Fri 07 April 2023, 17:15
Tottenham HotspurWelcome back to our special feature for 2022/23 - 1 from 30 - as we continue to mark 30 years of the Premier League.
English football's new dawn kicked-off on the weekend of 15/16 August, 1992 as the FA Premier League replaced Barclays League Division One, ending a structure of Division One-Four that had been in place since 1958. Thirty years on, the Premier League is amongst the most watched and most valuable sporting leagues in the world.
In this series, we're featuring a match from those 30 years that corresponds with our forthcoming fixture - next up, Brighton at home, and a homecoming goal for a certain Gareth Bale to topple the Seagulls in November, 2020.
Spurs 2-1 Brighton - 1 November, 2020
Over seven years in the making, but well worth the wait, the first goal of Gareth Bale's second stint at the club put Brighton to the sword in this Premier League encounter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Welsh superstar marked the final game of his first spell in trademark style with a late thunderbolt to beat Sunderland on 19 May, 2013.
Having returned to a hero's welcome from Real Madrid in September, 2020, Bale got himself up to speed and made his mark on 1 November, 2020. Off the bench for Erik Lamela on 70 minutes, with the score locked at 1-1, Bale was there to power home Sergio Reguillon's cross for the winner three minutes later.
The only shame was there were none of his adoring fans to watch it - this match was during lockdown and played behind closed doors.
Earlier, Harry Kane buried the opener from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Adam Lallana. That was his 149th Premier League goal, moving him into the competition's top 10. Tariq Lamptey levelled for the impressive Seagulls in the second half, but it was Bale's day, his classic header enough for take us back into second in the table.
Spurs: Lloris, Doherty, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguillon, Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Lamela (Bale), Ndombele (Lo Celso), Son (Davies), Kane.
