The visitors sought to take advantage of any potential Europa League hangover from Spurs, but failed to test Guglielmo Vicario in the early exchanges. Mathys Tel had started brightly, and he was influential in the opening goal as he drove into the box before coaxing a clumsy foul by Mats Wieffer to earn a penalty.
The responsibility fell to Dominic Solanke, and he calmly clipped the spot kick off the underside of the bar to make it 1-0. Fabian Hürzeler’s side responded well and dominated large periods of the first half, but Vicario was only called into action on one occasion, and he was equal to Jack Hinshelwood’s close-range header.
The hosts should’ve doubled their lead before HT when a rapid counter-attack ended with Tel being played in on goal, but he lacked conviction with his finish, and Bart Verbruggen pushed the ball to safety.
Hürzeler responded with a double change during the interval, and Kaoru Mitoma had an immediate impact as his attacking play forced the corner, which led to the equaliser.
Spurs failed to get the ball clear, and it eventually fell at the feet of Hinshelwood, who showed sharp reactions to turn and lift the ball into the roof of the net to level the game.
Brighton continued to push, and there was a sense of deja vu as they scored again on 64 minutes. Yet again, Spurs couldn’t clear a corner or pick up Hinshelwood, and he cleverly backheeled the ball home as it fell his way in the six-yard box.
The hosts struggled to find a way back into the game, and the points were secured in the final moments when Matt O'Riley tucked home a penalty, before Diego Gómez unleashed a thunderbolt deep into injury time to cap off Brighton’s season is style.
The result sees Brighton confirm an eighth-placed finish, however, they will just miss out on European football. As for Spurs, it’s unclear what lies ahead.
Ange Postecoglou has delivered their first trophy in 17 years, but they have also become the first team to lose 22 games without being relegated in the Premier League era.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton)
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