Seagulls’ plan nearly perfect as late own goal denies Brighton a statement scalp

Brighton were eight minutes from an eye-catching victory when Jan Paul van Hecke, otherwise resolute, inadvertently turned Mohammed Kudus’ cross into his own net to leave a pulsating Amex clash level at 2-2. Before that bitter twist, Fabian Hürzeler’s side had executed their blueprint with conviction: Yankuba Minteh’s cool finish with their first attack and Yasin Ayari’s dipping drive after 31 minutes put them 2-0 up despite Tottenham’s share of the ball.

Tottenham halved the deficit through Richarlison just before the interval and dominated large stretches of the second half, yet Brighton continued to carry menace on the break and defended with collective steel. The draw, frustrating in the moment, nonetheless extends the Seagulls’ unbeaten home run after a sequence that recently included a win over Manchester City.

Clinical edge on the counter

Brighton’s opening goal distilled the gameplan: alert in the press, explosive in transition. Minteh won the ball, sprinted clear of a high visiting line and rounded Guglielmo Vicario to roll in an eighth‑minute lead. Against opponents who had conceded just once before this trip, it was a strike that rattled the favourites.

If the first owed to speed and composure, the second came from opportunism. After Lucas Bergvall clumsily coughed up possession, Ayari seized the chance and sent a powerful, dipping effort from range that beat Vicario’s hand. It capped a 31‑minute spell where Brighton needed few touches to make maximum impact.

Holding firm, always dangerous

Spurs saw more of the ball after the restart, but Brighton’s shape limited clear looks while leaving space to spring. Minteh twice threatened on breakaways, only for the pace of Destiny Udogie to snuff out one of those surges, and Diego Gómez had a presentable opening that he rushed under pressure.

At the other end, Bart Verbruggen provided security, notably getting down to a low Xavi Simons strike, part of a second‑half spell when Tottenham’s pressure swelled. The back line absorbed crosses and blocks while looking to release speed into the channels.

Hürzeler’s tweaks and the fine margins

The head coach’s sweeping changes from the previous week’s defeat at Bournemouth paid dividends in energy and organization. Carlos Baleba, returning to the XI, was withdrawn at half-time—“He’s not a machine,” Hürzeler explained—but Brighton still found ways to compete in midfield without losing their threat on transition.

The margins were cruel. Richarlison’s scruffy goal on the cusp of half-time—after he intervened on a Mohammed Kudus effort—arrived in what Hürzeler called an “unlucky moment,” and the late equaliser owed everything to misfortune rather than design as Van Hecke, under pressure, deflected beyond Verbruggen.

Eight minutes from a statement result

Brighton had been here before against Tottenham. Last October at this ground, they rallied from 2‑0 down to win 3‑2; this time, they were the ones protecting a lead as Spurs cranked up the pressure with man-to-man pressing and a stream of crosses. Even so, the Seagulls carved the game’s clearer transition chances after the break.

Hürzeler reflected on an “unlucky draw” but saw “a lot of positives” and “small steps in the right direction,” from the ruthlessness of Minteh and Ayari to the collective defensive work-rate. The result may have stung, but the performance suggested a team moving forward.

Home fortress holds, road tests ahead

The point preserves Brighton’s seven-game unbeaten sequence at the Amex and adds to the momentum of that Manchester City scalp. The defensive structure largely held, and the transitions were sharp; tidier finishing on one of those breakaways might have yielded the win their plan threatened.

Attention now turns to a demanding stretch: an away league trip to Chelsea, preceded by a Carabao Cup tie at League One Barnsley on Tuesday 23 September (19:45 BST). The Seagulls will feel there is plenty here to build on.