Tottenham 3 Albion 1

The question to Graham Potter was well-intended but could have been more carefully worded.

Albion had just been well beaten by Tottenham in the first of three meetings between the clubs in this second half of the season.

Potter had come up against Antonio Conte for the first time and the Italian had seen his plan work well.

His Tottenham side were solid, compact and patient without the ball, rapier-like on counter raids and with high quality personnel to carry the job out.

Albion were knocked out of their stride and were second best in the first half.

That was a shock to the system for those who have followed them on their travels this season.

No doubt Potter will look at this tie and come up with ideas for the two league games.

The question I asked was whether he would learn from a tough Saturday night ahead of the two remaining meetings.

Of course he will.

Potter replied: “Every game that’s what you have to do, you have to learn.

“We will learn from it and hopefully do better in the next game.

“We prepare for Watford now.”

What I should have asked was WHAT would Albion learn.

Conte set a test which Albion did not handle well, certainly initially.

The period in which they struggled lasted longer than at, for example, Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Potter said: “I thought defensively there were a couple of things.

“I also thought we turned the ball over a little bit too cheaply for what we normally do.

“Sometimes those things can happen.

“The attitude of the boys and the personality was great.

“Their intention was really good.

“Sometimes it’s not your night, you don’t quite hit the levels you need to and also there’s another team on the pitch we have to credit as well.”

Harry Kane’s double and a freak own goal off Solly March did the damage.

There were mistakes by Albion in the run-up to the first goal.

They wasted at least a couple of presentable goalscoring chances too – but so did Spurs.

Albion will need to be more precise playing out from the back when points are at stake against Spurs.

Robert Sanchez had just got away with a poor pass, which took Kane by surprise, when the Seagulls went behind.

Adam Webster quickly saw routes forward closed down when he received the ball from his keeper.

He stumbled as he tried to bring the ball out, Son Heung-min took it away from him and Kane eventually curled unerringly around Lewis Dunk and inside the far post.

Goal No.2 came on one of those counter raids with Albion having been lured well forward.

It looked like March had tracked back sufficiently well but the intended cross by Emerson Royal took a nick off his shin and spiralled crazily into the one spot Sanchez could not reach Spurs were a threat every time they sprung from deep.

There were more scrapes in front of the Albion goal and for a while it seemed the best they could aim for was to reach the interval 2-0 down and just about in the contest.

In fact, they might have thrown themselves a lifeline before their half-time rendezvous with their unhappy head coach.

Yves Bissouma was heavily involved in a move which led to Neal Maupay slashing a shot wildly off target on the turn.

That was just an appetiser for the way Bissouma would look to drag his side back into the tie after the break.

Refusing to be shaken off the ball and driving forward from midfield, Bissouma was the heartbeat of an improvement which gave 5,700 away fans something to warm to.

He saw one deflected shot produce a fine save from Hugo Lloris before another got Albion back in the contest.

There was good fortune as the ball span in off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, of course.

But the way he got to a loose ball first, maintained possession, went left then right and created shooting space summed up that second-half display on his return from Afcon action.

Game on – for all of two minutes.

Albion may well look at failings defensively as Spurs restored their two-goal buffer.

But one must also give huge credit to the way Son drove at the heart of their defence, especially Webster.

Dunk went across and got a foot in but that only diverted the ball against Webster and goalwards before Kane slid in to add the final touch.

Even then Albion should have got back in the game had Maupay shown more conviction when sent clean through by Webster.

His attempted chip of a keeper who was not going down gave Lloris an easy gather - and Jakub Moder reason to complain that the Frenchman had not passed.

That said, Moder himself was off target with a couple of efforts from around the edge of the box as Albion failed to make the most of possession.

They have plenty to work on but evidence of the season so far suggests they will do exactly that.

Tottenham: Lloris; Romero (Rodon 76), Sanchez, Davies; Royal (Doherty 87), Winks (Bentancur 77), Hojbjerg , Reguilon; Lucas , Kane, Son (Bergwijn 69). Subs not used: Gollini, Sessgnon, White, Scarlett.

Goals: Kane 13, 66, March OG 24.

Booked: Bentancur.

Albion: Sanchez; Webster, Dunk, Cucurella; Lamptey (Welbeck 70), Gross, Lallana (Veltman 46), Bissouma, March (Caicedo 61); Moder (Ferguson 79), Maupay. Subs not used: Steele, McGill, Alzate, Duffy, Offiah.

Goal: Bissouma 63.

Booked: Veltman.

Referee: Stuart Attwell