April 16, (THEWILL) – Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 against Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League on Saturday at the Tottenham Stadium after failing to register a single shot on target to put their top four aspirations under threat again.
Brighton started well and pressed Spurs hard in the early stages, preventing the hosts from getting anything going. After the 15-minute mark, they began to gain control, with some nice runs and corners coming to naught.
The visitors got their first meaningful chance early. Enock Mwepu, who put the other north London side Arsenal to the sword last week, saw a fizzing volley from the edge of the box blocked by Ben Davies, before Joel Veltman saw his own effort from the subsequent corner turned aside by Harry Kane.
By far the happiest team during the break will have been Brighton. They did not come close to scoring, but they did not allow Spurs to have a single shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
Spurs’ dangerman after the interval was Son Heung-min. The ball would generally finish up with the winger whenever they gained momentum, and he saw two attempts well blocked after the break.
Yet, Spurs were still without a shot on goal as the clock approached 70 minutes. Sergio Reguilon, who was just an inch too short as he lunged to connect with a cross from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, came the closest to striking the back of the net.
Brighton remained the most serious threat, however. Hugo Lloris, who was the busier goalie without ever really being in danger, made a good stop from Lewis Dunk’s late header. Leandro Trossard was also a long-range shooter stopped by the Frenchman.
Finally, with only seconds remaining, Trossard supplied the first real moment of excellence, waltzing into the box and firing past Lloris to further widen the top-four race.
Spurs went the entire game without a single shot on goal, let alone one on target, from the 58th to the 90th minute. Antonio Conte cannot but be dissatisfied with the outcome.
Spurs’ four-game winning streak comes to an end, but they remain in fourth place, three points clear of Arsenal, who are facing Southampton. Conte will be wanting to put this defeat behind them as soon as possible, with Brentford up next.
Brighton has now won two games in a row, moving up to tenth place. On Wednesday, they visit Manchester City.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
