The Sunday Telegraph - Sport

Kane and Lamela reward Spurs show of spirit to dismiss crisis talk

- By Jim White at the Amex Stadium

The Tottenham crisis has abated. Those three defeats on the bounce can be consigned to history. This victory put a stop to the gathering intimation­s of institutio­nal decay.

It may not have been the glory, glory game. However, in the week when the constructi­on crew on their much delayed new home were revealed to be fond of a drink and a little powder on the job, at least comfort can be drawn from accruing three points in a manner which can best be described as workmanlik­e and efficient.

“I think the spirit we showed today was the spirit I wanted to see in all the games,” said Mauricio Pochettino. “I am so happy with the attitude.”

The Spurs manager will too have been pleased with the identity of the man who opened the scoring. He may be tired. He may be carrying a knock. There may even be a hint of a lingering World Cup hangover. But allow Harry Kane to place the ball on the penalty spot and he is unerring. As he proved just before half-time when he sent Mat Ryan the wrong way, drilling the ball into the corner of the Brighton net and wheeling away in evident delight.

His opportunit­y from 12 yards had come after Kieran Trippier rammed a free-kick, awarded after Gaetan Bong had upended Kane, into the Brighton wall. It looked a wasted opportunit­y, until the referee Chris Kavanagh, much to the fury of the home supporters, spotted that Glenn Murray had fended it away with a forearm.

“It was a penalty,” admitted the Brighton coach Chris Hughton. “What I don’t think is that it was a free-kick leading up to it.”

It was perhaps appropriat­e Trippier had fashioned the chance. Whatever the technical reasons may have been that prevented the full-back from playing in Milan midweek, they had clearly abated. He was immediatel­y involved in everything positive Spurs produced. Not that there was much. Within 10 minutes, he had judiciousl­y dropped a corner to the near post, which his fellow Milan technical absentee Toby Alderweire­ld met with a flicked header. It bounced off Bong, requiring Ryan to arc backwards and tip it on to the bar. Jan Vertonghen then failed to convert the follow-up.

That, however, was an isolated moment of threat. The truth was Spurs were not finding it easy in Brighton. As you would expect from a team coached by him, Hughton’s side were organised and discipline­d, constantly dropping into formation whenever the visitors advanced. And that was not often.

Slow in the build-up, Tottenham spent much of the opening half passing the ball sideways. Until Kane’s penalty, this was a match that barely moved into second gear.

For Brighton, though, chances were at an even greater premium. Just getting the ball into the Spurs box was proving hard. As was demonstrat­ed early in the second half. First Solly March was caught by Trippier. From the lively Anthony Knockaert’s free-kick, Vertonghen headed behind. But the resulting corner was all too easily dealt with by Paolo Gazzaniga, a late replacemen­t for Michel Vorm in goal (for once it was not a technical issue: the Dutchman had suffered a minor knock in training).

There was nothing that could be described as a chance being created by Hughton’s men. Meanwhile, Tottenham were finally beginning to expand. Christian Eriksen curled a lovely shot just over Ryan’s bar. Then Kane span away from Lewis Dunk, bursting into the area and winning a corner after Duffy scrambled his cross behind. From the corner, Eriksen’s shot went so high it threatened the safety of the seagulls circling the stadium. Danny Rose then jinked into the area before being tackled by Duffy.

It was not that Brighton did not try to get back on level terms. Propelled by an energised crowd, at last they began to carve openings. March had a longrange shot deflected behind off Heungmin Son before Duffy had the ball in the net, but was properly ruled offside.

Then came the critical opportunit­y: Knockaert rounded the entire Spurs defence before pushing the ball tamely into Gazzaniga’s shins.

In response, Spurs demonstrat­ed their capabiliti­es with a second goal of such ease and simplicity you wondered why they had spent the preceding 75 minutes lumbering up blind alleys. Erik Lamela, who had come on for Son only a couple of moments earlier, picked the ball up midway into the Brighton half. He pushed it wide to Rose, then raced into the area to steer the full-back’s pass into the corner of Ryan’s net. Hughton kicked the air in frustratio­n. He is not a man who enjoys seeing his side so easily swept away.

There should have been more: Kane had three shots saved by Ryan. Had he converted any of them, he might have saved his manager the heart-stopping moment of déjà vu when Knockaert scored an injury-time consolatio­n his endeavour deserved. Brighton pushed on in search of equality. But, unlike in Milan, the roof did not fall in on Spurs. Instead they march on in one piece. Which is more than can be said about their new stadium.

 ??  ?? No mistake: Harry Kane powers in Tottenham’s opening goal from the penalty spot after a handball (left) from Brighton’s Glenn Murray
No mistake: Harry Kane powers in Tottenham’s opening goal from the penalty spot after a handball (left) from Brighton’s Glenn Murray
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