Tottenham vs Brighton: Christian Eriksen winner sees Spurs retain grip on top-four
Relive all the action from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
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Christian Eriksen's 88th minute goal finally broke Brighton and Hove Albion's brave resistance to give Tottenham Hotspur a precious 1-0 victory in their quest for a top-four finish in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Until the Danish playmaker's low shot from just outside the penalty area whizzed across the lush turf and past Mat Ryan, it seemed Brighton had withstood a second-half siege and would escape with a priceless point in their relegation battle.
Chris Hughton's side erected a green wall in front of Tottenham for more or less the entire game, leaving the home fans groaning in frustration -- none more so than when Toby Alderweireld's shot with 20 minutes remaining hit the inside of the post and rolled across the face of goal.
In his desperation, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino even sent on outcast Dutch striker Vincent Janssen in the 80th minute for his first action of the season.
But in the end it was Eriksen who punctured Brighton's armour from Tottenham's 29th goal attempt -- 21 of which were from outside the penalty area.
It secured a fourth win from four matches in all competitions for Tottenham inside their magnificent new stadium and more importantly it lifted them three points above fourth-placed Chelsea with three games to go and four ahead of Arsenal who have played one game less. Tottenham are six clear of Manchester United.
Relive all the action below.
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Some brief pre-match quotes from both managers, speaking to Sky Sports:
Mauricio Pochettino:
"The three points means a lot to us, so we'll fight and have great motivation.
"Many things can happen in different games. We must be really focused if we're going to win."
Chris Hughton:
"We're going to have to work extremely hard. Any thought they would rest any players is obviously not the case."
We're just five minutes from kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!
A reminder that we'll be focusing predominantly on the Tottenham vs Brighton game with live updates, with the key moments from Watford vs Southampton also covered!
KICK-OFF: Tottenham 0-0 Brighton
We're underway at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!
KICK-OFF: Watford 0-0 Southampton
Also underway at Vicarage Road!
2 minutes: Tottenham 0-0 Brighton
An early free-kick is given away by Bissouma in a promising position for Spurs...
Kieran Trippier takes, and his cross is headed over by Jan Vertonghen, who was unable to get over the ball.
GOAL! Watford 0-1 Southampton (Long 1')
Oh my goodness this is unbelievable - Shane Long has scored inside eight seconds!
Straight from the kick-off, Long pounces on Craig Cathcart's casualness.
And that, ladies and gents, is the quickest goal ever scored in the Premier League!
8 minutes: Tottenham 0-0 Brighton
As you may imagine, Spurs are dominating possession, and seem particularly focused on using the skilful Lucas Moura on the right wing and the clinical Heung Son-Min on the left wing.
This time though, Christian Eriksen shoots from range but it's dragged well wide. Mind you, Dele Alli almost flicked it goalwards.
New time confirmed - Shane Long scored after seven seconds... SEVEN! Unbelievable.
Long blocked Carthcart's clearance and then beautifully chipped the ball over Ben Foster.
Ledley King: your record is gone.
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