Brighton 3 Tottenham 2: An unbelievable collapse and where the defense went wrong

This game promised goals – and delivered.

Leading 2-0 at half-time, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a terrible start to the second half as Brighton went 3-2 up on 66 minutes.

The use of high defensive lines by both teams was highlighted before kick-off and there were early chances at either end before Brennan Johnson continued his remarkable form by scoring a sixth successive goal in all competitions – the first Spurs player to do so since Harry. why

James Maddison then doubled Spurs' lead after more impressive link-up play from Dominic Solanke and Yankuba Minteh came back to capitalize on Destiny Udogi's error. Further goals from Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck completed the turnaround.

Jack Pitt-Brooke and Ananthjith Raghuraman break up the action from the Amex Stadium.

How did Spurs let the lead slip?

At halftime, it may have seemed to some that the game was over and the Spurs were on their way to a sixth straight win.

The problem is that Tottenham played in the second half as if the job was already done and their minds could already turn to their upcoming international duties. Because here was the worst collapse of a winning team in the second half that you will ever see. Spurs were warned about Kaoru Mitoma in the first half but did nothing to stop him in the second half.

Minteh became the opener as Mickey van de Ven or Destiny Udogi failed to cut out crosses. Rutter was then free to receive Mitoma's pass and run at goal unopposed. Worst of all was the third when Udogi failed to keep out Rutter's cross from the right, Welbeck pounced on Christian Romero in the box.

It was a complete failure of defensive responsibility by the Spurs players.

Jack Pitt-Brook

Where was the Spurs defense caught out?

In our preview for this match, we said that Spurs' defenders can often be caught on their heels when asked to defend runs on their blindsides — a problem that leaves them vulnerable to cutbacks, underlaps and overlaps. Spurs faced the same calamity against Brighton but this time, the run caught out the heart of their defence.

Pedro Porro struggled at times to defend the combination play between Mitoma and Ferdi Kadioglu for most of the first half. In the 32nd minute, it led to Brighton's clearest-cut chance of the half as an inventive cross off the boot from Mitoma saw Welbeck sneak in behind Romero, but the ball dribbled wide of the far post.

Eight minutes later, Mitoma found Kadioglu who burst into the box. Again, Welbeck made a run behind Romero before leaping to meet the ball, after the header dribbled wide of the post and briefly concerned a diving Vicario.

Midway through the second half, Spurs paid for not heeding those warnings. Rutter showed great tenacity to chip the ball over multiple Spurs defenders before diving close to the byline.

Incredibly, neither Van de Ven nor Romero, who both had their eyes glued to the ball, noticed that Welbeck raced into the gap between them and slotted home comfortably to complete Brighton's comeback.

Ananthajith Raghuraman

Does this undo the form's recent rise?

Had Tottenham held on to win here — as they looked certain to do at half-time — it would have been their sixth win in all competitions, their first since 2018. Argued that Ange Postecoglou started Spurs' season with a bang.

But to collapse like that in the second half, to throw the game away, will now change the narrative. Especially going into the two week international break.

People will ask if the progress this season has been real or illusory so far, especially given that much of the apparent progress this season has been the Spurs' defensive fortitude.

In the end they looked like they were strong and were tough to play against. And then they do this. This will bring back the question of whether Angel is inherently weak defensively. Now maybe today was about players switching off and making bad decisions rather than doing anything strategic. Maybe this season's improvement is still real.

But that is the debate now ahead of West Ham's visit to Tottenham after the break.

Jack Pitt-Brook

How is Solank's role developing?

When Dominic Solanke joined Tottenham in the summer, he was tasked with trying to replace Harry Kane. It's a role that Richarlison never quite felt comfortable in, but in Spurs' positive first half, you could see an aspect of his game reminiscent of Kane's: Solanke's ability to drop deep into areas (see his first-half touch map below) and play forward passes that set up opponents. hurt

Both of Spurs' first half goals came from Solanke. First when he took a pass from James Maddison and then threaded a perfect ball to Brennan Johnson, attacking the space behind Brighton's defense (similar to Johnson's goal against Qarabag).

And then with the second when Solanke released Timo Werner, who passed to Maddison, who made it 2-0. When you have speedy wide forwards running back, you need a deep striker to play those passes and Solanke can be as good as Kane.

The problem was when Spurs lost control in the second half, with Solanke struggling to impose himself on the game or even get the ball, throwing away all the hard work of the first half.

Jack Pitt-Brook

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

The Tottenham head coach said after the game: “We didn't do what you need to do at this level, that's not negotiable. We were not just competitors. We didn't win our duels, we lacked intensity, we didn't deliver the things you need at this level, the fundamentals of the game, and we paid the price for it.”

“It's unacceptable at the end of the day. You realize that you're not going to win every game. But you have methods to lose the game. And that's the first time since I've been here that we've lost a game in that manner. Unacceptable.”

“It's all frustrating. There are elements of this team that have been pretty consistent throughout my tenure, and that's one, even on our best days, we've always fought and competed. I think that has been a non-negotiable.

“Today was the first day I felt like we didn't deliver in that area. Be it defensively, be it with the ball. Sports is about competition like any other. And if you don't compete, you let the opponent outplay you in that manner, you're not going to get anything out of it.”

What next for Tottenham?

Saturday, October 19: West Ham United (H), Premier League, 12.30pm UK, 7.30am ET

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(Top photo: Brian Lennon/Getty Images)