, we were grateful for the woodwork being there again, as Milner played the ball in, got it back off a Spurs defender and curled a shot that beat Vicario’s dive to his left, but bounced away off the post.  One long ball almost paid off for Spurs, as Porro played it over the defence for Johnson to run onto, but the ball held up, got stuck under his feet and he could only get a shot away that was blocked with Son and Richarlison to his left.  From the second phase after the corner, Sarr ended up heading Johnson’s cross a couple of yards wide. It wouldn’t have counted as the lineman gave Brennan offside.

Most things were going Brighton’s way, with the run of the ball going in their favour, late tackles not being booked and when Kulusevski did get into the box he stumbled when challenged.  One thing that didn’t go their way was when Buonanotte tucked away a low ball across the box from the right by Welbeck, but he was a fair distance offside, but VAR checked it anyway.  Spurs looked to trouble the Brighton goal when Hojbjerg picked off a pass ten yards inside their half and played it to Son.  He too the return pass as he went ahead of Son and then played in to Richarlison’s feet, laying it back in front of the captain, but his shot was crowded out.  However, Brighton had another opportunity to go 3-0 up when Porro’s pass was played past Davies, sending Pedro away and he took the ball to his left as he reached the box and tried to lift a delicate shot across Vicario, who dived to his left to claw the ball away for a corner.

A minute into added time, Tottenham broke up an attack on the edge of their own area and Hojbjerg brought the ball out, sending Johnson away on the right beyond their last man.  Looking up, he squared the ball along the 18 yard line for Richarlison to hit first time, with the ball coming off Dunk and then the foot of the post, going for a corner.  In the last minute of added time Kulusevski and Udogie worked it well on the left of the box and the play ended with it coming back to Son to try a curler into the opposite side of the goal, but the ball went wide.

Having reached half-time only two goals behind was a bit of a result, as Brighton could have been out of sight.  However, Spurs had the ball in the net within 30 seconds of the second half kicking off, with Kulusevski slipping a pass thorough he Brighton back line for Richarlison to fire across Steele.  The linesman’s flag went up for offside and he did look it, as we weren’t level with it, but it was a lot nearer than in the first half.  The home team hit back with three consecutive corners, with Hojbjerg and Dunk dancing an intriguing tango at each one, but nothing resulted from them.

Tottenham were pressing higher up the pitch with Son nicking the ball to pass to Richarlison in the box, where he turned and shot a couple of feet past the keeper’s left hand post.  Son was involved again when he came in on the left corner of the box to take a pass from Udogie and return it, allowing the Italian to shoot at goal, where his first effort was blocked by van Hecke and the second, the keeper blocked with his chest.  Twice more Son got the ball wide in the box, but twice he couldn’t find a Spurs man, the second time being bundled over without any attempt for the ball by the Brighton player, although it transpired that the first contact was outside the box.  Similar fouls had been given elsewhere on the pitch.  

Richarlison then got booked for a push on Pedro that caught him on the throat but the Brighton striker stayed down holding his face.  From the free-kick, they wanted a penalty for hands, when it came off Hojbjerg’s back as he ducked, then off Dunk before it hit Richarlison at close range.  After VAR looked at it the ref waved for Spurs to play on with a goal-kick.  Baleba had just come on when he threw a hand into Son’s face and then showed his studs that Udogie caught as he cleared the ball.  When Hojbjerg won the ball off Hinshelwood on our right, he left it for Kulusevski, who in turn slipped a pass through to Richarlison.  The Brazilian struck the ball convincingly past Steele at his near post from ten yards out, but again the offside flag prevented him getting on the score-sheet.  

Just when it looked like Tottenham were getting a hold on the game, a short corner to Estupinan saw the Ecuadorian swiped a shot from 25 yards out and to the left, that dipped over Vicario as it went across him to almost burst the net.  After the game we were taking to some Brighton fans who said he has never done that before.  Well, players never do until they play against Spurs.

