Tottenham Hotspur got away with a win on Saturday, as they claimed a 2-1 victory over Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in controversial style. 

Brighton manager Robert De Zerbi will feel hard done by poor referring decisions. De Zerbi and Tottenham interim coach Cristian Stellini were sent off just before the hour-mark, adding to the intense atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.  

Controversial decisions go against seagulls

The Seagulls had several decisions go against them, including one penalty not being given and two goals being ruled out due to VAR. 

Social media was on fire throughout the match, with Premier League fans raging due to the injustices done to Brighton.  

Tottenham opened the scoring in the 10th minute through South Korean striker Heung-min Son with a stunning goal. 

The goal was Son’s 100th in the Premier League. Brighton’s Lewis Dunk equalized on 34 minutes, giving the Seagulls what they rightly deserved. Dunk’s goal came from a well-worked corner routine.   

With the game headed into the final 12 minutes, Spurs found the breakthrough thanks to Harry Kane. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg created space down the right flank and cut the ball back to Kane in the penalty area. 

Kane smashed the ball and got a fortunate deflection, as the shot carried past Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele to put Spurs back into the lead. 

In the 89th minute, Clement Lenglet appeared to have fouled Dunk in the penalty area, but referee Stuart Atwell waved play on. 

Spurs hold on for vital victory

Spurs held out for the 2-1 win and are now four matches unbeaten. 

The match was billed as a top-four battle, with both teams fighting for next season’s Champions League qualification. The win leaves Spurs in fifth place and three points behind Manchester United in the race for the top four. 

Brighton drifted to seventh and could fall to eighth if Liverpool defeats Arsenal on Sunday. De Zerbi was left seething and the manager must now turn his attention to getting the team back on track ahead of next weekend’s trip to Chelsea.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Action Plus