The Independent

Tottenham first-team coach Ryan Mason is in talks with Anderlecht to take his first managerial role, the PA news agency understands.

Mason has held a variety of positions at Spurs, including two spells as interim boss, since he returned to the club in 2018.

The once-capped England midfielder was forced to retire from playing at the age of 26 following a fracture to his skull in a game for Hull at Chelsea in 2017.

He started his coaching career at boyhood club Tottenham months after his retirement before he was asked to take charge of the first team in 2021 following the departure of Jose Mourinho.

Mason subsequently led Spurs in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Antonio Conte promoted Mason to his coaching staff upon his appointment and the 33-year-old had another interim spell towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Brighton scored three times in 18 second-half minutes to fight back from two goals down to stun Tottenham and claim a 3-2 win after an entertaining encounter at Amex Stadium.

Spurs were on course for a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions when Brennan Johnson and James Maddison struck before half time to put Ange Postecoglou’s men in control.

That made it six goals in six matches for Johnson, but Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler introduced Pervis Estupinan at the break and the Seagulls were transformed with Yankuba Minteh able to reduce the deficit in the 48th minute.

The impressive Georginio Rutter levelled 10 minutes later with a fine finish before ex-Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck completed the comeback when he headed home what proved the winner after 66 minutes.

Victory for Brighton earned them another scalp after they beat Manchester United in August and took points off Arsenal, but Spurs were brought back down to earth after a decent run to show there is plenty of work left to do for Postecoglou.

This match had been titled the “high-line derby” due to the bold approach adopted by both managers with their defensive lines and it took barely 20 seconds for the risk element to be exposed by Tottenham.

Dominic Solanke sent Timo Werner away, but his cross evaded the unmarked Johnson.

Chances kept on coming for Spurs with a back-pedalling Lewis Dunk able to deny Dejan Kulusevski before Maddison had a shot deflected wide by Adam Webster, who was forced off soon after through injury.

Spurs thought they had scored with 21 minutes played when the watch of referee David Coote signalled the ball had crossed the line from a Werner header.

However, Pedro Porro, who provided the cross, was adjudged to be offside thanks to the Brighton high line.

That same defence did get breached two minutes later and it was a familiar scorer for Tottenham.

After Rutter was tackled near the halfway line, Maddison passed into Solanke, who smartly slipped in Johnson and he stroked into the bottom corner with his left foot to score for a sixth consecutive match.

Brighton did regroup and Guglielmo Vicario punched away a dangerous cross by Kaoru Mitoma before the Japanese winger almost created the leveller for Welbeck, but he side-footed wide from close range.

It was a gilt-edged miss and Tottenham punished the hosts’ profligacy with eight minutes of the first half left.

Solanke was again involved as he turned and played in Werner, who this time cut back for Maddison and his low effort went through the hands of Bart Verbruggen to put the visitors 2-0 up.

There was still time for Welbeck to head another chance wide before Johnson fired over at the conclusion of an end-to-end half.

Hurzeler had seen enough and introduced Estupinan at half-time, which had an instant impact.

Estupinan combined with Mitoma and his cross from the left was horribly miscued by Destiny Udogie, which allowed Minteh to drill home from seven yards in the 48th minute.

Brighton were in the ascendancy and after Vicario tipped over Joel Veltman’s cross, he got down low to deny Mitoma.

Spurs briefly threatened after with Solanke unable to get on the end of Kulusevski’s centre, but one-way traffic resumed and the equaliser arrived after 58 minutes.

Mitoma cut inside and played into Rutter, who got the better of Micky van de Ven and rifled into the bottom corner for his second goal since a summer switch from Leeds.

Eight minutes later and the comeback was complete with Rutter again central to it.

Rutter was able to turn away from Udogie too easily and then beat Rodrigo Bentancur to the ball to cross in for Welbeck to head in unmarked from a matter of yards.

Postecoglou responded with a flurry of substitutes and while Werner blazed over and Udogie had a low effort saved by Verbruggen, they never looked like equalising.

