The demolition of Stoke City is what Tottenham Hotspur needed. Maybe the squad was just run down towards the end of November, but this was the the cracking result that was a nice response to a poor run from the lilywhites. The win was also fantastic in terms of the fixture list for Sunday. Both Arsenal and Liverpool drew, while United lost. Chelsea also lost to West Ham on Saturday, which meant that it really was a huge three points on the board for Spurs. With the win Tottenham are within one point of sixth placed Arsenal, two points from fifth placed Liverpool, and seven points off from Manchester United. Surprising Burnley is in fourth place, while Chelsea is in third place with three and seven points separating them from Spurs, though each of those squads have a game in hand.

Brighton sit thirteenth in the Premier League table with seventeen points to their name, but oh man has it been boring. Brighton are pretty defensive and bunkered down and don't really even attempt to play much football. Clearly these tactics are yielding some results, but its not the prettiest football to watch, nor the most exciting opponent to face.

The triumvirate of Pascal Gross, Anthony Knockaert, and Glenn Murray are the producers in terms of the Brighton attack and they aren’t too bad. Murray has five goals to his name and fourteen appearances, while Knockaert is maybe the most dangerous player for Brighton down the flank. Both Dale Stephens and Davy Propper roam the center of the pitch for Brighton and do a decent job in that role. As stated above, the team is not flashy and that extends to their defense. They are ranked tenth in goals conceded in both clean sheets and goals against. Nothing amazing, but they tend to mitigate mistakes.

Its really a must win for Spurs here. With City looming, its easy to lose focus, but also imperative to lock-in points before that huge fixture. If Spurs can bring even a portion of the magic they displayed on Sunday, they should be in good shape.

How to Watch

Unfortunately for many of us, this is one of the games that is not broadcast on network TV in the USA and is instead streamed only on the standalone premium NBC Gold package. That’s the bad news, but it might be ameliorated a bit by the fact that NBC is currently offering a sale of $10 (20%) off the Gold package price. I’m not telling you what to do, but this sure beats paying $50.

Date/time: Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 8:00 p.m. (UK), 3 p.m. ET (USA)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Official: Bobby Madley
TV: not televised (USA), not televised (UK), TSN5 (Canada), Optus Sport, SBS (Australia), other listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: NBC Gold ($)

Radio: Audio streamed at tottenhamhotspur.com, also often at BBC Radio London,BBC Radio 5 Live, and TalkSport

Projected Lineup

City loometh this weekend, so this is a great opportunity to rest a couple of key players for them to get ready to (try to) take down the league leaders. The fullbacks will rotate, of course, and we might see a few people like Mousa Dembele, Son Heung-Min, and maybe even Dele Alli given a breather. That opens up an opportunity for Erik Lamela to make his first Premier League start since his return. Don’t expect any rest for Harry Kane or the two central defenders, though. Pray for their continued health.

Prediction League

Points for everyone (except Bryan) who picked Spurs to win (except Bryan), though nobody nailed the exact score. Hmm, Bryan’s pretty low on the table. It’s almost like he’s trying to finish bottom. [thinkyface emoji]

Edward F.: I was offered a cut-price ticket to this game but can’t make it, which means we’ll win 7-0 in the most scintillating performance Spurs have ever produced and will ever produce at Wembley.

Skipjack: People got too caught up in recent trends. Tottenham are better than Brighton. 3-0 Spurs.

Jake Meador: Crisis over just in time for the next crisis to begin against City. 2-0 Spurs win

Joe Patrick: This is the kind of game where Harry Kane scores a hat trick. 5-0 Tottenham.

Joel Wertheimer: Spurs 3-1. Can't stop won't stop derping goals but a comfortable win.

Nathan Giannini: Crisis over. 2-0 Spurs.

GN Punk: The big win over Stoke is hopefully the start of a trend. 3-0 Spurs.

Pardeep Cattry: This isn't going to end well for the promoted side. Tottenham 3-0 Brighton

Alex Greenberg: Erik Lamela fully completes his return by starting and getting a goal. Spurs win easily 3-0.

Dustin Menno: I like Brighton and Chris Hughton. But not enough to pick them to win. 3-0 Spurs.

Matt Pachniuk: TBD

Earl of Shoop: Here's my (I think) fifth straight too-late-to-be-posted-maybe-it'll-count-prediction! Man, life gets busy sometimes. Spurs 2-0