Comeback on the coast: Spurs rally late to deny Brighton in 2-2 draw

Tottenham came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Brighton, Jan Paul van Hecke’s late own goal ensuring the points were shared after an absorbing contest at the Amex. Yankuba Minteh struck with Brighton’s first attack in the eighth minute and Yasin Ayari doubled the lead with a powerful effort after 31 minutes, before Richarlison pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.

Thomas Frank’s side dominated territory and tempo after the break but were repeatedly frustrated by loose finishing and Bart Verbruggen’s handling, until Mohammed Kudus’ 82nd‑minute cross forced Van Hecke to put through his own net. Spurs chased a winner, Kudus going close in stoppage time, while Brighton defended stoutly and remained dangerous on the counter to bank a point that keeps their home unbeaten run going.

Lightning on the break, sting in the finish

Tottenham had started with confidence, seeing far more of the ball, yet their aggressive line was breached at Brighton’s first real opening. Minteh won possession and accelerated clear to round Guglielmo Vicario and roll the opener, a moment that undercut Spurs’ record of having conceded just once prior to this trip.

Ayari then punished them again, collecting a loose ball and unleashing a dipping strike from distance that beat Vicario, who will feel he might have done better than get a hand to it. For a team whose early-season platform has been defensive solidity under Frank, the two concessions were jarringly at odds with the broader pattern of play.

A lifeline before the interval

Richarlison restored belief just before half-time, reacting quickest in a messy goalmouth sequence to first block a shot from Kudus and then poke in from close range. Brighton protests were waved away—there was no offside with Lewis Dunk on the line—and the contest was reset.

That strike reframed a matchup laden with recent history. In May, Brighton’s 4‑1 win in north London closed the book on Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, and last October at this ground Spurs crumbled from 2‑0 up to lose 3‑2. Here, the roles and fortunes flipped, Spurs fighting to overturn a deficit rather than squander a lead.

Spurs pile on: Simons sharp, Kudus decisive

With Carlos Baleba withdrawn at the break—“He’s not a machine,” Fabian Hürzeler noted—Tottenham’s grip on midfield tightened further. Xavi Simons’ introduction added thrust: his first effort fizzed wide, then Verbruggen produced a fine low save, and later, after Lucas Bergvall dummied a Kudus cross, the Dutchman dragged a good chance past the far post.

Spurs’ back door remained ajar enough for Brighton to threaten through Minteh-led counters, curtailed at times only by Destiny Udogie’s recovery pace. Yet the visitors’ pressure swelled: they finished with 11 shots but only three on target, a reflection of both their control and their profligacy.

Misfortune and resolve define the finish

The breakthrough finally arrived eight minutes from time when Kudus, lively on the right, drove a cross that Van Hecke could only divert beyond his own goalkeeper. It was harsh on a Brighton defence that had held firm for long spells, but in keeping with a season pockmarked by isolated mishaps.

Even then, the Seagulls carried a punch on transition—one Diego Gómez chance in particular was hurried—while Spurs came closest to nicking it when Kudus flashed narrowly wide in added time. A point apiece felt broadly fair: Tottenham’s dominance merited reward; Brighton’s plan had almost delivered a headline scalp.

Voices and the wider view

“Maybe our most complete performance so far,” said Frank, praising his team’s mentality, aggressive pressing and physical edge after a week that included a European win. “We suffered two goals against the run of play, but we kept going… If there should have been a winner, I think it should have been us.”

Midfielder João Palhinha echoed that view—“we completely deserved to win”—while Hürzeler called it “an unlucky draw,” pointing to a strong start, dangerous transitions and the need to manage workloads after withdrawing Baleba. For Brighton, who recently beat Manchester City here, the draw sustains an unbeaten home sequence; for Spurs, it extends a fine start under Frank, who has overseen just one defeat before this trip.

What comes next

Brighton’s demanding run continues with an away league trip to Chelsea and a Carabao Cup visit to League One Barnsley on Tuesday 23 September (19:45 BST). Hürzeler will hope the positives on show translate into more ruthless finishing in transition.

Tottenham, who climbed above Arsenal into second place with this point, host League One Doncaster in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday 24 September (19:45 BST). The Gunners can retake second when they face Manchester City on Sunday.