PA

The ultimate game of two halves, Brighton emerge from the restart a completely changed side and overturn a two-goal deficit in just 18 second-half minutes to stun Tottenham with a 3-2 win at the American Express Stadium. Postecoglou’s side looked comfortable after 45 minutes, putting the ball in the back of the net on three separate occasions (with one disallowed for offside) and took a 2-0 lead ahead of the 40-minute mark through Johnson and Maddison. The introduction of Estupinan for Kadioglu at left-back during the break seemingly reversed the hosts’ fortune, with the substitute playing a role in both Minteh and Rutter’s strikes within a quarter-hour of the resumption of the match. After squandering chances in the first period, Welbeck made the most of his opportunity on 66 minutes, heading Rutter’s cross past a helpless Vicario to complete the comeback that saw the Seagulls go from 2-0 down to 3-2 ahead with 24 minutes left in the contest. Spurs struggled to create anything after conceding the third and looked likelier to allow another, with Brighton opting instead to do their best to see out the impressive result. Hurzeler’s team win with an xG of 1.82 (with 64 per cent of that output coming in the second half) compared to 1.39 from their opponents and go sixth ahead of a meeting with Newcastle in two weeks’ time, while the loss for Tottenham drops them to ninth before a game against West Ham on October 19. That concludes our commentary of the Premier League fixture between Brighton and Tottenham, we hope you’ve enjoyed it!

The new Women's Super League marks the start of a new era for reigning champions Chelsea, with long-serving boss Emma Hayes having departed in summer to start a new adventure with the USA Women's team.

Last year they just about did enough to claim the title on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, while Arsenal will again hope to make it a three-horse race for the WSL title. Meanwhile Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham will hope to progress after further rebuilding this summer.

Crystal Palace were promoted to replace Bristol City in the top flight, while on a wider note, the league is now under the management and operation of a new organisation set up to lead women's football towards further growth and progression, with Nikki Doucet overseeing both the WSL and Championship in a new phase for the game.

Follow the live action below as Tottenham Hotspur face Liverpool today in the WSL:

Brighton go in search of their first league win in five games on Sunday when they welcome Tottenham to the Amex Stadium for Sunday’s late game (kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event).

After winning their opening two games against Everton and Manchester United, the Seagulls have picked up just three points from the last four games.

They drew against Arsenal, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest before losing 4-2 last weekend against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs, on the other hand, have won their last two league games against Brentford and United, scoring three goals in both games with Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke finding the back of the net in each fixture.

Spurs go into the trip to the south coast fresh from a 2-1 victory against Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the Europa League, with goals from Pape Sarr and Johnson adding to last week’s 3-0 win over Qarabag.

It remains to be seen how they recover from Thursday’s game, but betting sites have Ange Postecoglous men down as favourites for this one at a best-price of 5/4.

Just one place and one point currently separates the two sides in the Premier League table with Spurs leading the way in eighth place with 10 points so far.

Tottenham have scored 17 times in all competitions this season and with both teams in the top 10 for expected goals, shots per game and big chances created, a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium would come as a huge surprise.

A draw in general is unlikely as just one of the 14 Premier League meetings between Brighton and Tottenham has finished all square (1-1 in April 2018), with Spurs winning nine to the Seagulls’ four.

The fact that Spurs have managed an impressive 45 shots on target from their six games means it could be a busy afternoon for Bart Verbruggen in the Brighton goal, especially if the Seagulls employ a similar high defensive line to the one that failed so badly in the first half against Chelsea.

Verbruggen has made four appearances so far, keeping one clean sheet, conceding seven and making 11 saves, and he will expect some more of the same on Sunday. Spurs shot stopper Guglielmo Vicario, on the other hand, has played six, kept two clean sheets, conceded five and made 14 saves.

Vicario hasn’t always looked secure though and Brighton, who have scored two or more in their last three games in all competitions, will ask questions of this Tottenham defence.

Both teams have scored in three of the last four meetings between the two sides, while Spurs have won two of their last three visits to Brighton. It’s a combination that jumps out for a lot of reasons when looking at this game on football betting sites and could be a solid option on Sunday.

