Brighton v Spurs - history, stats and facts

We make the trip to Brighton this evening in the Premier League (7.15pm kick-off).

Ahead of the meeting at the Amex, we take a look at the history of the fixture, some of its recent key moments, the statistics behind both sides’ seasons so far, as well as the pre-match view from our opposition.

The history

In the last 38 years, we have only lost once against Brighton. Facing the Seagulls on nine occasions since 1983, we have tasted victory in all bar two of those games (D1 L1) and, since the south coast side stepped up into the Premier League for the first time in 2017, we have taken all three points in five of our seven league meetings, but only once in our three trips to the Amex.

In April, 2018, our first league fixture at their 10-year-old home ended as a 1-1 draw as Harry Kane's 48th-minute strike was cancelled by Pascal Gross' penalty just two minutes later. Four months after that draw, we then picked up our only competitive victory to date at the Amex as we earned a 2-1 win in East Sussex. Once again, Harry was on the scoresheet against Albion as just before half-time, he opened the scoring from the penalty spot. Erik Lamela then finished off a superb team move on 76 minutes to double our advantage and wrap up all three points before Brighton grabbed a late consolation goal in added time through Anthony Knockaert.

Our last trip to the Amex back in October, 2019, however, ended in defeat. Coming during a torrid run of form for us in the league in which we picked up just two wins in 11 games, the Seagulls cantered to a 3-0 win. Later that campaign though, we overcame Albion at home as goals from Harry Kane and Dele saw us to a 2-1 win.

Earlier this season, we once again took all three points with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November. Once more, Harry Kane was on target against Albion as he fired us in front from the spot on 13 minutes. The visitors fought back though and equalised through Tariq Lamptey just 11 minutes into the second period. Yet, we would not be left frustrated in the clash as on 73 minutes, Gareth Bale delivered his first goal in a Spurs shirt since his return to the Club, heading home Sergio Reguilon’s cross to seal all three points. That was our 10th top-flight victory over Brighton having met them on 15 occasions in the competition so far (67 per cent) - of teams we have met at least 10 times in the top flight, only against Swansea City (13/18 - 72 per cent) do we have a better win ratio.

Harry Kane is our top scorer in Premier League games against Brighton with four goals - no other player in our current squad has scored more than a goal for us in the league against the Seagulls (Heung-Min Son, Erik Lamela, Dele, Serge Aurier and Gareth Bale all have a goal each). Erik Lamela though, has scored two goals against Albion in all competitions, having also found the target against them in our 2-0 League Cup fourth round win in October, 2014. Meanwhile, since making his Premier League debut in 2016, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has scored more goals against Brighton (2) than he has against any other team in the competition.

Last five meetings

1 November, 2020 – Spurs 2-1 Brighton – Premier League
26 December, 2019 – Spurs 2-1 Brighton – Premier League
5 October, 2019 – Brighton 3-0 Spurs – Premier League
23 April, 2019 – Spurs 1-0 Brighton – Premier League
22 September, 2018 – Brighton 1-2 Spurs – Premier League

‘Every game is tricky’

Picking up just 18 points from their first 20 league games this season, Brighton's points return is their worst at this stage of a Premier League campaign since first earning promotion to the top flight in 2017. Sitting precariously above the drop zone in 17th, the Seagulls have won just three games to date - and not one of those triumphs have come at home.

Having played 10 leagues games at the Amex so far this season, they have drawn six and lost four - it is a barren run at home that actually extends as far back as June. It is now 14 games in a row (D7 L7) that the Seagulls have failed to win at home in the league. In Premier League history, only Derby County have gone on a longer winless run at home (16 games) - that came in 2007/08, a season in which the Rams collected a record low of 11 Premier League points from their 38 games. Both home and away, Albion have won just once in their last nine games.

That victory, however, came just two matchdays ago as they defeated Leeds United 1-0 at Elland Road. They then followed that result up with a 0-0 draw at home to Fulham. It means Brighton have now taken four points from their last two league games (W1 D1) - that's as many points as they had taken in their previous eight outings (D4 L4). They have also kept back-to-back clean sheets and will be looking to make that three in a row in the league on Sunday for the first time since October, 2018.

In the Premier League, form and momentum can change quickly and any team can deliver a result when required. Looking ahead to this game, Jose Mourinho highlighted bottom side Sheffield United’s recent victory at Old Trafford over Manchester United - who were then top of the table - as a sign of the league’s unpredictability. So, despite the Seagulls’ difficulties across this campaign so far, Jose knows we will be in for a difficult test at the Amex.  

“Every game is tricky,” he said. “The first can lose at home to the bottom, like it happened on Wednesday night (Manchester United 1-2 Sheffield United). When we went to Sheffield United, I said exactly that, don’t look at them as the bottom of the table, because any team can beat any team, but to win football matches, we cannot make mistakes like we made against Liverpool.”

Our defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday was the sixth home match so far this season in which we have failed to take maximum points (D3 L3) yet, on the road, we have proven to be very strong.

In a run stretching back to July, 2020, we have lost just once in 12 Premier League away games (W6 D5) and that includes our last visit to the south coast - a 5-2 win over Southampton in September. Meanwhile, we haven’t lost any of our last 12 games against sides starting in the bottom four of the Premier League (W6 D6) - a run that goes back to August, 2019, when we lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle United.

Jose Mourinho has a 100 per cent record against Seagulls boss Graham Potter having won both of the Premier League meetings between the pair by the same scoreline - 2-1.

Potter describes Jose as a coaching ‘master’. “I watched Jose work when he was at Real Madrid, but it wasn’t as an invite or anything like that. I was purely fortunate enough to be there for a day to watch a training session,” the Brighton boss explained in his pre-match press conference. “He has always been someone that I have looked up to, somebody that I have been interested in.

“Certainly, from the moment he walked into the UK, I thought his Chelsea team were fantastic. The way he was as a coach and the way he conducted himself was really interesting to me at the time. So, he’s somebody I have had a huge respect for. He’s a master.”