Same old, same old but a Danjuma home debut
Dropping more points against lowly opposition at the start of the week after conceding a last-minute goal away at Everton, Cristian Stellini really needed to change things about in terms of his Tottenham team to take on Brighton just to freshen things up. Having limited options at present with a host of players in the treatment room, the acting head coach was given a boost on the injury front with Richarlison returning to the matchday squad following the calf injury he sustained at Southampton three weeks ago.
The Brazilian was only fit enough to make the substitutes' bench, though, and that meant Stellini plumped for the same XI that started at Everton on Monday evening. Having options in Arnaut Danjuma and Pape Matar Sarr to come in, the duo once again had to bide their time on the bench with the boss deciding against stamping his own mark on the team and making a couple of notable alterations.
Stellini was always expected to start the same team for the second game on the trot, especially as he did make it clear in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that there is very little he can do tactically with his Tottenham team at present due to the amount of injuries that have hit the squad hard. Tottenham fans are desperate to see a change in the team at present but there's very little he can do until a few more players return.
READ MORE: What happened between Roberto De Zerbi and Cristian Stellini before Tottenham vs Brighton
One change that did take place in the second half was Danjuma entering the fray in place of Dejan Kulusevski as the team searched for a late winner. Just over two months on from joining the club on loan from Villarreal, it was the Netherlands international's home debut after barely getting a chance under Antonio Conte beforehand.
De Zerbi and Stellini's ongoing battle
Many Tottenham fans were keen to get a look at Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton team on Saturday afternoon given that the Italian has been heavily linked with the Spurs hot seat following Conte's departure. Seconds before the match got underway in N17, the Brighton boss was involved in a bit of a heated exchange when he was greeted by Stellini after Spurs' acting head coach emerged from the tunnel.
De Zerbi looked to be very unhappy with his counterpart and he was pointing his finger in Stellini's direction for a good 20 seconds or so. Usually very cordial when the head coaches greet each other before a game, this was anything but.
Stellini had spoken very highly of De Zerbi in his pre-match conference so it all came as a bit of a shock to all watching on. The bad blood between the pair continued after Lewis Dunk had restored parity not long before half-time as De Zerbi and some of his coaching staff could be seen moving towards the Spurs bench and shouting at their rivals, with Ryan Mason very keen to also put his point across as he was standing in Spurs' technical area.
With De Zerbi chipping away at the Tottenham bench throughout the match, things came to a head just before the hour mark as both benches came together and a melee broke out. Following plenty of pushing and shoving, Stellini, who kept his distance from the incident, was shown red along with De Zerbi. Both continued to argue as they made their way down the tunnel and back inside.
Levy sent message
Tottenham fans were in full voice as soon as referee Stuart Attwell brandished his red card to the two head coaches. Former boss Mauricio Pochettino was on the lips of supporters as his song reverberated around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The chant started in the south stand and it filtered around the stadium as fans delivered their verdict on who they want to succeed Conte in the top job. It was a clear message to Daniel Levy and one he fully needs to take onboard when it comes to his final decision.
Hearing his chant in the AC Milan and Everton games, this was the loudest it had been sung by quite some distance.
Tottenham fans make feelings clear
Monday evening at Everton saw Tottenham look to play out from the back on goal kicks and it left supporters feeling rather anxious. With Cristian Romero and Clement Lenglet standing either side of Hugo Lloris, Spurs sloppily lost the ball a number of times in key positions and it almost cost them big time.
Opting to go again with that tactic in the opening stages of the Brighton match, just before half-time Lloris went long with his kick and the reaction from the crowed was incredibly telling. There was a huge cheer from plenty of fans in the south stand as they made their feelings about playing out from the back perfectly clear.
The same happened again minutes later with supporters again letting out a huge cheer when Lloris punted the ball upfield.
Porro and Dier's reaction to win
On a day when their Champions League hopes could have taken a severe blow, Tottenham gained three vital points in their battle for another top-four finish. It certainly wasn't pretty at times but the main thing is that they came away with a win against a very impressive Brighton team.
Dominating possession and having 17 shots on goal compared to Tottenham's nine, the Seagulls were twice denied by VAR as Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck had goals chalked off for handball. A further blow was to come their way in the closing stages as Harry Kane expertly finished off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's pass to find the far corner of the net.
Tottenham had to work incredibly hard for maximum points and the reactions of Pedro Porro and Eric Dier said it all at full-time as they dropped to their haunches. It really could be a crucial win come the final day of the season.
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