Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Spurs Player Ratings as Seagulls drop another bomb on top-four race with a shock win | Premier League 2021-22
Brighton & Hove Albion shocked Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on their own turf in the Premier League. The visitors secured the win in second-half stoppage time after playing out a largely drab game for 90 minutes.
Spurs came into this game on the back of five wins in their last six outings in the league, scoring a whopping 21 goals in the process. However, Brighton came into the fixture having scored just three goals in their last six league games, winning just one of them.
Tottenham were slow out of the blocks, taking their time to find a rhythm with composed and patient passing. Brighton's defenders had work to do to keep Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son at bay in the early stages.
Spurs upped the pressure and won four corners in four minutes from the 12th onwards. However, the ball hit Son's hand and Brighton were able to ease the pressure.
Antonio Conte's side struggled to string together serious moves that could pose a threat to the visitors. Tottenham managed just one shot overall while the Seagulls attempted five shots with two on target in the first half.
Both sides had players putting in dangerous challenges but were fortunate not to be sent off. Enock Mwepu and Dejan Kulusevski both had such moments.
Tottenham and Brighton went into the half-time break deadlocked at 0-0, with the visitors putting in a disruptive performance.
HALF-TIME
Tottenham 0-0 Brighton
trib.al/V9cxtiX #TOTBHA https://t.co/825Zs7grMG
The second began frantically, with Spurs and Brighton both trying to take control of proceedings. More fouls were committed and the game continued to be on edge for large parts.
Tottenham seemed to take their foot off the pedal, with Conte's cautionary substitutions of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski robbing them of creativity in the final third.
Brighton continued to threaten Tottenham with swift movement on the flanks and silky passing through the middle. The game looked set to be heading towards a scoreless draw until Leandro Trossard created some magic late in the game. He drove into the box and unleashed a low finished beyond Hugo Lloris with the outside of his boot.
It was a great result for the Seagulls, who have successfully gunned down two north London teams in the space of a week to blow the race for top-four wide open. Tottenham, on the other hand, will look to bounce back to their scintillating form after this blip.
With that said, let's take a look at the player ratings from the game.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris - 6/10
The Frenchman had a quiet day in Spurs' goal and did not have make any extraordinary saves. However, he held onto a few shots and attempts from Brighton to keep them at bay.
Christian Romero - 6/10
Romero had a decent outing in Tottenham's defense. He did well to keep Brighton's attackers at bay and was a commanding presence in his own box.
Eric Dier - 6/10
Dier put in an average performance in today's game, providing no significant contributions on either side of the pitch.
Ben Davies - 6.5/10
Davies had a decent game overall. He won eight of his 12 duels, played three out of eight accurate long balls and completed one successful dribble.
Emerson - 6/10
Emerson Royal put in an average performance in Tottenham's defense. He won three of his eight duels and played two accurate long balls out of five attempts.
Leandro Trossard at the Emirates last week.
Leandro Trossard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week. https://t.co/2TacC1bL13
Rodrigo Bentancur - 7.5/10
Bentancur put in a decent performance until he was subbed off late in the second half. He won six of his nine duels, completing two successful dribbles and four clearances, out of which one was off the goal line. Bentancur was also booked for a silly tackle.
Pierre-Emile Hojberg - 7/10
Hojberg had a lively game in midfield. He won six out of nine duels he was involved in and completed three successful dribbles at a 100% rate.
Sergio Reguilon - 6/10
The Spaniard played the entire game and won seven of his 10 duels. Overall an average performance that arguably lacked attacking output.
Dejan Kulusevski - 5/10
Kulusevski was nearly invisible in the first half, registering just nine touches throughout the first period. He was lucky to stay on the pitch after swinging his arm at Marc Cucurella off the ball. The big Swede failed to add much to the game and was subbed off soon after the hour mark.
Heung-Min Son - 5.5/10
Son was Spurs' only bright spark from kick-off. He took the initiative by dribbling past opponents, driving into the final third and attempting to release his teammates into space. However, with just 11 passes played, winning three of 13 duels and no accurate crosses, his night ended in disappointment as Spurs lost.
Harry Kane - 5.5/10
Kane failed to make much of an impact in the first half and was a shadow of his ruthless self in the second period as well. However, Brighton did well to thwart Tottenham in the second half and keep the Englishman quiet.
Substitutes
Lucas Moura - 6/10
The Brazilian made two interceptions and one tackle and won one of his four duels after coming on for Spurs.
Harry Winks - 6/10
Winks passed the ball with 100% accuracy, made one tackle and won one duel at a perfect success rate.
Steven Bergwijn - N/A
The Dutchman came on very late and did not contribute enough to warrant a rating tonight.