Harry Kane struck the winner as Tottenham fought their way to an important victory in the race for the top four, beating Brighton 2-1 in a heated contest which saw both managers sent off and the visitors denied three times by VAR
Cristian Stellini and Roberto De Zerbi had clashed before the match even started, setting the tone for a feisty encounter which was lit up just 10 minutes in when Heung-Min Son bent in a beauty for his 100th Premier League goal
 He is the first Asian player to reach that landmark
Kaoru Mitoma then saw his strike controversially ruled out for handball, when the ball appeared to hit him high up on the shoulder or chest, with VAR eventually confirming the linesman's call
But on 34 minutes Lewis Dunk powered in a header from a corner to give Brighton a deserved leveller on his 200th Premier League appearance for the club
Former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck thought he had completed the comeback when he slammed a shot at goal 10 minutes into the second half but the effort deflected in off his team-mate Alexis Mac Allister, with VAR deciding it hit the Argentine's arm on the way through and disallowing the goal
Moments later there was a melee on the sidelines, as the teams' coaching staff squared up to each other
 Stellini stepped away from the pushing and shoving but, like De Zerbi, was shown a red for failing to control his coaches
There was more drama to come, with Mitoma then denied what looked to be a certain penalty when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg missed a clearance, caught the Brighton forward and then trod on his foot in the box - but for a third time Brighton came out on the wrong side of a VAR check
Despite Brighton dominating possession and territory it was Spurs who had the final say, though, with Kane smashing in Hojbjerg's cut-back to grab a vital three points in the chase for Champions League football
Spurs remain fifth but have opened up a seven-point gap on Brighton and can focus attention on the three-point deficit to Manchester United and Newcastle, who each have a game in hand
 Brighton slip to seventh, with Aston Villa leapfrogging them with a win over Nottingham Forest
It was six months to the day since Tottenham won 1-0 at Brighton, with Kane the match-winner on that occasion too
 Spurs were in the midst of their best-ever start to a Premier League season back then, progress under Antonio Conte seemed on course and the result was one of five winless matches at the start of new Brighton boss De Zerbi's tenure
 Mood and momentum seemed to have shifted for both teams before kick-off on Saturday
But this could be a huge three points for Tottenham in their pursuit of a place in Europe's elite club competition - and a hammer blow for Brighton's hopes of upsetting the big boys
The stakes at play in this game were plain to see when De Zerbi repeatedly jabbed his finger towards Stellini before the first whistle had even been blown, appearing to pull his compatriot up on pre-match comments about the Brighton boss simply building on Graham Potter's good work on the south coast
Amid the anger, Son produced a moment of art, curling his shot into the side-netting from the corner of the penalty box to bring up his milestone moment
Brighton thought for a second they'd levelled when Mitoma brought down Mac Allister's excellent lofted pass and finished past Hugo Lloris - but a flag immediately went up and a long, long VAR check eventually sided with the handball call
 It looked harsh on the Japan international
Lloris then had to save sharply from Mac Allister before tipping Moises Caicedo's drive onto the post seconds later but the visitors did get that deserved equaliser as half-time approached, with Dunk thundering in a back-post header when he was given space to attack a corner
Brighton started the second half with authority in possession again and nice link up between Welbeck and March looked to have brought them a second with the help of a deflection off Mac Allister catching out Lloris - but VAR ruled it had gone in off his arm
There were then incredible scenes in the dugouts as Spurs and Brighton coaching staff clashed
 Stellini and De Zerbi continued the debate about what had gone on as they were marched down the tunnel
Cristian Romero flew into a challenge on Mitoma seconds after the restart and could well have followed them back to the dressing room had he connected
 But Brighton kept their composure and forced another penalty shout when Hojbjerg trod on Mitoma
 Again VAR didn't see it their way
Spurs had been a threat on the counter all afternoon, though, and it was a swift move up the pitch which brought the winner, with Kane blasting home
 That turned chants of 'Levy out' to cheers from the home support
Those fans had seen their side give up injury-time goals to draw in each of their last two games but they held on this time to keep pace in the top-four race
 "It is the first time this season we are lucky with the VAR
 We have to enjoy his moment because we were many times not lucky with VAR
 One time it happened for us
 We respected many times VAR decisions
 Today, everyone has to respect it
"I start to say what happened on the pitch, stays on pitch
 I think I was quiet and focused on the game, I would like to use my energy to use my team to do my best
 The rule is the head coach has to manage the bench, I have to respect the rule
 If you look at what happened, I didn't say anything
 I tried to keep calm
 I am the head coach and have to respect decision
 Our team used the situation to create energy, that's because it helped us
"We conceded their aggression
 We were not so aggressive
 We were quiet, focused on the game only
 I don't want to speak about this
 I want to speak about the game
 The way we finished, fought and didn't concede the goal
""Nothing
 Sometimes when we speak, Italian people seem aggressive
 We were not aggressive
 I don't want to speak about other managers
 This is only the second game I'm a head coach
 I want to respect every manager
""We played a great game and we are really frustrated for the result
 But we know how football can be and we have to accept the result
"I don't want to speak about VAR or the referee
 I think here were a lot of situations - very, very clear
 You can take your idea about this
"I am really proud for the performance
 I am really pleased for players
 We played very well
 We lost the game yes, but we are happy for the quality, for the play in this stadium against these players and against this team
"I think we dominated in the first and second half
 To win the game, we have to score
 We know that very well but we can say nothing to my players
 I am really proud
 Saturday we will play another game
 We will play in the same way