Tottenham 2-1 Brighton: Player ratings as late Johnson winner breaks Seagulls' hearts

FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM - Tottenham summoned a dramatic second-half turnaround capped by Brennan Johnson's late winner to steal victory over Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Seagulls went ahead in north London as Pascal Gross converted from the penalty spot after Danny Welbeck was brought down, but Spurs railled and dragged themselves level when Pape Matar Sarr finished on the rebound.

A winner looked unlikely to emerge but Son Heung-min's late cross was powered into the roof of the net by Johnson in the 97th minute to earn the hosts a momentous victory.

How the game unfolded

Tottenham welcomed club captain Son back into their squad following South Korea's elimination from the Asian Cup, with Sarr starting in midfield and Yves Bissouma on the bench. Kaoru Mitoma started for the away side, who were without Simon Adingra, Joao Pedro and James Milner.

Welbeck made Micky van de Ven aware of his presence in the opening minutes, robbing the Dutch defender on the halfway line before cutting in and drawing an early save from Guglielmo Vicario.

The Seagulls' aggression caused Spurs problems throughout the first half, constantly nicking the ball in dangerous positions, but the opening goal of the game was heavily self-inflicted by the hosts.

Trying to play out from the back, Rodrigo Bentancur was caught by Gross and the ball found its way to Welbeck, who collapsed under Van de Ven's loose challenge. Gross, so often Brighton's cool head in fierce surroundings, converted with Vicario going the wrong way.

Tottenham have been their own worst enemy in recent weeks, giving away easy goals in games against Brentford and Everton, and an equaliser was not forthcoming in the opening 45 minutes as the south coast visitors zipped the ball around impressively.

Whenever the hosts did get through on goal, it was often aided by some thoughtless Brighton defending. Richarlison had Spurs' first shot on target beaten away by Jason Steele before the Brazilian combined with James Maddison, whose curler just whipped past the far post.

Mitoma soon scampered to the byline and forced Vicario into a fingertip save from a tight angle, but Tottenham cranked up the pressure just before half-time as Dejan Kulusevski called Steele into action again.

Timo Werner scuttled inside and saw a scuffed shot deflect wide as Spurs continued in the ascendancy at the start of the second half, but just as the trio of Son, Bissouma and Johnson readied themselves for their introductions, Sarr brought the two sides level.

A manic period of possession eventually saw Kulusevski play the Senegal international through on goal. The first shot was blocked by Lewis Dunk but both the defender and Steele were out of commission when he retuned to smash home the rebound.

Ange Postecoglou's side couldn't take advantage of the momentum that swung their way immediately after the goal, with Brighton instead looking more threatening heading into the final 15 minutes.

Substitute Ansu Fati dragged wide from a central area before Van de Ven blocked Facundo Buonanotte's strike, while a Spurs appeal for a penalty for handball against Dunk was quickly dismissed by VAR.

The two sides traded periods of pressure towards full-time, though a winner did not look forthcoming. However, substitute Son burst away down the left and found Johnson lurking at the back post. The Welshman guided his first time strike into the roof of the net, turning the atmosphere into a full-blown 90s rave when it had been a sombre stadium approaching the referee's final whistle.

Spurs now jump up into the top four before Aston Villa face Manchester United on Sunday, moving 12 points clear of Brighton in eighth.

Tottenham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10 - Sent the wrong way by Gross' penalty and again had to deal with some six-yard box crashing.

RB: Pedro Porro - 6/10 - Always aware of Mitoma's threat in behind and that probably hindered his attacking output, rarely getting into threatening areas.

CB: Cristian Romero - 6/10 - Tried to get Spurs moving quickly in defence, blasting the ball into midfield.

CB: Micky van de Ven - 6/10 - Gave away the penalty with a rash challenge. His pace in recovery remains a cheat code.

LB: Destiny Udogie - 6/10 - Got himself up and down the left flank and dealt with Brighton's targeted attacks in behind well enough.

CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 7/10 - An afternoon filled with unrewarding running until his goal. Rarely in control in the midfield battle but got Spurs on the front foot often.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 4/10 - Caught worryingly often in front of his own box, including in the build-up to Gross' penalty.

AM: James Maddison - 6/10 - Hurried by Brighton's press which seemed to agitate him in the first half. Never quite got into his stride.

RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 6/10 - Showed his fleet-footedness on occasion before Postecoglou opted for the pace of Johnson.

ST: Richarlison - 6/10 - Managed to get the better of Dunk on a few occasions but was never on the same wavelength as his fellow attackers.

LW: Timo Werner - 5/10 - Stuck to his wing but was overly predictable and didn't offer much threat.

Substitutes

Son Heung-min (62' for Werner) - 7/10 - Couldn't get involved too much until late on as he guided the ball to Johnson to finish.

Brennan Johnson (62' for Kulusevski) - 7/10 - The breakaway always seemed on, only for something to go wrong. At the last minute, it all came together for Johnson.

Yves Bissouma (62' for Bentancur) - 6/10

Ben Davies (80' for Sarr) - N/A

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (80'' for Udogie) - N/A

Subs not used: Fraser Forster, Emerson Royal, Radu Dragusin, Oliver Skipp.

Manager

Ange Postecoglou - 6/10 - Trusted his process throughout to get the victory, though Spurs were rarely comfortable.

Brighton player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Jason Steele - 7/10 - Made some smart saves, especially in the first half, and ran down the clock with some time-wasting.

RB: Tariq Lamptey - 6/10 - Often telegraphed how Werner wanted to attack and got the better of their duels, a few slips aside.

CB: Jan Paul van Hecke - 7/10 - Sniffed out chances to make big challenges when Spurs played in front of him.

CB: Lewis Dunk - 6/10 - Constantly looked for long balls over the top for Mitoma to chase and played them accurately. Given the slip by Richarlison too easily a few times.

LB: Pervis Estupinan - 6/10 - Had an interesting match-up with Kulusevski, often matching the Swede for physicality while being left behind on occasion by the winger's cunning running.

CM: Billy Gilmour - 7/10 - Seemed hyper-aware of his surroundings at all times in midfield and made some lung-bursting runs to get back in defence.

CM: Pascal Gross - 7/10 - Nicked possession off Bentancur and then scored the resulting penalty.

AM: Adam Lallana - 5/10 - Got involved in some handbags with Romero but was otherwise neat and tidy.

RW: Facundo Buonanotte - 6/10 - Had a few chances to let fly but never looked commanding in front of goal.

ST: Danny Welbeck - 7/10 - Created a chance for himself in the opening minutes and some wily play earned Brighton a penalty in the first half.

LW: Kaoru Mitoma - 7/10 - Got himself into threatening positions easily and might have popped up with a goal or an assist on another day.

Substitutes

Ansu Fati (57' for Lallana) - 5/10

Evan Ferguson (83' for Welbeck) - N/A

Joel Veltman (83' for Buonanotte) - N/A

Carlos Baleba (90' for Gilmour) - N/A

Benicio Baker-Boaitey (90' for Lamptey) - N/A

Subs not used: Mark O'Mahony, Adam Webster, Jakub Moder, Bart Verbruggen.

Manager

Roberto De Zerbi - 6/10 - Absent due to a touchline suspension but his side were comfortable for most of the first half before relinquishing that control in the second half en route to defeat.

Player of the match - Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)

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