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Brighton 1, Tottenham 1: 5 talking points as Spurs complicate top-four bid

Brighton and Hove Albion were able to snatch one point from the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton and Hove Albions Pascal Gross (right) celebrates after scoring equaliser against Tottenham

Bengaluru, April 18: Brighton and Hove Albion were able to snatch one point from the clash against the mighty Tottenham Hotspur at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after Harry Kane's opening goal was cancelled out by Pascal Gross' penalty kick. Mauricio Pochettino's side were unable to cement their place in the top-four owing to the draw.

Recent results | Points table

That, perhaps, will be the biggest takeaway from this Premier League. MyKhel revisits the other talking points from the match:


1. Dependable Kane turns it up in the second half

Tottenham Hotspur had six attempts saved in the first half and restricted the Brighton threat comfortably. Harry Kane, who once shot wide in the first 45 minutes, secured his side the lead in the 48th minute after scoring from the centre of the box from a pass given by Son Heung-min. With nothing to take back to the dressing room before the break, Pochettino surely must have sat down with his players and explained what was going wrong for Spurs. The pep talk appears to have worked but Spurs lost focus immediately after.


2. Lead lasts for 90 seconds

Tottenham were unable to build on the lead despite dominating the possession. Barely a minute after Kane's opener, defender Serge Aurier appeared to trip Jose Izquierdo inside the box. It was evident that the entire Spurs line-up just switched off after taking the lead. Pascal Gross stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake from the spot.


3. Race for Golden Boot gets interesting

Last week, social media exploded with memes about Kane, who had claimed a goal scored by Christian Eriksen against Stoke City as his own. Spurs too appealed to the Premier League for the goal to be awarded to Kane so that the Englishman could catch up to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in the goalscorers' list. Kane appears to have gotten over the brouhaha as he responded to critics by scoring his 26th goal in the 2017/18 season, keeping the race for the Golden Boot alive and kicking. Salah has scored four more than Kane with four games to go.


4. Point moves Brighton out of danger

Brighton are one of the newly promoted teams from the Championship and have impressed in the Premier League in their debut season. The 1-1 draw more or less keeps Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League next season. The result against Spurs moves them out of the relegation zone with 36 points in 34 games, eight points ahead of 18th-placed Southampton.


5. Top-four race still on

Spurs were expected to have a foot on the top-four and Champions League football for the next season by taking away three points from Brighton. However, the result leaves them on 68 points in 34 games, still fixed to the fourth spot. However, the gap between them and fifth-placed Chelsea could be reduced to five points if the Blues upset seventh-placed Burnley in their Thursday night fixture. Barring a tiring FA Cup game against Manchester United this Sunday, the only other tough fixture for Spurs will be the test against Newcastle on May 10. Spurs are scheduled to play mid-table teams Watford and Leicester City and bottom-placed West Brom in their remaining fixtures. Chelsea, on the other hand, have a tough game against Liverpool. They also have a trip to Newcastle but are expected to cruise against relegation-threatened Swansea and Huddersfield. The fourth spot, as it stands, are for Tottenham's to lose.

Story first published: Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 18:26 [IST]
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