Brighton v Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Spurs comeback falls short

Brighton 4-2 Tottenham: The Seagulls hung on after racing 4-0 ahead in a thrilling post-Christmas cracker

Spurs host Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League but will be without Cristian Romero through injury

Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four ambitions suffered a blow as they lost 4-2 at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League with only a late rally saving them from their heaviest defeat since Ange Postecoglou became manager.

Victory would have put injury-hit Spurs above Manchester City into fourth spot but they were mauled on the south coast as a Brighton side also missing key players ran riot.

A powerful early strike by Jack Hinshelwood and Joao Pedro’s penalty gave the hosts a deserved 2-0 lead at half-time as Tottenham struggled to deal with Brighton’s intensity. The visitors responded in the second half with Richarlison having a goal disallowed but when half-time substitute Pervis Estupinan sent a thunderbolt past Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario and Pedro netted a second penalty the game seemed over.

However, when Tottenham’s late substitute Alejo Veliz fired home from close range in the 75th minute and Ben Davies scored with a header a miraculous comeback suddenly looked possible. Midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg hit the post for Spurs in stoppage time as Brighton looked nervy but they held on to move into eighth place in the table while Tottenham remain fifth.

Relive all the action below:

Brighton v Tottenham - live updates

• Brighton hold on to beat Tottenham 4-2 in a Premier League thriller
• Seagulls climb to eighth after racing into a 4-0 lead and holding off a late Spurs comeback
• FULL-TIME! Brighton 4-2 Tottenham
• 90+5’ - POST! Hojbjerg’s curled shot strikes the post (BHA 4-2 TOT)
• 86’ - GOAL! Davies heads in a second Spurs goal (BHA 4-2 TOT)
• 81’ - GOAL! Young Spurs striker Veliz scores consolation (BHA 4-1 TOT)
• 75’ - GOAL! Pedro scores second penalty after Ferguson fouled by Lo Celso (BHA 4-0 TOT)
• 63’ - GOAL! Estupinan scores thunderbolt from 25 yards (BHA 3-0 TOT)
• 45’ - POST! Richarlison clips the outside of the woodwork from distance (BHA 2-0 TOT)
• 37’ - NO GOAL! Buonanotte’s neat finish rightly ruled out for offside (BHA 2-0 TOT)
• 32’ - POST! Milner rattles the post with a curling effort (BHA 2-0 TOT)
• 23’ - GOAL! Pedro scores from the penalty spot after Kulusevski’s foul (BHA 2-0 TOT)
• 20’ - POST! Van Hecke’s header cannons off the post (BHA 1-0 TOT)
• 11’ - GOAL! Hinshelwood hammers home a finish after great work by Pedro (BHA 1-0 TOT)

[28 December 2023 21:20 · Luke Baker]

GOAL! Brighton 4-2 Tottenham (Ben Davies 86’)

Well, well, well... Maybe a comeback could be on...?

Spurs now have a second goal back. A short corner routine is blocked but Porro then whips the ball in from the left and Ben Davies heads it into the corner! Steele probably should have come and claimed that but once he didn’t, Davies took it well.

Four minutes of normal time left, Spurs need two goals...

[28 December 2023 21:18 · Luke Baker]

83 mins: Hmmm, interesting point about that goal. Kulusevski has been injured blocking Dunk’s clearance. Replays show that it’s actually a bit nasty from Dunk. A heavy touch took the ball away from him and as Kulusevski nips in, it’s more tackle than clearance and it takes out the Swede’s standing leg.

Yellow card for Dunk and after a long bit of treatment, Kulusevski is back up.

[28 December 2023 21:15 · Luke Baker]

GOAL! Brighton 4-1 Tottenham (Alejo Veliz 81’)

Comeback starts here?!?!?! Ha!

Consolation goal for Spurs at least. Good hassling from Kulusevski on Dunk to block his sliding clearance and it falls to Son on the right of the box. He calmly plays the ball across to Alejo Veliz and the young Argentine coolly finishes after a nice touch. A nice moment for the youngster.

[28 December 2023 21:11 · Luke Baker]

WATCH: Pervis Estupinan scores stunner

Here’s that Estupinan thunderbolt from earlier. What a goal!

[28 December 2023 21:08 · Luke Baker]

GOAL! Brighton 4-0 Tottenham (Joao Pedro, 75’)

And it’s there! Easy as you like from Pedro, who sends Vicario the wrong way and strokes it into the right corner. Classily done.

Disastrous evening for Spurs but brilliant form Brighton.

[28 December 2023 21:07 · Luke Baker]

PENALTY! Brighton 3-0 Tottenham

73 mins: From bad to worse for Spurs. Evan Ferguson takes a touch just inside the box, Lo Celso desperately tries to tackle him from behind but it’s a clear foul as his foot makes contact with Ferguson’s leg and PENALTY GIVEN.

Joao Pedro will step up for a second time.

[28 December 2023 21:05 · Luke Baker]

Brighton 3-0 Tottenham

71 mins: Jakub Moder only just on the pitch but already yellow carded as he stops Spurs taking a quick free-kick. Brennan Johnson has also just been taken off, with 20-year-old Argentine Alejo Veliz on in his place.

This game is surely out of sight now, although Tottenham will continue to press on.

[28 December 2023 21:02 · Luke Baker]

Brighton 3-0 Tottenham

68 mins: Honestly, that Estupinan goal was unreal. And great quick-thinking from the corner from Milner as well.

Anyway, subs for both sides including Milner coming off alongside Welbeck, with Jakub Moder and Evan Ferguson on. Meanwhile, for Spurs, Pape Sarr and Richarlison - who has struggled - are off with Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso on.

[28 December 2023 20:55 · Luke Baker]

GOAL! Brighton 3-0 Tottenham (Pervis Estupinan 63’)

OH MY WORD! THAT IS INCREDIBLE FROM PERVIS ESTUPINAN.

The left-back, returning from injury from the bench today, picks up the ball 25 yards out after a quick Milner corner is passed to him and he thumps an absolute thunderbolt with his left foot that has swerve and dip on it as it flies into the top-right corner. Vicario dives but gets nowhere near it. A simply stunning goal.

[28 December 2023 20:55 · Luke Baker]

NO GOAL! Brighton 2-0 Tottenham

62 mins: Ball in the net AGAIN from Richarlison but AGAIN he’s offside. Either Brighton’s line is perfect or he needs to hold his runs better... Maybe both.

Good build-up from Spurs down the right anyway and Richarlison slots the finish but he is definitely offside.