Gross negligence
Makeshift Spurs let it slip at Brighton
THE cavalry will return on Saturday and Tottenham need them back fast on the evidence of this performance. Perhaps this was always going to be an awkward clash for Mauricio Pochettino with a crack at reaching the FA Cup final just three days away.
The Spurs boss insists securing a top-four finish in the Premier League remains the priority, but he wasn’t fooling anyone here.
A desire to end the club’s decade-long trophy drought was at the heart of Spurs’ failure to put relegation-threatened Brighton to the sword, as Pochettino made six changes ahead of the semi-final against Manchester United.
Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld was brought in from the cold for his first Premier League appearance since October. Lucas Moura, the £25million January signing from Paris Saint-Germain, started his first Premier League game.
Harry Kane was unleashed, however, and scored his 26th league goal of the season, putting him four behind Liverpool’s Mo Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
This time, there was no doubt the goal was his. Stung by criticism after the dubious goals committee gave him a debatable winner at Stoke, he fired Spurs ahead after 48 minutes. But Brighton snatched a priceless point through a Pascal Gross penalty two minutes later.
Tottenham’s changes had disrupted their normal attacking fluency and a Christian Eriksen free-kick fired straight at the Brighton wall was all they had to show for early possession.
In fact, had it not been for Hugo Lloris’ agility, the hosts could have even taken the lead inside 20 minutes, with Lewis Dunk and Anthony Knockaert forcing the Spurs captain into action.
Perhaps Brighton sensed Spurs were there for the taking, given Pochettino’s decision to rotate his team. Perhaps they sensed damage to Spurs’ confidence following Saturday’s loss against Manchester City.
Chris Hughton’s men looked full of belief in a vibrant opening while Tottenham looked short of ideas.
Moura’s strike from distance was tipped over by Mat Ryan, and that was the best they had to show for their first-half efforts.
However, Knockaert nearly undid Brighton’s hard work just before the break when his clumsy pass saw Spurs awarded a freekick on the edge of the area. Kane slipped as he struck the ball, letting Ryan make a routine save.
There was nothing routine about his stop from the final kick of the first half. Son Heung-min was played through by Kane and looked certain to score, only for Ryan to save brilliantly low to his left.
It was a warning, however, of what was to follow as Tottenham took the lead. Inevitably, it was Kane who fired home, despite Bruno’s valiant attempt to block.
The England striker was indebted to Son, who put the ball on a plate. He could also be grateful to Brighton’s Gross and Gaetan Bong, whose comedy of errors left the home defence horribly exposed.
That should have been the signal for Tottenham to cruise to victory, but Brighton had other ideas. Serge Aurier appeared to haul down Jose Izquierdo in the box and referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot.
Aurier protested his innocence, but replays showed the Ivory Coast defender was on the wrong side and had put his hands on Izquierdo.
Gross fired home the penalty. Lloris got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
Hughton clenched his fists, while Pochettino was left pondering how his team could be so careless.
‘The draw is disappointing because the intention was to get all three points,’ he said. ‘We were thinking of giving the team fresh legs because Saturday’s game against Manchester City was tough mentally and physically.
‘But we have a squad good enough to win games. Today was not because we rotated the team. Everyone is ready to play but Brighton was a very difficult opponent and we need to give credit to them.’
Hughton, his team now eight points clear of the drop zone, said: ‘It’s a step in the right direction and I was delighted with the character of the team to concede the way we did and then react the way we did.’