Three Key Talking Points From Tottenham’s 1-1 Draw vs Brighton
Tottenham were held by Brighton at the Amex stadium as they missed a big chance to confirm their place in the top-four on Tuesday evening.
The first-half was entirely passive with the standout moment coming just seconds before the break when Son Heung-min was denied a goal by Mathew Ryan’s tremendous save.
However, three minutes after the interval, Gaetan Bong’s careless pass saw Son capitalise and play a clever pass to Harry Kane, whose powerful shot deflected off Bruno before finding the net.
Brighton were level just two minutes later as Serge Aurier tripped Jose Izquierdo inside the penalty area. Pascal Gross slotted the spot-kick to hand the Seagulls a valuable point at home.
Here are three things we learned from the North Londoners’ result.
Toby Alderweireld impresses
Toby Alderweireld was named in a Premier League starting line-up for the first time in almost six months and he hardly put a foot wrong in the entire game.
The Belgian, despite not playing regularly, looked assured and confident while playing from the back. He gave no room whatsoever for Brighton striker Glenn Murray to breathe and kept him at bay with ease.
It was a performance of the highest order, further justifying why the Belgian is rated as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. Alderweireld’s solid performance at the Amex could see Mauricio Pochettino hand him a start in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United on Saturday.
Christian Eriksen endures a tough night
Mauricio Pochettino had one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United as he made six changes to his squad.
Spurs struggled for cohesion and rarely threatened Brighton in the first-half. The visitors failed to create chances at a premium as Christian Eriksen looked off the boil.
The Dane has been outstanding for the Lilywhites this season but at Brighton, he failed to influence the proceedings. His passing was not up to the mark, while he hit a couple of wayward crosses too.
As Eriksen’s involvement in the game was intelligently shut down by Brighton, Spurs looked toothless, devoid of any energy and spark which further justified why the Dane is one of the crucial members of Pochettino’s squad.
Brighton show character
Harry Kane opened the scoring at the start of the second half but Brighton showed the character as they levelled from the spot-kick conceded by Serge Aurier.
Brighton defended very well throughout the 90 minutes and took the game to Spurs. The draw at the Amex stadium saw the Seagulls earn a valuable point which helped them take a significant step towards safety.
However, Chris Hughton will certainly not be jumping and dancing with delight until Brighton’s safety is mathematically confirmed. His side’s last four games are away to Burnley and Manchester City, home to Manchester United and away to Liverpool.
Brighton have arguably the toughest of remaining fixtures for any of the bottom sides but after the hard-fought draw against Spurs, Hughton will believe his boys can upset the big ones.