Tottenham player ratings v Brighton: 4/10 dud could get Postecoglou sacked
Ange Postecoglou might have managed his final game at Tottenham after the Lilywhites suffered their 22nd Premier League defeat of the season against Brighton.
A bright start for the home side was rewarded after Mathys Tel was brought down inside the box by Mats Wieffer within the first 20 minutes.
Dominic Solanke, intending to finish his season in form, stepped up to the spot, lifting the ball down the middle. Solanke’s goal had Spurs ahead at the break, but Jack Hinshelwood had the ball in the back of the net to bring Brighton level minutes into the second half.
Brennan Johnson should have had Tottenham back ahead after Tel found him in the box, but the Welshman made a mess of his chance.
The pressure paid off for Brighton, who were trailing after half-time, as Hinshelwood sent a backheel past Guglielmo Vicario to score his second of the game.
Tottenham’s Premier League troubles continued after Matt O’Riley scored Brighton’s third from the spot.
Just as the home side thought the afternoon could not get any worse, Diego Gomez put a fourth past Vicario with a strike that could be a contender for Premier League goal of the season.
Below, Tottenham Hotspur News has rated the players.
Johnson flops in Tottenham defeat v Brighton
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
Pedro Porro – 6
Kevin Danso – 7
Mikey van de Ven – 5
Destiny Udogie – 5
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
Archie Gray – 5
Pape Matar Saar – 5
Brennan Johnson – 4
Dominic Solanke – 6
Mathys Tel – 5
Substitutes
Wilson Odobert (On for Sarr, 46′) – 5
Ben Davies (On for van de Ven, 66′) – 5
Richarlison (On for Solanke, 66′) – 6
Yves Bissouma (On for Bentancur, 66) – 4
Djed Spence (On for Tel, 83′) – N/A
Johnson was anonymous for Tottenham v Brighton
Postecoglou had a chance to provide a lucrative boost at Tottenham with a victory against Brighton.
His initial risk to start Solanke paid off as the striker opened the scoring.
However, Tottenham were unable to capitalise on the momentum from their Europa League success, while the match-winner in Bilbao also struggled.
Johnson looked like a man who had been celebrating for the last few days after he missed an all-important goal to restore Spurs’ lead against Brighton.
Hinshelwood put the Seagulls ahead not long after, and it was curtains for Postecoglou’s side, who suffered their 10th home defeat of the season.
Now, with a disappointing end to their Premier League campaign, Postecoglou’s future at the North London club looks murkier than ever.