Tottenham 1-4 Brighton: Spurs stunned by Seagulls comeback, finish 17th in EPL

Brighton missed out on UEFA Conference League qualification, despite Jack Hinshelwood's double inspiring a 4-1 comeback win at Tottenham on the final day of the Premier League season.

Match Report

Spurs supporters put on a show to welcome home the Europa League champions, and they soon had further reason to celebrate when Dominic Solanke opened the scoring with a 17th-minute penalty.

Mats Wieffer's foul on Mathys Tel brought the spot-kick for Solanke's opener, though Brighton came flying out the blocks in the second half.

Hinshelwood, who scored Brighton's winner last time out against Liverpool, restored parity six minutes into the second half before reacting fastest again with an inventive finish to send Brighton ahead soon after.

Both those goals came from Brajan Gruda corners, though Spurs could have edged ahead in between Hinshelwood's double as Brennan Johnson angled wide from Tel's cutback pass.

Carlos Baleba also hit the post with the score level before Hinshelwood's second, but Brighton never looked back after snatching the ascendancy.

Substitute Matt O'Riley's late penalty and a thumping Diego Gomez finish into the top-right corner wrapped up an impressive turnaround as Fabian Hurzeler's side sealed eighth place. 

However, Chelsea's 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, courtesy of Levi Colwill's second-half goal, meant Brighton could not sneak into the Conference League for the 2025-26 campaign.

Spurs, meanwhile, ended a drab domestic season in fitting fashion, but will still be playing Champions League football next term, despite their 17th-placed finish in the Premier League.

Data Debrief: Unwanted low for Spurs

Tottenham have lost 26 games in all competitions this season, their most in a single campaign in the club’s history, and it leaves questions over Ange Postecoglou's future, despite winning the Europa League.

They also became the first side in top-flight history to lose 22 games in a 38-game season and not be relegated.

Indeed, their 22 Premier League defeats this campaign matched an unwanted low, only losing as many in the 1934-35 season when they finished bottom of the top division.

Brighton, meanwhile, registered back-to-back league wins over Spurs for the first time in their history, after a 3-2 win in the reverse fixture at the Amex Stadium back in October.

Hurzeler will feel this was a deserved win, even if ultimately dampened by results elsewhere, after accumulating 2.27 expected goals to Tottenham's 1.95.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

0' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

2' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

16' Penalty Goal! Tottenham 1-0 Brighton (Dominic Solanke)

30' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

35' Match Event for Tottenham vs Brighton

39' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

51' Match Event for Tottenham vs Brighton

57' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

64' GOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Brighton (Jack Hinshelwood)

81' Highlight from Tottenham vs Brighton

88' Penalty Goal! Tottenham 1-3 Brighton (Matt O'Riley)

92' GOAL! Tottenham 1-4 Brighton (Diego Gómez)

Line-ups

Tottenham XI: Solanke, Vicario, Bentancur, Danso, Porro, Udojie, Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, Van de Ven, Tel, Gray

Subs: Ben Davies, Richarlison, Bissouma, Spence, Kinsky, Odobert, Moore, Callum Olusesi, Damola Ajayi

Brighton XI: Webster, Igor, Mats Wieffer, Jan Paul van Hecke, Bart Verbruggen, Yasin Ayari, Simon Adingra, Carlos Baleba, Brajan Gruda, Yankuba Minteh, Jack Hinshelwood

Subs: Milner, Veltman, Dunk, Matt O'Riley, Kaoru Mitoma, Eiran Cashin, Carl Rushworth, Diego Gómez, Harry Howell