Harry Kane scored his eighth goal of the season as Tottenham cemented their place in the Premier League’s top three with a win at Brighton.
The England striker’s curling first-half header was enough to seal the victory, which leaves Spurs third and three points behind leaders Manchester City.
Brighton, who could move level on points with the visitors with a win, started slowly but grew into the game and had chances to equalize before the break.
Lewis Dunk sent a header just over the bar before Solly March headed just short of goal as half-time approached.
But both sides struggled to break down in the second half, although Kane should have put the game out of sight when he turned a marker but dragged his shot wide, while Danny Welbeck A good chance was blown off target for the hosts.
A late injury to Kane took the shine off the win as the England striker went off after being caught on the back of his foot, but he was able to walk off the pitch and confirmed after the game that it was “just There was a knock.”
The win means Tottenham have 20 points from nine matches, while Brighton are sixth on 14 points.
An Emotional Win Puts Spurs Firmly In The Hunt.
It has been a tough week for everyone connected with Tottenham following the death of the club’s fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone.
The Italian has been part of Antonio Conte’s backroom staff since November 2021 and is clearly well-liked among the players.
There was a minute’s applause before kick-off, during which Conte was in tears, and once the game started there was an added element of determination from Spurs to get a result for Ventron.
They were hungrier than Brighton in the opening exchanges and deservedly took the lead through a header from Kane, who pointed to the sky in celebration.
Tottenham were unable to progress but did enough to secure their sixth win in nine Premier League games and remain firmly in the picture at the top end of the table.
“It’s been a really difficult week for us, not just for me – for my staff and players and the whole environment at Tottenham,” said Spurs boss Conte.
“He [Ventron] was a person who was in the heart of everyone at Tottenham. It was really difficult for us. It is very difficult for me to talk about the situation because it is difficult to understand what happened.
“Finally, to win today’s game against a really strong team like Brighton, it shows that I can count not only good players but also good men.”
Clear Signs Of De Zerbi Ball Again
Roberto Di Zerbi made an immediate impact by guiding Brighton to a 3-3 draw against Liverpool in their first game last week.
The Seagulls were developed into a fun team to watch by Graham Potter and De Zerby has capitalized on that by adding his influence.
Although they weren’t as direct and attacking as they were in the early stages of the Liverpool game, they nevertheless impressed once again against a Tottenham side that has made a great start to the season.
Brighton established possession well, working the ball from left to right to try to catch Tottenham out of shape and could have scored a goal but for better finishing.
The defeat ended their unbeaten run at home but is a clear sign of how De Zerby wants to play which will be encouraging for Brighton fans.
“I must admit that the result is not fair,” said de Zerbi. “After the first 15 minutes there was only one team on the pitch and that was Brighton.
“I don’t believe in luck or bad luck. The players were fantastic today but when a team plays like that today, it’s a good message for the league for the future.
“After 15-20 minutes in the first half, we played a good 25 minutes. It was the same in the second half. I think for 70 minutes it was a good level of football.”
