Tottenham 2 Brighton 1: Kane scores winner in top-four clash after visitors have TWO goals ruled out and denied penalty
HARRY KANE kept his head when all about him were losing theirs.
And for that reason, Tottenham’s Champions League dream is just about still on.
This was a crackers game which had both managers going at it before it even started and then both sent off in the second half following a mass brawl between the two dugouts.
Son Heung-min became the latest member of the Premier League’s 100 club, while Brighton netted through Lewis Dunk and had two others ruled out by VAR.
Then just when Albion looked the most likely of the two managerless sides to win it and effectively KO Spurs from the top-four race, up popped Kane.
England’s record scorer, who had “cheat” chants directed towards him by the away fans after his tumble at Everton on Monday, was ice cool with his late blast.
It kept Spurs within three points of third-placed Newcastle and fourth-placed Manchester United, who both have a game in hand on the North Londoners.
To overhaul them interim chief Cristian Stellini will have to inspire results against both later this month but for now, after all the mayhem of a mad afternoon in N17, at least his side are still in the hunt.
It is doubtful you could say the same thing for Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton, who are now ten points off fourth.
And they will have to do without their manager for the THIRD time next week following yet another dismissal.
De Zerbi, for all his tactical brilliance, has now racked up two red cards and four yellows this season in what seems to be becoming a problem for the combustible Italian.
De Zerbi set the tone for a heated, breathless game with his pre-match barney with his opposite number.
Stellini offered his hand for what he thought was going to be a routine pleasantry before kick-off and then found himself being told off.
De Zerbi showed the same aggression Stellini had recalled he had as a player in his pre-match press conference as he angrily jabbed his finger in his dressing down.
The tension sizzled as both stewing dugouts were forced to wait an extra couple of minutes for the action to begin due a fault with ref Stuat Attwell’s technical equipment.
Stellini had said there was no chance this game would be dull – despite that word being a fitting description for many of Spurs’ matches this season – and he was not wrong.
Inside five minutes Brighton’s players were screaming for a penalty when the ball appeared to strike Clement Lenglet’s hand but nothing was given by Attwell or VAR.
Five minutes later and the hosts were ahead through centurion Son’s moment of brilliance.
Coming in off the left, he picked his spot from 25 yards and fired a gorgeous strike into the top corner over the helpless Jason Steele.
Son may have had a difficult season with this only his seventh league goal of the campaign, having won the golden boot last term.
But there is no doubting the newest member of the Premier League hundred club, who also has 50 assists in the competition, is one of Tottenham’s modern greats and this strike was among his best.
From the Premier League’s greatest Asian player to the man threatening one day to take his crown, Brighton’s Mitoma then took centre stage.
The Japan wideman looked to have equalised with a clinical take-down and volley past Hugo Lloris, only for the assistant ref to raise his flag for handball.
VAR had a good long look at it – but did not send Attwell to the monitor – and eventually concurred with the on-pitch decision, even though the ball looked to have struck Mitoma on the shoulder.
It did not deter attack-minded Albion from continuing to take the game to their hosts.
World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister saw a wicked strike well saved by Lloris, before the combative Moises Caicedo struck the post from outside the area.
Their leveller though did not come via an inventive bit of De Zerbi ball, in fact it was about as basic as it gets.
Solly March swung a corner over to the far post and there was Dunk, completely unmarked, to power home a header on his 200th Premier League appearance.
That sparked another argument between the two dugouts, only this time it was more Ryan Mason involved on the Spurs’ side than Stellini.
Half-time gave some momentary respite from the madness but it did not take long for the temperature to crank back up.
Danny Welbeck thought he had equalised ten minutes into the second period when his shot wriggled past Lloris.
But replays showed it bamboozled Spurs goalkeeper because it took a big deflection off Mac Allister’s arm and the goal was chalked off.
Then, minutes later, the aggro on the touchline escalated significantly, with the two sets of staff having a full-on shoving match sparked by seemingly nothing in particular.
Attwell was not even watching as he had just given a free-kick to Spurs but with players having to intervene to break up the pathetic brawl, the whistler knew he had to take action.
First he issued a red to De Zerbi, who will now serve his THIRD touchline ban of the season.
Then Attwell sent off Stellini, who seemed incredulous and rightly so given he did not even seem to be involved in the embarrassing spat.
What you would have given to have been a fly on the tunnel wall as the two dismissed Italians made their way back to their respective dressing rooms.
The home fans responded with a chorus of ‘We want Levy out’, in reference to chairman Daniel Levy who many desperately want out, and ‘He’s magic you know’, referring to Mauricio Pochettino, whom so many desperately want back in.
Brighton looked the likeliest to nick a winner and were denied another spot-kick despite Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg catching Mitoma’s standing foot.
It was Hojbjerg who teed up Kane’s late strike which put Spurs back in front against the run of play.
The Dane was set away by Son and cut the ball back to the edge of the area, where a lurking Kane crashed home his 23rd league goal of the season off Joel Veltman’s knee.
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