Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton and Hove Albion. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance56,251.
Watch highlights as Spurs maintain perfect record at new stadium
Wednesday 24 April 2019 07:50, UK
Christian Eriksen struck a late winner to put Tottenham firmly in control of the top-four race as brave Brighton were narrowly denied 1-0 on Tuesday.
Eriksen broke Brighton's determined resistance on 89 minutes with a stinging long-range effort - their 21st effort from outside the area - that kept Tottenham's perfect record intact at their new stadium.
Following on from weekend defeats for Arsenal and Manchester United and Chelsea's draw with Burnley, Spurs are now three points clear in third place with three games to go.
It looked as though Brighton, who now haven't scored for over 11 hours, were holding on for a precious point in their battle for survival after a gritty defensive showing but the gap to Cardiff remains at three points.
This was Tottenham's first home game back since their Champions League heroics at Manchester City and there was a celebratory atmosphere in the stands.
Brighton - fresh from a solid point at Wolves - came to frustrate and did just that in a stodgy opening 45 minutes.
Last-ditch defending was needed at times, noticeably from Lewis Dunk on 35 minutes to clear a Lucas Moura effort off the line and Shane Duffy just before the break when Dele Alli had beaten goalkeeper Mat Ryan. It wasn't pretty but it was doing the job the visitors.
With Brighton defending deep, Spurs' game was all about picking the right final pass, something they struggled to do.
Eriksen was unusually wasteful while Fernando Llorente offered little as the focal point as the game passed him by.
As the game wore on, Brighton rarely emerged from their own half. It was constant Spurs pressure and Alderweireld drilled a low shot from 20 yards that looked in, but cannoned back off the inside of the post.
Vincent Janssen - who hasn't featured since August 2017 - was thrown on in the latter stages by Mauricio Pochettino, whose lack of options from the bench was clear to see.
His introduction didn't spark Spurs into life though, so it was down to Eriksen to ping one into the corner from 25 yards with just one minute remaining to send the home fans home happy.
This was a man who didn't deserve to be on the losing side. He was asked question after question by Spurs and he battered everything away, making an amazing 14 clearances - twice as many as any other player on the pitch. With determination on show like this, Brighton surely have enough to beat the drop.
Liam Rosenior on Sky Sports: "It is a world class moment from a world class player. It is an incredible shot on his left foot, his supposed weaker foot, and when you're Brighton and you are tired and you're dropping deeper and deeper you are going to give up shots from outside the box.
"It is an absolute arrow into the bottom corner and since Eriksen has come to this new stadium he has flourished in his new environment and you need that when you are playing against a team that defended as well as Brighton did."
Tottenham are back in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Saturday as they host West Ham at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kick-off at 12:30. Meanwhile, Brighton host Newcastle on Saturday at 5.30pm.
