Waching daily Sep 22 2018

It was the slickness and speed of the goal that perhaps signalled Spurs are finding their range again

For now, the mini-slump is certainly halted. But it was the velocity of that attack, the crispness of the passing and the clinical nature of the finish which will surely have hearted Mauricio Pochettino

It came on 77 minutes and Tottenham had weathered a storm of Brighton attacks, weathered being the operative word on an evening in which autumn arrived in earnest, relentless rain blowing in off the English Channel

Tottenham hadn't been especially convincing,. They hadn't exorcised all the ghosts of those three successive defeats to Watford, Liverpool and Internazionale

They weren't back to their best. But in that moment they looked a little like the team that enraptured Europe at times last season

Kieran Trippier started the move, playing in Toby Alderweireld, whose fine ball bisected Brighton's midfield and found Erik Lamela

The Argentine strode purposefully through midfield, stretching the opposition. He fed Luacs Moura and crucially he moved the ball instantly to Danny Rose

Racing down the left, Rose crossed, again first time. At no point could Brighton react and regroup

The move was simply too smooth, too quick. For Rose's cross had found Lamela who had continued his run into the box

And he would finish with a decent strike. This being Tottenham it wasn't quite so simple as seeing the game out unencumbered

There was a touch of the San Siro collapse at the end. Kane should have extended Tottenham's lead on 92 minutes but Maty Ryan saved, and Shane Duffy the played a long ball for Anthony Knockaert, who sprinted forward, cut inside and scored

So, when a minute later, with seconds remaining, Knockaert found himself in a shooting position again you feared that Spurs were about to implode again

And that would have left some psychological scar. Yet on this occasion No.3 goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, in for injured Michel Vorm, saved well

Only at that point could Tottenham could find some clam amidst their chaotic week

The frustration for Brighton was that they were coping with Tottenham fine. They were happy to concede possession as Spurs lacked the intensity and pace which makes them so feared at their best

The fatigue issue was looming large again. Missing just a percentage point of your usual physicality can be the difference at the elite level

Spurs have looked like that in the past three games and according to Mauricio Pochettino, in their opening games as well

Maty Ryan was required to make a fine save on nine minutes, when Kieran Trippier's corner was met by Toby Alderweireld, whose header took a deflection off Gaeten Bong and tested the Australian keeper's reflexes

That was a real chance but other than the odd penetrating run from Lucas Moura, starting wide left rather alongside Kane, and a shot from Son Heung-Min, Tottenham looked pretty but unthreatening

Set pieces were their principal form of attack. All the usual tropes of Tottenham's mini slump applied

But then Kane found a yard, raced past Bong who seemed to clip him on 39 minutes

A free kick was awarded on the edge of the box and Trippier, dreaming perhaps of Moscow, lined up a strike

The position was similar to that glorious semi-final goal against Croatia; the delivery wasn't

It crashed directly into the defensive wall. Brighton seemed reprieved but referee Chris Kavanagh had spotted an infringement

Inexplicably, as he jumped Glen Murray had lifted his arm to block the ball. There was no need; the wall would have done its job

But there it was; the ball had been handled and a penalty had to be awarded. Kane stepped up

He might not be at his sharpest but this is safe territory for him. He drilled the penalty into the bottom left hand corner, beating Ryan comfortably

A cluster of Spurs players gathered around him to celebrate. There must have been a degree of relief

They hadn't impressed hugely but the lead was theirs. Brighton offered little attacking wise

Knockaert was a pest for Rose, their foot races a fascinating feature of the first half

But Murray, though he toiled, was isolated whenever he did receive the ball. They were indered by the 20th minute injury to holding midfielder Dale Stephens, with Davy Propper dropping into the role

Lewis Dunk shot wildly wide – the ball went out for a throw in – when Knockaert did find him free and unmarked 14 minutes

But there was little threat for Tottenham No. 3 keeper Paulo Gazzaniga, filling in for Michel Vorm, injured in training on Friday

Brighton predictably responded, pressing high up the pitch at the start of the second half with Solly March dispossessing Trippier, causing the right back to pull him back and earn a caution

The resulting free kick presented an inviting opportunity just outside the box on the left hand side

, between touchline and penalty area. Knockaert's delivery was exquisite and Murray almost redeemed himself with a header, but Jan Vertonghen's touch ensured it was deflected wide

From the corner, Brighton crowded Gazzaniga, just as Liverpool had unsettled Vorm the previous week

Clearly Tottenham's vulnerability to corners at present was uppermost in their mind

Impressively, the Argentine keeper, despite his lack of Premier League experience, came out decisively and collected the ball comfortably Still, Brighton by necessity, were showing more intent

In turn, that opened up space for Spurs when Luas Moura strode through midfield and fed Eriksen, who curled the ball wide

That turned out to be a sporadic attack, however. Brighton have proved comeback specialists of late and seemed determined to maintain that record

Knockaert's corner on 63 minutes was cleared by Dembele but only to March. He teed up a shot from 25 yards out and hit it superbly well, with Gazzaniga diving to touch it over

From the next corner they had the ball in the net, from Shane Duffy but Glenn Murray was offside

Their best moment through came on 66 minutes when Kayal broke free and fed Knockaert

Tottenham were exposed and as Knockaert cut back past Alderweireld, the equaliser seemed inevitable

But the Frenchman shot softly as Gazzaniga saved comfortably