Staff Reporter.
Harry Kane became the Premier League’s highest away goalscorer as Spurs kept their top-four hopes alive with a 2-0 win at Brighton.
The England striker was played through wonderfully by Rodrigo Bentancur just before the hour in a classic counter-attack. He slotted Spurs’ second goal past Robert Sanchez as he broke yet another English top-flight record, scoring his 95th goal in just 139 away Premier League games.
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte told Sky Sports after the game: “It’s an outstanding achievement for him, but we are talking about a world-class striker. I’m pleased because at the start of the season, it was a bit of a struggle and he didn’t score a lot.
“But now he knows very well that with this team and with the way we are playing, in every game he has chances to score and for us to have a striker like him, makes us stronger.
“But at the same time, he is feeling is positive because he knows in every game, he will have one, two or three chances to improve this record.”
It was tinged with controversy though as VAR checked it for offside – although Kane was clearly on – with Brighton feeling aggrieved that they had not been awarded a penalty for handball just before.
However, VAR deemed that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was too close to the ball when it hit him to be deemed enough for a penalty.
Tottenham had gone ahead just before half-time in what had been a quiet first half with a few bizarre moments littered throughout. Heung-Min Son laid the ball off for Dejan Kulusevski and his low effort through a packed area deflecting off Cristian Romero and firing past a rooted Sanchez.
Despite knowing little about it, the goal was Romero’s first for the club since joining in August.
Kulusevski could have made it two shortly after as well as he pounced on an error from Shane Duffy, but Sanchez was out quickly to smother the Swede’s effort.
However, the Brighton goalkeeper was almost made to pay for a clanger early on. He came well out of his box to clear a back pass, but Harry Kane was lurking. Sanchez’s attempt hit Kane before the striker chased down the loose ball with the open goal at his mercy. But on a tight angle, he flashed his effort through the six-yard box and wide.
At the other end, Bentancur almost handed Brighton a gift of an opener too. He blasted the ball towards his own goal from 35 yards out as he attempted to challenge a Brighton player, but it looped safely onto the top of Hugo Lloris’ goal for an ultimately unthreatening corner.
Brighton’s best chances of their own making came in a fast start to the second half. Inside two minutes, Marc Cucurella’s fierce cross was just too far ahead of the incoming Alexis Mac Allister. Duffy then tried to nod a Pascal Gross corner goalwards, but Lloris collected.
After Kane’s goal, there were a few more half chances for Brighton. Cucurella sent in another fizzing ross from the left, but there was no one to turn home again. Then, Neal Maupay dallied too long inside the area as Spurs managed to clear. There were again penalty shouts as the Brighton striker ended up splayed on the floor, but again nothing was given.