It was possibly the most pointless match of the season for Tottenham Hotspur: their final challenge in a turbulent Premier League campaign, and nothing to play for except vibes following their successful Europa League campaign. The celebrations following the midweek victory would have taken their toll on the team, and they were up against a motivated Brighton & Hove Albion, who were an outside chance to qualify for European football themselves, provided other results went their way.
Ange Postecoglou named what was a surprisingly strong side, with three changes to the XI from the team that beat Manchester United: Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, and Kevin Danso came in for Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, and Cristian Romero. Romero had been ruled out by Postecoglou in his pre-match press conference, carrying a toe injury, and Bissouma had been a doubt in the lead-in.
The atmosphere was electric as the match kicked off: a sea of Lilywhite in the crowd as fans celebrated once more Spurs’ trophy win. The home team would have been buoyed by the support, and looked (perhaps surprisingly) cohesive and up for the fight, largely controlling the first half and making that control count with a 1-0 half-time lead: Mathys Tel was fouled in the Brighton box by Mats Wieffer, with the referee pointing to the spot and Dominic Solanke duly dispatching the penalty. Spurs were unlucky not to be further in front as well, with a raking counterattack spearheaded by Rodrigo Bentancur ending up with a Tel shot saved well by Bart Verbruggen.
Pape Matar Sarr was withdrawn at the half, with Wilson Odobert coming on in his place as Spurs saw a subtle change in shape; it was not a change that reaped benefits, however, as Brighton began to dominate the match. The Seagulls soon not only equalized, but went into the lead, thanks to a Jack Hinselwood double. Both goals came from corners, with Adam Webster winning the ball in the air for the first, knocking it down to Hinselwood who took a quick touch before firing it past Guglielmo Vicario at point-blank range. The second followed a similar script, Jan Paul van Hecke this time winning the aerial battle, before a deflection found the ball at the feet of Hinselwood again, the 20-year-old finishing smartly with a backheel.
Substitutions followed for Spurs, as Ange Postecoglou searched for a way to get back into the match: Bissouma, Richarlison, Ben Davies, and Djed Spence all entering the fray. It wasn’t to be, though, as Brighton extended their lead. Bissouma made a tired challenge in his own box after Spurs turned over possession high in the opposition half, with Matt O’Riley slamming the penalty past Vicario; before Diego Gomez scored his first in the Premier League with an absolute screamer. The Paraguayan received possession around 30 yards out before unleashing a strike that rocketed into the top-right corner, condemning Spurs to a 1-4 home loss to finish the season.
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