Spurs dig deep for Brighton win
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino praised the mentality of his side to grind out a much-needed 2-1 win in sodden conditions at Brighton on Saturday to halt a run of three straight defeats.
Harry Kane ended a fivegame goal drought from the penalty spot and Erik Lamela doubled Tottenham’s lead before Anthony Knockaert pulled a late goal back for Brighton.
“The players were suffering a lot. The pressure was high, they wanted to deliver a result,” said Pochettino, after the first threegame losing run since he took charge in 2014.
Victory moves Spurs back up to fifth in the Premier League, still six points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
England captain Kane has looked jaded from his heroics in winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup in recent weeks.
But he remains deadly from the spot as he hammered home his third goal of the season.
Pochettino had left Kieran Tripper and Toby Alderweireld at home for Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League, but both were recalled among five changes from the side that lost at the San Siro and had a big impact.
Alderweireld’s powerful header from Trippier’s corner was brilliantly saved by Mat Ryan early on.
Despite Tottenham’s dominance in possession, the Australian international goalkeeper wasn’t forced into another save until Spurs took the lead three minutes before half-time.
Referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot when Glenn Murray jumped with his arm above his head to block Trippier’s free-kick and Kane sent Ryan the wrong way from the spot.
Lamela finished off a fine team move that also involved Lucas Moura and Danny Rose for his fourth goal in his last four Premier League games.
Knockaert had one final chance to snatch a point, but placed his shot too close to Gazzaniga as Pochettino blew a big sigh of relief at the full-time whistle.