Tottenham secured a vital 2-1 victory over Brighton at home to remain in fifth place, but was there anything different about the performance in Cristian Stellini’s second match in charge?
Aside from Son Heung-min’s world-class strike, something we would have expected last season, Spurs didn’t conjure anything to which we have yet to become accustomed.
Harry Kane again saved his team’s blushes, scoring his 23rd goal of the campaign and encroaching within five of Erling Haaland’s league-leading 28.
Tottenham was again decidedly out-possessed, which was certainly expected, particularly against a side as confident and slick on the ball as Brighton.
The boos bellowed out again at halftime, another trend that has become as regular as my morning coffee.
After Son’s sensational strike to open the scoring, Spurs sat back and absorbed wave after wave of Brighton pressure, leading to the away side’s equalizer. But, again, seeing Spurs drop back after taking a deserved lead was hardly surprising.
Stellini didn’t make any noticeable tactical changes from the onset, which is unsurprising considering how long Spurs’ interim manager spent on the touchline with his close friend and longtime colleague Antonio Conte.
After Stellini was handed his marching orders for being unable to contain his coaching staff during the second-half touchline fracas, Arnaut Danjuma made a long-awaited introduction.
Seeing the youngster finally provided some Premier League minutes was almost as surprising and satisfying as seeing Sonny source his best shooting boots, something supporters have been desperate to see.
Kane’s winner was as unsurprising as how the match transpired.
It was a predictable Tottenham home performance, as Stellini’s men rode their luck and waited for their saviour to come through in the clutch. It’s a movie Spurs supporters are all too familiar with.
However, the result is what matters most.
While I’m not sure I still believe that, Tottenham needed all three points this afternoon, which is precisely what they got thanks to Kane’s timely heroics.
Whatever you do, don’t sour today’s result by contemplating the thought of Kane’s potential departure at the season’s end. It doesn’t accomplish anything but an arresting sense of disquiet.