Striker Son Heung-min shined in extra time, helping Tottenham beat Brighton 2-1 in round 24 of the Premier League.
Son did not start, coming on in the 62nd minute. He is still not at his best since returning from the Asian Cup. He played poorly after his introduction, but the South Korean striker showed his class by passing the ball to Brennan Johnson to seal the score in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Receiving the ball from Richarlison, Son's one-touch pass with his left foot was just enough to get past Pervis Estupinan before reaching Johnson.
Son and Johnson were put on the field at the same time, at the time Tottenham had just equalized 1-1. Photo: Reuters
Tottenham moved into the top four, one point ahead of Aston Villa, with the win adding to the excitement of the home fans. Tottenham started the game with their usual attacking style. However, the home side struggled early on as Brighton's pressing prevented them from progressing the ball freely.
Just 30 seconds after the kick-off whistle, Micky van de Ven lost the ball in the penalty area. Thanks to Guglielmo Vicario's save, Tottenham escaped defeat from Danny Welbeck's shot. Then, the Dutch centre-back made another mistake, fouling Welbeck, which resulted in a penalty for Tottenham. From the free-kick spot, Pascal Gross fooled Vicario to put the visitors ahead.
The early goal did not faze Tottenham. In fact, Ange Postecoglou's team played better after conceding. James Maddison's clever pass from the outside of the foot opened up a one-on-one opportunity for Richarlison. But the Brazilian striker could not beat Jason Steele in the one-on-one. Richarlison has scored nine goals in the last eight games and has been a source of inspiration for Tottenham in the absence of Son Heung-min, but he was quite unlucky in this match.
Dunk blocked Pape Sarr's pass but created conditions for the home midfielder to score. Photo: Reuters
The duo of Richarlison and Maddison continued to stir up trouble in Brighton's goal. This time, it was Richarlison's turn to "supply" his teammate, but Maddison's curling shot missed the post by inches, causing him to grimace in regret. On the other side, Brighton responded by winning the ball in front of the penalty area, creating an opportunity for Kaoru Mitoma to finish from a tight angle, but Vicario blocked it. The match became a contest between the two goalkeepers, as not long after, it was Steele's turn to deny Dejan Kulusevski.
Tottenham continued to dominate the second half, but began to falter. This forced Postecoglou to consider substitutions. But as he prepared to introduce Son Heung-min and Johnson, Tottenham equalised thanks to a surprise run by midfielder Pape Matar Sarr.
The first credit goes to Kulusevski as he sent a pass that split the Brighton defence. Tottenham were also lucky in this phase, as Sarr initially passed to Richarlison but Lewis Dunk dived to block. The ball bounced off the post and back to Sarr, allowing him to easily tap into an empty net as both the Brighton goalkeeper and defenders were caught off guard.
Richarlison celebrates with Johnson after Tottenham raised the score to 2-1. Photo: AP
Luck continued to accompany the home team when they let Mitoma escape down the left wing and pass to Ansu Fati. But the Barca loanee's tap-in went wide. Not long after, Mitoma broke through again, creating an opportunity for Facundo Buonanotte. His shot went wide after hitting Van de Ven. It can be said that Mitoma plowed Tottenham's right wing, making Pedro Porro struggle. But his teammate was too wasteful.
Brighton escaped a penalty in the final minutes when Dunk handled the ball after trying to block Johnson's cross. But in the end, they still could not leave with a point as Tottenham's attack shone in the final minutes. Postecoglou's calculation was successful when two players he brought on the field combined to bring home the decisive goal.
Quang Huy
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