It's a meager report card that is hard to believe for a team that qualified for the Champions League.
On the 26th (Korea time), Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 1-4 comeback defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the final match of Round 38 of the 2024-2025 Premier League season held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
The final league record was 38 points (11 wins, 5 draws, 22 losses), with a goal difference of -1 (64 goals scored, 65 goals conceded), finishing the season in 17th place, the worst in the club's history. The previous lowest record was 15th place in the 1993-1994 season.
Tottenham had already secured their qualification for the next season's Champions League by winning the Europa League. Due to a foot injury, key players like Son Heung-min did not need to play in the match. This was the last home game of the season, celebrated in a festive atmosphere following their European title.
Manager Ange Postecoglou arranged Mathys Tel, Dominic Solanke, and Brennan Johnson in the attack with a 4-3-3 formation. Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Archie Gray occupied the midfield, while the defense consisted of Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, and Pedro Porro. Guglielmo Vicario guarded the goal.
Son Heung-min was also excluded from the starting lineup and cheered on his teammates from the bench in black casual clothes. His foot condition was not perfect, so he took a break.
In the end, Son Heung-min finished the season with a record of 7 goals and 9 assists. By missing the final match, he could not continue his meaningful record of scoring double digits for nine consecutive years. He ended his streak of double-digit goals that had lasted for 8 years since scoring 4 goals in the 2015-2016 season.
In a festive atmosphere, Tottenham showed vigor early in the match. Tel, filling in for Son Heung-min, earned a foul from an opponent's defender while dribbling in the box in the 17th minute of the first half. Solanke scored from the penalty kick, giving Tottenham the first goal.
With this goal, Solanke achieved 9 goals in the league this season. The players who scored more goals than Son Heung-min at Tottenham were Johnson (11 goals), Solanke (9 goals), and Maddison (9 goals), totaling three.
In the 38th minute of the first half, Tel had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, but his left-footed shot was blocked, wasting the opportunity. Ultimately, Tottenham finished the first half leading 1-0.
Brighton sought to turn the tide by bringing in Japanese international forward Kaoru Mitoma at the start of the second half. This strategy was successful. In the 6th minute of the second half, during a corner kick situation, Hinshelwood calmly finished and scored the equalizer. Tottenham's defense failed to respond amid the chaos.
Afterwards, Tottenham completely collapsed. In the 20th minute of the second half, Hinshelwood scored again from another corner kick, completing the comeback. Tottenham's defense fell apart twice using the same pattern.
After conceding a goal, manager Postecoglou substituted van de Ven, Bentancur, and Solanke for Ben Davies, Yves Bissouma, and Richarlison, but there was no change in momentum.
Tottenham's collapse continued. In the 44th minute of the second half, O'Reilly scored an additional goal from a penalty kick, sealing Tottenham's defeat. Home fans were left in despair, and in stoppage time, Diego Gomes added a stunning long-range shot.
The joy of winning on the European stage was quickly forgotten, and home fans could not hide their bitter expressions as they faced the worst report card in the league. Without the Europa League victory, the difference from the relegation zone was just a few points. If Manager Postecoglou remains, there are significant concerns for the next season as well.
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