Tottenham fell to a shocking defeat on the South Coast, as Brighton staged a thrilling second half comeback to defeat Ange Postecoglou’s outfit.
It was a real ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ performance from the Lilywhites, as they completely threw away their two goal lead they had the at break.
Goals courtesy of Brennan Johnson and James Maddison had put them into the driving seat and there was no indication of the farce that would ensue.
The Seagulls would completely turn the deficit around, with Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck all netting to inflict embarrassment on the North Londoners.
It is currently unknown what Spurs’ collapse was down to, but the team performance looked complacent and tired. Let’s rate their individual performances.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Guglielmo Vicario – 5
There was not an awful lot the Italian stopper could do about any of the three goals he conceded.
Minteh’s strike that sparked the comeback was from close proximity, Rutter’s finish was adroit in its accuracy and Vicario was stranded for Welbeck’s winner.
On the whole his distribution was decent, but the keeper did not make a notable save so we can not rate him any higher.
Pedro Porro – 5
The right-back did not make many mistakes, which can not be said for the rest of Spurs’ backline.
In the first half, Porro was constantly outnumbered by Kaoru Mitoma and the overlapping left-back Ferdi Kadioglou.
Despite this, the Spaniard battled hard to make sure the pair did not overcome him with ease.
Brighton appeared to alter their gameplan during the break as they switched their focus to attacking the opposite flank.
This proved to be decisive for the Seagulls, but it meant Porro could only be a spectator for the second half onslaught.
Cristian Romero – 4
Romero has been a polarising figure amongst the Spurs fanbase this season, with the Argentine frequently getting exposed.
His positional awareness and the timing of his attempted tackles leaves a lot to be desired, with the defender often pushing up to win the ball, which leaves a gaping hole in the defensive structure.
These risks look great when it comes off it, but when it doesn’t it appears rash and ill-disciplined.
Unfortunately for his team, the version of their captain today was the latter.
Micky Van de Ven – 3
That second half display is arguably the worst the Dutchman has played in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt.
The speedy defender who is so often a reliable figure, looked a shadow of his usual self as he seemed to lose every duel and was uncharacteristically getting out-paced by the lively Minteh.
His body language was worrying and every time he engaged with an attacker it looked as if he would come off second best.
Destiny Udogie – 2
The Italian has endured several injury issues over the last six months and he simply does not look fit.
Udogie had to be taken off at halftime at Old Trafford last weekend and missed their midweek game away at Ferencvaros and questions will be raised over whether he should have started this game given his display.
His grave error presented Minteh with the simple task of finishing past Vicario which commenced Brighton’s revival and the Seagulls clearly sensed vulnerability as they targeted the full-back’s side.
All three goals ended up coming down his side, with Udogie directly involved in inadvertently facilitating all three.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 3
The Uruguayan was unusually sloppy and wasteful in possession in the first period and the Brighton press was overwhelming the midfielder on several occasions.
Alongside the large majority of his teammates, Bentancur looked devoid of any composure and fight.
Dejan Kulusevski – 7
Kulusevski is one of the only players that can reflect on the game his head held high.
The Swede ran the show in the first half, exuding creativity with every touch and being the catalyst for Tottenham’s dominance.
He is excelling in the more central area and has taken the burden of being the inventive midfielder in his stride.
The 24-year-old worked his socks off with his side trailing, but he fizzled out along with the rest of his colleagues.
James Maddison – 5
If there was one player who personified the vast difference in performance between the first and second half, it was Maddison.
It was a looking to be a productive day for Maddison as he struck home his second goal of the campaign with a slight touch of fortune as Bart Verbruggen made a mess of saving the shot.
However after the interval he was utterly non-existent and the occasion seemed to get the better of him.
Tottenham rely heavily on Maddison to succeed and today he went missing.
Brennan Johnson – 7
Confidence is evidently coursing through the Welshman’s veins at the moment as his ruthless opener meant he has now scored in six successive matches.
Everything looks so natural for Johnson and his perfectly timed run and first time finish was taken with conviction.
The 23-year-old tried to help his team defend when they were under siege, but he could only watch on helplessly as they disintegrated.
Dominic Solanke – 7
The striker was phenomenal in the opening stages, with his link-up play resembling the qualities of Harry Kane.
His incisive, defence-splitting pass to set up the Johnson goal displayed a creative aspect to his game that was previously unknown.
But after dominating the opposition defence he failed to impose himself on proceedings after the break.
The Englishman touched the ball five times in the second period, with four of them being from kick-offs. That damning statistic really highlights just how uninvolved Solanke was in that half.
Timo Werner – 2
Ange Postecoglou has opted to persist with starting Werner in recent weeks, but once again the German stood out as a weak point in a free-flowing outfit.
A perfect example of his shortcomings came inside the first minute, as he used his electrifying acceleration to burst in behind.
However, he then misplaced a simple pass to Johnson who would have had a tap-in to open the scoring and his teammates exasperation told the full story.
He consistently lost the ball in the final third, which halted any progress his side could make.
In fairness, he did record an assist for the James Maddison goal, with a simple pass into the Englishman’s path.
Werner seems to have all the ingredients to be an effective player but let’s himself down with his end product.
Substitutes
Yves Bissouma – 4
The Malian midfielder replaced Bentancur with 15 minutes to go but failed to have an impact against his former club.
Pape Matar Sarr – 4
Sarr came on to help the midfield regain some control but ultimately could not change the outcome of the match.
Mikey Moore – 4
Postecoglou really lacked offensive options on the bench so the responsibility of changing the game had to be bestowed upon Moore. The 17-year-old’s effort can’t be questioned but the teenager did end up looking like a boy amongst men.