Brighton staged a stunning second-half comeback to defeat Tottenham 3-2, overturning a two-goal deficit at halftime. Key goals from Minteh, Rutter, and Welbeck sealed the victory, ending Brighton’s winless streak. Spurs, who missed out on a third consecutive win, saw their lead slip away in a dramatic collapse.
Alan Buck Oct 6, 2024
Brighton & Hove Albion pulled off an incredible second-half comeback to secure a 3-2 Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur, overturning a two-goal halftime deficit at the Amex Stadium.
Fabian Hürzeler faced criticism after his side conceded four goals to Chelsea in their previous league match, so it was surprising to see Brighton’s high line exposed almost immediately. Timo Werner raced down the left, sending a cross that just missed Brennan Johnson's sliding attempt. Brighton’s offside trap caught Pedro Porro, denying James Maddison an early goal, but Johnson soon found the net with a perfect first-time finish from Dominic Solanke’s clever pass, marking his sixth consecutive scoring game for Spurs—the first since Harry Kane in 2019.
Brighton responded with a promising spell, as Kaoru Mitoma delivered a stylish cross to Danny Welbeck, whose sliding attempt went wide. However, their optimism was short-lived as they were punished on the break, with Maddison’s relatively weak shot slipping through Bart Verbruggen's fingers. Welbeck almost pulled one back with a header, but the Seagulls narrowly avoided going three down just before halftime as Johnson fired over from a tight angle.
Given that 77% of Tottenham’s games since last season have had over 2.5 goals, a high-scoring affair seemed likely. Few could have predicted what followed, though. After dominating the first half, Spurs fell apart within 21 minutes of the restart. Destiny Udogie’s miscue allowed Yankuba Minteh to tap in, followed shortly by Mitoma setting up Georginio Rutter, who equalized with a low drive.
Brighton completed the turnaround when Rutter managed to keep the ball in play and set up Welbeck for a simple header, leaving Spurs shellshocked. With over 20 minutes left, Tottenham tried to salvage a result, but Verbruggen denied Udogie’s last real attempt on goal.
Tottenham’s collapse means they missed a chance to notch three consecutive league wins for the first time this year, dampening the goodwill from their recent 3-0 victory over Manchester United. Meanwhile, Brighton ended their four-match winless streak, climbing to sixth in the table, two points clear of ninth-placed Tottenham.