A number of players had gone under my radar for the opposition.  Gilmour and Milner had done little as far as I could see from my view, but everyone seemed to be raving about them afterwards.  One player who did stand out was Pedro, who committed a series of fouls that the referee failed to tot up.  It was after another spell of Spurs pressure that Brighton scored their fourth against the run of play.  Ferguson had got the ball in the box and Lo Celso tackled rashly from behind and brought him down.  There was a VAR for an offside, but it wasn’t given so Pedro stepped up and sent Vicario the wrong way to the opposite side of the first spot-kick.

With ten minutes left, Brighton again tried to work the ball out from the keeper, but passing to his left, there were a couple of passes up and down the line until Dunk took a heavy touch outside the side of the area and Kulusevski raced in to take it off him, Dunk ensuring he took a heavy kick for his troubles.  Son picked up the loose ball and moved into the area, picking out a square ball to the other side of the box, where substitute Alejo Veliz took a touch, turned and bobbled the ball into the ground and between the keeper and the post to net his first goal for the club.

Tottenham and Brighton exchanged misplaced passes before Udogie and Gil linked on the left to win a corner on our left.  It was played short to Bryan, who hit the first defender, received the rebound, played it back to Porro, who crossed deep to the far post.  Charging in and out-jumping Dunk, Ben Davies threw himself at the ball and nodded in just inside the post.  There was only five minutes left, but Brighton were living on the lead they had established and were getting angry with each other.  After the usual checks, the Aussie ref eventually got the game kicked off again.

A Large number of Spurs fans had left by this point and the singing had stopped from the home support, what of it remained, as there were more empty seats around their parts of the stadium.  Moder went down looking for a penalty, but there was nothing in it and when Son went down under Estupinan’s challenge in the box at the other end there was nothing given.  Nor was  anything given when Udogie made a fine run up the left and Gil skewed his shot that came up to hit Gilmour on the arm in the box.  Nine added minutes went up on the fourth officials board as Kulusevski found space in the box.  He shot, but it deflected to the other side of the area and Gil tried to set up Son, but the pass was cut out.   Brighton were desperate, clearing the ball anywhere, so it kept coming back.  Veliz made a nice turn in the area, but his shot was blocked by Dunk and Kulusevski came inside to try and find the top corner, but the ball went over the angle. 

When Pedro was substituted, Lo Celso went over to him to have a word and it was possibly the worst thing he could do, as it woke up the home support, who suddenly started making some noise.  As it was Brighton were hanging on.  Udogie’s run down the left cut the ball back to Hojbjerg, just inside that corner of the box and he bent a shot around a defender, unsighting the keeper, only to see it bounce out off the far post.  Porro followed in on the rebound and his shot hit Estupinan going away for a corner as appeals for handball went up.  Son got onto a long Lo celso cross, but from a narrow angle, he could only hit the side-netting .

Baleba twice fouled Udogie as he ran past him, the first with an arm around his neck, but still the referee could not bring himself to get his card out.  The run ended with Gil firing a shot over the bar from the left, with Son furious that he did not get the ball across instead.  That was the last of the action and Spurs had been well beaten.

Son didn’t get much supply, but he didn’t have a great game, but he was not alone, especially when it came to passing, as our distribution was pretty useless.  Although under pressure in the first half, the number of unforced errors were unacceptable and allowed Brighton to control the match.  It was some sharp passing in that first half that had Spurs chasing the home players and little worked aside from Richarlison’s disallowed goal, but the second half was different, with Tottenham having more of the play and playing much better.  It still didn’t stop a worldie of a goal and another penalty putting us four behind, after which the Amex fans were out-sung by the remaining Tottenham fans with “4-1 and you still don’t sing”.  The fightback was welcome, but hid a few problems in making the score-line respectable.  It was a disappointing night on lots of levels.  It has to be hoped that things will change when the injured players return, but for the moment, a result in our last game of the year on Sunday is a must.

East Stan

• Alejo Veliz scored his first goal for Tottenham.
• The players took the knee before kick off.