Ange Postecoglou seethed as he slammed his Tottenham side for producing the ‘worst performance’ of his reign as Brighton came from behind to seal a memorable 3-2 win.
Spurs looked set to end their run of fixtures before the international break by taking three points away from the Amex after Brennan Johnson and James Maddison both scored in the first-half.
Brighton looked to be heading for an underwhelming defeat only for Postecoglou’s side to concede twice in under 30 minutes as the hosts turned the match on its head.
There were contrasting emotions in the dugout at full-time as Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler celebrated his most emphatic win since taking charge in the summer, while Postecoglou was left reeling after watching his team collapse.
The Australian is known for his brazenly honest analysis and pulled no punches when laying into his players for letting Brighton find a way back into the match, with Danny Welbeck scoring a late winner in the five-goal thriller.
Ange Postecoglou seethed as he slammed his Tottenham side after their defeat against Brighton on Sunday
Spurs stars cut dejected figures at full-time after surrendering their two-goal lead
Brighton players celebrated emphatically after scoring three second-half goals
‘It’s disappointing, I’m absolutely gutted. Unacceptable second half, we weren’t anywhere near where we should be. Maybe we got carried away,’ Postecoglou told Sky Sports.
‘We kind of accepted our fate. We paid a price. Maybe things were travelling along too smoothly. Football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself.
‘It’s a terrible loss and it’s my responsibility to fix it. We weren’t competitive. If you’re not competitive in football it’s not going to work.
‘They’ll go on international duty the majority of them and they’ll process it individually,’ he further fumed.
Defeat leaves Tottenham four points adrift of the Champions League places with 10 points from seven matches during which time they have endured a mixed run of results.
Victory would have seen Spurs record a fifth consecutive win across all competitions, with Postecoglou now looking for answers after disaster on the south coast.
Meanwhile, Brighton hopped above Spurs into sixth place in the Premier League standings with head coach, Hurzeler, lauding his players for their fightback ability.
Postecoglou was left fuming after the defeat after Brennan Johnson (right) had initially opened the scoring
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler (pictured) celebrated his side after they came from behind to pull off a memorable victory
‘It was a great reaction from my team and I think they deserved the win because they showed a great reaction,’ he told the BBC.
‘They worked hard for this win and focused on the small steps and thing they controlled especially in the second-half they fulfilled the match plan with more energy and intensity.
‘Tottenham always have a great start in matches and they play with a lot of intensity and you have to be immediately ready for that and we were not ready.
‘We focus on the positive things and the second is that we try to win personal duels as you then get more self-confidence and the players worked hard to find their flow,’ he added.