Christian Eriksen struck a late winner to put Tottenham firmly in control of the top-four race as brave Brighton were narrowly denied 1-0 on Tuesday
 Eriksen broke Brighton's determined resistance on 89 minutes with a stinging long-range effort - their 21st effort from outside the area - that kept Tottenham's perfect record intact at their new stadium
Following on from weekend defeats for Arsenal and Manchester United and Chelsea's draw with Burnley, Spurs are now three points clear in third place with three games to go
It looked as though Brighton, who now haven't scored for over 11 hours, were holding on for a precious point in their battle for survival after a gritty defensive showing but the gap to Cardiff remains at three points
This was Tottenham's first home game back since their Champions League heroics at Manchester City and there was a celebratory atmosphere in the stands
Brighton - fresh from a solid point at Wolves - came to frustrate and did just that in a stodgy opening 45 minutes
Last-ditch defending was needed at times, noticeably from Lewis Dunk on 35 minutes to clear a Lucas Moura effort off the line and Shane Duffy just before the break when Dele Alli had beaten goalkeeper Mat Ryan
 It wasn't pretty but it was doing the job the visitors
With Brighton defending deep, Spurs' game was all about picking the right final pass, something they struggled to do
Eriksen was unusually wasteful while Fernando Llorente offered little as the focal point as the game passed him by
As the game wore on, Brighton rarely emerged from their own half
 It was constant Spurs pressure and Alderweireld drilled a low shot from 20 yards that looked in, but cannoned back off the inside of the post
Vincent Janssen - who hasn't featured since August 2017 - was thrown on in the latter stages by Mauricio Pochettino, whose lack of options from the bench was clear to see
His introduction didn't spark Spurs into life though, so it was down to Eriksen to ping one into the corner from 25 yards with just one minute remaining to send the home fans home happy
This was a man who didn't deserve to be on the losing side
 He was asked question after question by Spurs and he battered everything away, making an amazing 14 clearances - twice as many as any other player on the pitch
 With determination on show like this, Brighton surely have enough to beat the drop
 "It is a world class moment from a world class player
 It is an incredible shot on his left foot, his supposed weaker foot, and when you're Brighton and you are tired and you're dropping deeper and deeper you are going to give up shots from outside the box
"It is an absolute arrow into the bottom corner and since Eriksen has come to this new stadium he has flourished in his new environment and you need that when you are playing against a team that defended as well as Brighton did
"Tottenham are back in front of the  cameras on Saturday as they host West Ham at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kick-off at 12:30
 Meanwhile, Brighton host Newcastle on Saturday at 5
30pm
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