Harry Kane was the saviour for Tottenham Hotspur as they came out with all three points from a tricky trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tottenham Hotspur came away from a tricky trip to The Amex with all three points in the bag against Brighton & Hove Albion. This represents a good result following their disappointing 0-0 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt earlier in the week.
The Seagulls were arguably the better side and crafted numerous opportunities. The Tottenham defence held firm and remained unbreached all game. Harry Kane’s 22nd-minute strike proved decisive, earning the visitors all three points.
The victory takes Tottenham to within three points of Manchester City at the Premier League summit. Should Liverpool beat Arsenal on Sunday, Antonio Conte and his men will have enjoyed a fine round of fixtures.
Hugo Lloris made use of his fantastic experience and reading of the game to keep Brighton at bay. The Frenchman is on his day, a reliable last line of defence, and it showed. It was far from a vintage performance from Conte’s men but they go home with all three points in the bag. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Tottenham Hotspur players fared on the night.
53 – Antonio Conte has lost none of his previous 53 Premier League games in which his sides have been ahead at half time (W49 D4), the most such games in the competition without defeat for a manager. Commanding. pic.twitter.com/KG0oS1GTmn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 8, 2022
Hugo Lloris: 8/10
The Frenchman marshalled his defence well and was formidable when called upon. He made two impressive saves in the first half, stopping efforts from Moises Caicedo and Danny Welbeck.
Brighton did not quite hit their stride after the break, and Lloris was available to mop up when required. He also paid a fitting tribute to the late Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone on the night.
Hugo Lloris holds up a Tottenham shirt in tribute for fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone who passed away earlier on during the week. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4jnQMvrCsi
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 8, 2022
Cristian Romero: 6/10
The Argentine used his physicality to great effect and largely held his own. It was a solid yet unspectacular performance from a player who is the lynchpin of the Tottenham defence. He also won a crucial header in the 62nd minute, crafting a goalscoring opportunity for Harry Kane.
Eric Dier: 6/10
The Englishman, too, held his own but did face some trouble against Welbeck and Caicedo. He appeared to have earned himself an assist for Son Heung-min’s 74th-minute strike only for the goal to be ruled out.
Ben Davies: 6/10
A decent performance from the Welshman, who returned to the starting lineup on the night. Welbeck gave him a couple of moments of worry but thankfully, Davies did not make any unrequited errors that cost his side dearly.
Matt Doherty: 6.5/10
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man had an early effort but blazed his shot over. He got forward when possible and tried to craft opportunities for the Tottenham attackers. However, Doherty lacked the cutting edge and did not quite make the impact he sought to have.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6.5/10
He tested Robert Sanchez with a fine strike in the 20th minute and was a dominant presence in the midfield. Bentancur’s pocket was picked in the 44th minute but Lloris saved his blushes by keeping out Caicedo’s effort on goal. The Uruguayan midfielder kept things simple after that and opted to play the safe game.
Yves Bissouma: 5/10
It was a poor return back to his former club by Bissouma, who failed to dictate terms in the midfield. He earned himself a yellow card in the 31st minute for blocking Alexis Mac Allister. It proved to be his standout moment of the game and it came as no surprise when he was taken off for Richarlison in the 70th minute.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 7/10
i dont know how people don't see the importance of hojbjerg, he's such a vital player
— snehaaa (@sneharants) October 8, 2022
The Dane showed great reserves of energy and was involved in three goal-scoring efforts in the first half. He linked up well with Son in the buildup to Kane’s goal and also had a pop himself. Hojbjerg was presented with another opportunity in the 81st minute but was unable to take advantage of it.
Ryan Sessegnon: 6/10
He started off well and could have got himself an assist in the 11th minute had his cross found Kane. Unfortunately, it fell to Doherty who could only blaze over. Sessegnon did not enjoy a fine night out and lacked imagination at times.
Son Heung-min: 8/10
The South Korean attacker was Tottenham’s best player on the night and linked up well with Kane. He tested Sanchez in the first half and also found Kane with a perfect pass for the winner. Son was involved in several other opportunities and also had the ball in the back of the net in the second half. The goal, however, was ruled out. He was taken off for Ivan Perisic in the 80th minute, a decision that found little favour among Tottenham fans in the stadium.
Harry Kane: 8/10
Kane was a pressing machine from the front and put pressure on Sanchez and co. He took his goal well and was also involved in everything good Tottenham threw forward. Kane could have earned himself more goals or assists had he been a tad more clinical.
12 – Harry Kane has scored 12 goals in his last 12 Premier League games, netting in each of his last four appearances – his joint-longest ever scoring streak in the competition. Opener. pic.twitter.com/Dywiqio8Vn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 8, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Richarlison: 5/10
He replaced Bissouma in the 70th minute and almost cost his side with a poor back pass to Lloris. Thankfully for him, Welbeck could not hit the target.
Ivan Perisic: N/A
The Croatian veteran replaced Son in the 80th minute but did not quite have many opportunities to impress.
Oliver Skipp: N/A
A 90th-minute substitute for Harry Kane, he barely saw the ball.
The performance was poor, with many passes going astray. If they carried on like this, it will be a poor season for Spurs. A number of times when Davies had the ball, he could not find any of his players to pass it to. No one seems to be exploiting open spaces? Spurs found it extremely difficult to win possession and launch attacks on the opposition. This has been going on for too long. Conte has to select a less defensif e like-up, especially against weaker teams.the way Spurs are playing now, no team would worry too much about facing them.