Brighton vs Tottenham prediction 1: Spurs to win & BTTS - 9/4 William Hill

Dominic Solanke’s life at Spurs didn’t get off to the best start following his big-money move from Bournemouth, rolling his ankle on his debut and missing the next two games.

But since then, he’s scored three in three and led the line brilliantly at Old Trafford without strike partner and skipper Son Heung-min.

Since the start of last season, the only Englishmen with more Premier League goals than Solanke (21) are Cole Palmer (28) and Ollie Watkins (23), which is why interim manager Lee Carsley has named him in his latest England squad and he will be looking for his first cap since 2017.

The Spurs forward is looking to find the net in three consecutive appearances for the first time since December 2023.

Whether you are having a bet on Brighton vs Tottenham or any other sporting event, it’s imperative to remember to gamble responsibly.

It’s important to stay in control of your betting, which can become addictive if punters aren’t careful. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer bettors tools, like deposit limits, reality checks, and self exclusion options, to help them maintain control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Mikey Moore is ready for more opportunities and eager to repay the faith of Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou after he flourished on his full debut against Ferencvaros.

The 17-year-old was one of four teenage starters for Spurs on Thursday but the quartet of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Will Lankshear – dubbed ‘Ange’s Angels’ – helped the visitors grind out a 2-1 victory at Groupama Arena.

Moore has been a source of excitement for Tottenham supporters for more than 12 months after he starred in two of the youth teams’ cup triumphs in 2023 and also made his first appearance for the Under-21s at the age of 15.

After the London-born attacker become the youngest player to feature for Spurs in the Premier League with a late cameo against Manchester City in May, Moore has continued to develop at a rapid rate and enjoyed a strong pre-season which was followed by a first start in Budapest.

It did not take long for Moore to make his mark with a driving run able to help set up Pape Sarr’s 23rd-minute opener and he was involved in Brennan Johnson’s clincher four minutes from time when he threaded a delightful pass through to Dominic Solanke.

Quizzed on when he found out he would start, Moore admitted: “To be fair, I only knew about 4 o’clock…but I was ready.

“It is what you work for. Obviously there are a bit of nerves coming into it, but once you get on the pitch you are all right.

“It’s a big step but it is one I am ready to take. It’s been all right, all the boys have helped me and it’s been perfect really so far.”

Postecoglou insisted last week Moore was ready to start despite only celebrating his 17th birthday in August, but it was a bold call in an intimidating away fixture in Europe.

It paid off handsomely and while fan expectation will be difficult to manage, Moore is determined to justify his manager’s trust even if a place back on the bench at Brighton on Sunday is likely considering he played 90 minutes in Hungary.

Moore told TNT Sports: “He (Postecoglou) is giving me little tips all the time, really.

“Him putting me in the team, you get the trust straight away so I am thankful for him to start me and put his trust in me. He is helping me all the time but so are all the coaching staff.”

Barcelona’s teenager superstar Lamine Yamal was mentioned in reference to Moore during Postecoglou’s post-match press conference, but a comparison closer to home is Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri.

Nwaneri, who is also 17, scored twice on his full Gunners debut against Bolton in the Carabao Cup last month and has featured alongside Moore throughout various England age-groups.

“The (wet) conditions, it always suits defenders because they can fly in with tackles and Mikey got one in the first 30 seconds I think,” Postecoglou remembered.

“He kept his feet well and he takes the responsibility of driving inside or taking his man on, he makes good decisions with the ball.

“He’s got so much growth still, but the good thing is he wants to learn, he wants to develop and I couldn’t be happier for him, but also pretty pleased that he’s part of our football club.”

Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United’s “most important” problem to solve is improving the team’s self-belief ahead of important fixtures against Porto and Aston Villa this week.

The manager is under increased pressure after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur but is set to be given the trips to Porto and Villa before the international break.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Ten Hag insisted that he is not worried about losing his job if results do not go United’s way and said the club are “together” under the new ownership.

