Spurs owe it all to Eriksen

Late wonder goal keeps Spurs riding high

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN rescued Tottenham with a late winner as they stole a march on their top-four rivals.

Dogged Brighton battled all the

THEY left it late enough to torture their own fans and to leave Brighton heartbroken.

But Christian Eriksen’s 88th-minute winner was worth the wait for Tottenham as finally one of the top-four contenders stepped forward to try to nail down a Champions League place.

Eriksen’s stunning left-footed drive flew in from all of 25 yards, whistling past Brighton keeper Mat Ryan to lift the roof off the new White Hart Lane.

Just when Spurs fans (including Hollywood superstar Zac Efron, right) were giving up hope, they broke down the Seagulls’ resistance as the visitors finally succumbed to the onslaught of pressure.

The hosts celebrated wildly, this was a huge step towards a top-four place, while rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all slipped up and dropped points over Easter.

But for Brighton it was heartbreaking as some of their players slumped to the ground at the final whistle – they could not believe they had gone so close, only to lose at the death.

Brighton’s Lewis Dunk defended heroically and Chris Hughton, still revered as a Spurs legend from his playing days, got so close to getting a priceless point in the fight against relegation.

Instead, it was all for nothing and Albion’s fight for survival goes on, while Spurs are surely now redhot favourites to finish in the top four and the other three can scrap it out for the rest of the campaign. You might have thought Mauricio Pochettino would rest some weary legs but, after a weekend of results which suggested everyone was losing their nerve in the top-four battle, Spurs went full strength.

However, it quickly developed into an all-toopredictable battle of wills between Tottenham desperately trying to break down Brighton’s resolute defence.

Seagulls captain Dunk was outstanding as he dominated in his own penalty box, winning every header and clearing heroically under heavy pressure.

In the 20th minute, Eriksen’s free-kick into the box caused mayhem, but Dunk simply refused to let the ball pass. He blocked it, then stopped Victor Wanyama getting there, before Bernardo hacked clear.

The biggest scare of the first half came in stoppage time when Dele Alli’s shot looked as if it was heading in, until Ryan got a hand to the ball. Shane Duffy then hacked it off the line before Ryan smothered it.

Brighton had their own chance at the start of the second half as Duffy rose unchallenged, but he headed straight at Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.

But it was more about a desperate rearguard action for Hughton’s men and, as the game wore on, Spurs began to run out of ideas in the face of such resistance.

Eriksen was below-par until his winner, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura both ineffective, and Fernando Llorente starved of service, as Alli looked far and away the most dangerous attacking player.

Danny Rose never stopped and his fierce shot forced a fine save from Ryan, before Brighton had an even bigger let-off in the 73rd minute.

Eriksen and Son combined to set up Toby Alderweireld, whose shot on the turn hit the inside of the post and somehow crawled along the line, but eventually stayed out.

It looked like time was running out until Eriksen picked up the ball, looked up, then unleashed a shot which went past Ryan and completely changed the mood of the whole stadium.

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