Albion 3 Tottenham 2

Well, Pascal Gross was right when he backed Albion to beat Tottenham.

But the VIP pre-match guest could not have guessed at the drama we saw at the Amex yesterday.

Gross was given a rapturous welcome back to the Amex on his first return since joining Dortmund this summer.

Then he marvelled, no doubt, with the rest of us as Albion, two down and in all sorts of trouble at the break, served up a classic.

Albion had to endure a torrid start as Spurs turned them around at kick-off and attacked towards the South Stand.

Better execution by Timo Werner would have teed up an open goal for Brennan Johnson inside a minute.

Dejan Kulusevski had Lewis Dunk back-pedalling but the home skipper got enough on the ball to deflect his shot over the bar.

Then James Maddison got in behind but Adam Webster recovered superbly to block the midfielder’s blast.

That was Webster’s final involvement of note. He felt his hamstring as he sent a long ball forward and was replaced by Igor.

Arguably Albion’s best results this season have come when they have started slowly and played their way into games so one could take encouragement from that but little else.

Spurs fans cheered a goal after 21 minutes Maddison’s effort crept over the line but VAR confirmed that the offside flag which went up against Pedro Porro, who provided the cross, was correct.

But they wasted little time in going in front, Johnson sweeping home a low shot after Dominic Solanke slid the pass through.

It was perfectly executed after Spurs won the ball back in the Albion half.

The hosts needed a response and it was Kaoru Mitoma who sparked them down their left.

His best bit of work was a low cross with the outside of the foot which Danny Welbeck should have guided home rather than wide.

Just as the hosts really started to be gaining momentum, they went further behind.

It was a soft goal to concede, particularly from the point of view of Bart Verbruggen, who allowed a tame effort by Maddison to slither under his body.

That left a very deflated feel around three sides of the Amex at half-time, and the hosts returned with Pervis Estupian on for Ferdi Kadioglu on the left.

No one could have predicted then what was to follow in the 21 minutes which followed.

The home side quickly had a lifeline.

Mitoma was involved again. He got away down the left and fired over another low cross - not his best this time. But Destiny Udogie made a real mess of it and Minteh drilled home.

The game had changed – so had the feel around the stadium.

And the hosts were level on 58 minutes.

It was superb again from Mitoma. He found Rutter, who stepped past a tackle and hooked home a low, left-footed shot.

Eight minutes later, the hosts were ahead. It looked like Rutter had over-run the ball but he slid to scoop up a cross and Welbeck soared to head home.

Albion’s first changes saw Julio Enciso on for Rutter and Mats Wieffer for Baleba.

Tottenham were slow to make attacking changes.

But defender Udogie almost got them back on terms.

He found himself well forward and drilled in a low shot which Verbruggen saved sharply, one-handed to his right.

Almost immediately, Minteh was denied by a last-ditch tackle on the counter.

The winger was replaced soon after, Brajan Gruda being sent on at the deep end for his debut.

It was frantic at the end – barely a calm head in the place.

But then Dunk calmly guided a header back to his keeper and the job was just about done.

Brighton: Verbruggen, Veltman, Webster (Igor 9), Dunk, Kadioglu (Estupinan 46); Baleba (Wieffer 74), Hinshelwood; Minteh (Gruda 87),Rutter (Enciso74), Mitoma; Welbeck. Subs Not Used: Steele, Lamptey, Ayari, Ferguson.

Booked: Igor,Verbruggen.

Goals: Minteh 48,Rutter 58,Welbeck 66.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bentancur (Bissouma 79); Maddison (Moore 85), Johnson, Solanke; Werner (Sarr 79). Subs Not Used: Forster, Dragusin, Gray, Bergvall, Spence, Lankshear.

Booked: Udogie,Kulusevski.

Goals: Johnson 23,Maddison 37.

Ref: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).