But Ten Hag’s side must improve on the pitch and the Dutchman identified what was missing in the 3-0 defeat to Spurs as United made their joint-worst start to a Premier League season after six games.

“The most important is always keeping the belief,” he told Sky Sports. “You stay in the game by keeping the belief. That’s the most important message that we have to give because if you lose your faith you lose everything. We have to keep going and stick to the plan and move on.”

Ten Hag reiterated his claim that United are in “transition” and said his team can still achieve their targets this season. Having won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his first two years in charge, Ten Hag believes United can challenge for silverware again.

“From the moment I came in, we knew we had to change,” he said. “We had to replace some older players and bring new players in. Our choice was to bring young players in and you know that takes time to get the messages on board, to get a game model on board and to introduce a new culture that takes time.

“In the meantime, you have to win and I think we have proven in the last two years, and we win. And I’ve proven in my career that always I will win. The last six years I have [won] eight trophies.

“We have to embed the game model, we have to embed a stronger team as we have now and so we have to work on our problems and give the solutions. We have a good potential on players so once it’s embedded we will go and we will drive, and I’m sure we will achieve the targets we have set for this season.

“That is always winning trophies and finishing as high as possible of course in the league because that is definitely a very important purpose for us.”

Ten Hag said he is “not anxious” about getting the sack if United’s results go against them this week, with trips against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

“I’m not thinking about it, I’m not anxious. We are together,” he said. “We created a togetherness in the summer with the ownership and the leadership.

“We made this agreement and we were all behind it. We also know the strategy, young players in a transition period.

“They also know in the end when we are May, in all my last six seasons, always there were trophies. That is what we are also now aiming for.”

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Hungary to face Ferencvaros in Budapest on Thursday evening in the second match of this season’s Europa League campaign.

Ange Potecoglou’s side arrive in the Hungarian capital off the back of a brilliant 3-0 over Manchester United at the weekend, in which the north London side put to bed any of the questions over their Australian manager for the foreseeable future.

Spurs won their first Europa League match of the season 3-0 against Qarabag, and they face the Hungarian champions looking to cement a place near the top of the competition’s league table.

Ferencvaros have won the last six Hungarian league titles and currently sit top of the table on 18 points, with six wins from six, having beaten closest challengers Puskas Akademia 3-0 last weekend.

Here’s everything you need to know about the game.

When is Ferencvaros vs Tottenham?

Ferencvaros vs Tottenham kicks off at 5.45pm BST on Thursday 3 October at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports. Subscribers will also be able to watch via the Discovery+ app and website.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Team news

The home side will likely field the same team as they did for the weekend’s top-of-the-league clash against Puskas Akademia.

Hungarian internationals Dénes Dibusz and Barnabas Varga will likely start in goal and upfront respectively.

For Spurs, there are no new injury worries after the win at Old trafford, though Radu Dragusin is suspended after his straight red card against Qarabag. Heung-min Son will likely sit this match out too after missing that last victory.

Postecoglou will likely make several changes to the side that played at the weekend, though he could opt to start Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski in attack.

In defence, Archie Gray may retain his place at left-back from the victory over Qarabag, while one of van de Ven and Cristian Romero will likely play with Dragusin out. Ben Davies could deputise at centre-back or left-back.

It is more difficult to predict the midfield, with Postecoglou able to pick from any of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison.

Predicted line-ups

Ferencvaros XI: Dibusz; Gartenmann, Cisse, Gustavo, Civic; Maiga, Abu Fani; Traore, Ben Romdhane, Gruber; Varga.

Spurs XI: Vicario; Gray, van de Ven, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Kulusevski.

Odds

Ferencvaros 6/1

Draw 10/3

Spurs 3/10

The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.

Prediction

Spurs should ease to a straightforward win in Budapest, with Potescoglou able to rest a few key players ahead of the weekend match against Brighton. Ferencvaros 0-2 Tottenham.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has had his red card against Tottenham on Sunday overturned.

The Portugal midfielder was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh for a high tackle on James Maddison during the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Fernandes clearly slipped on the wet surface before catching Maddison on the shin.

United appealed against the decision and the Football Association has upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal.

