Brighton Complete Remarkable Comeback to stun Tottenham

Brighton staged a sensational second-half recovery to overturn a two-goal deficit and defeat Tottenham 3-2 in a thrilling Premier League encounter on the south coast.

Tottenham appeared to be cruising towards their sixth consecutive victory in all competitions after establishing a commanding 2-0 lead by the 37th minute. Brennan Johnson continued his rich vein of form, scoring his sixth goal in six games after latching onto Dominic Solanke’s precise through ball. James Maddison then doubled the advantage with a curled effort that Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen failed to keep out despite getting both hands to the shot.

However, the match transformed dramatically after the interval. Brighton reduced the deficit early in the second half when Yankuba Minteh capitalized on Destiny Udogie’s defensive error from Kaoru Mitoma’s cross to score his first goal for the club since his £30m move from Newcastle.

The hosts drew level in the 58th minute through an excellent piece of play from Rutter, who created space away from Micky van de Ven before firing low past Guglielmo Vicario. The French midfielder, a £40m summer signing from Leeds, then turned provider for the winner, showing great determination to keep the ball in play near the byline and deliver a cross for Danny Welbeck to convert with a downward header.

This victory marked the first time Brighton had overcome a two-goal half-time deficit since December 2015, when they defeated 10-man Charlton 3-2 in the Championship. Conversely, it was the tenth time Tottenham had lost a Premier League match after leading by two or more goals.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was visibly stunned at the final whistle, describing the defeat as “terrible” and “as bad as it gets.” His team had started brightly, with Timo Werner squandering an early chance and only a brilliant block from Adam Webster denying Maddison. The visitors also had a goal disallowed by VAR for a tight offside call against Pedro Porro before Johnson’s opener.

Brighton’s second-half performance, driven by the impressive Mitoma and Rutter, along with the vocal support of their home crowd, proved decisive in securing a memorable comeback victory for Fabian Hurzeler’s side.