(BBC) – Brighton defended Tottenham to snatch their first home league victory since June and go seven points clear of the fall.
Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game, trailing Pascal Gross’s back-and-forth after 17 minutes.
And the hosts always looked more like scoring the second of the match, with substitute Aaron Connolly having his late effort cleared off the line by Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld.
Jose Mourinho’s side struggled to create chances late on, with a defeat that saw them stay sixth, six points off the top four.
Flying Gulls grab a rare home victory Brighton’s win finally ended their seven-month winless run at Amex Stadium.
Coming into this match, Graham Potter’s team was the only side left in England’s best four divisions without a home win this season.
But the Gulls were the better side overall, with Gross hitting the woodwork in the third minute.
Trossard’s second goal of the season deserved to put them ahead, before Gareth Bale led Lewis Dunk’s effort off the line on the stroke of half time.
And it was much the same in the second period with the hosts continuing to impress.
Ben White saw his shot saved well by Hugo Lloris after she deflected Alderwewee in the 55th minute.
The Spurs defender was also on hand to clear Connolly’s effort off the line in stoppage time when the Republic of Ireland international player was looking to score.
Perhaps in a fruitless December the Brighton Potter boss looked over his shoulder.
But three wins in their last four games in all competitions – including three clean sheets – suggest the Gulls are starting to find the form they need to pull off the bottom three.
Sorry Spurs out of ideas
After losing to Liverpool on Thursday night, Spurs needed a reaction – the omens weren’t great, considering when they lost to the champions in December they followed it up with a 2-0 loss to Leicester. A victory would have placed the visitors fifth in the table. Instead, they suffered back-to-back defeats for the second time this season.
With Harry Kane on the sidelines with both ankles, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale started his second league game of the season.
But, like the rest of Spurs’ front line, the four-time Champions League winner didn’t look interested in the opening 45 minutes. The Welshman was subdued just after the hour mark.
Son Heung-min and Carlos Vinicius both proved the late Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez, the Vinicius effort particularly worrying the Spanish keeper.
But without Kane’s talisman, Tottenham looked short of ideas, rarely threatening their 17th-ranked opponents.