Fernandes, who was facing a three-match suspension, will now be able to play against Aston Villa this Sunday.

The FA said: “Bruno Fernandes will be available for Manchester United’s next three games following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal.

“The midfielder was sent off for serious foul play during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, September 29.”

Fernandes was adamant after the game that Kavanagh had made a mistake.

The 30-year-old told Sky Sports: “Apart from slipping going in, I don’t take him as everyone wants to see it.

“I don’t go with the studs, I take him with my ankle. It’s a clear foul but never a red card. That’s my feeling.

“Even Maddison, when he gets up, you can see in the image… he just said, ‘It’s a foul but it’s never a red card’. That’s what he said.

“I think in the eyes of everyone, you can see that is never a red card because if this is a red card I think we have to look at many other incidents.

“I had many incidents when I get kicked and everything, and I’ve never seen something so quick coming off as a red card. I just think it’s never a red card.

“Even the contact is not even that strong. If he wants to give me a yellow because it’s a counter-attack, I agree.

“And then I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen. For me, it’s just not a really good decision. That’s all.”

United were trailing 1-0 when Fernendes was dismissed shortly before half-time of a defeat which has ramped up the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman was given a contract extension to 2026 but the club have endured a dreadful start to the new campaign, and he is now odds-on with bookmakers to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked.

However, United sources have insisted the sole focus is on Thursday’s Europa League match away to Porto despite the speculation surrounding Ten Hag’s future.

Micah Richards has highlighted a tactical ‘masterstroke’ from Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou that he believes led to their dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes was controversially sent off as a dismal United were swept aside at Old Trafford to heap further pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, who now faces a crucial week in the fight to keep his job with matches against Porto and Aston Villa upcoming.

Amid the rightful condemnation of Man Utd’s performance, the impressive nature of Spurs’ display has slightly got lost in the shuffle, with goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke doing the damage to lift them to eighth in the Premier League table as a slow start of just four points from their first four games is being washed away.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, pundit Richards was keen to give credit to Spurs and in particular manager Postecoglou’s decision to play Kulusevski in a hybrid No 8/No 10 role, allowing him to get forward and impact the game in the final third.

“Tactically, looking at it, Kulusevski we know he can play along the frontline – left, centre, right,” explained Richards. “But the fact he [Postecoglou] has gone with Johnson and [Timo] Werner on the wings, Solanke up front and sort of Kulusevski in that No 8 role where he pops into the No 10 role and switches with [James] Maddison – I just think it’s a masterstroke.

“A lot of managers there would have gone more defensive, with a [Pape] Sarr in that position alongside [Rodrigo] Bentancur and had Maddison in front. But he’s gone with Kulusevski, who we know can dribble very well, he can see a pass, he can shoot, he can score – all the good things.

“Those are the little bits that Ange needs a lot of credit for. Everyone talks about Spurs being kamikaze – they’re all or nothing. But he’s put players into a system where there’s energy.

“Werner had a couple of, I woudn’t say sitters, but for you guys, he should be putting them away. But the positons he’s getting into is what I look at it. If [Heung-min] Son is in that position, it’s probably two goals for him. I like that tactical tweak that he’s done.

“It allows the team to get really high, they press really high, win the ball back, dominate the ball. The timing of the passing was really good from Spurs – knowing when to quicken it up, knowing when to slow it down. I thought Spurs were brilliant and to have that performance at Old Trafford after a difficult start to the season, a manager sticking to his principles – brilliant win.”

Richard’s co-hosts Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker were equally effusive in their praise of Tottenham, with Lineker impressed by their attacking football and particularly highlighting the assist from Micky van de Ven for the first goal – as the centre back dribbled all the way from his own half to square the ball to Johnson for a tap-in.

“A slow start to the season, four points after four games but won last two,” said Lineker. “A thumping victory at Old Trafford is a great statement. They play front-foot football, they go high, they’re aggressive, they attack. I thought they were terrific. And Van de Ven’s run for the first goal - WOW! If it had been five or six [goals], you couldn’t have complained.”