Tottenham's Premier League survival hopes suffered a crushing setback on Saturday evening when Brighton substitute Georginio Rutter struck in the 95th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The late equaliser, coming with just three minutes of added time remaining, silenced the home crowd and extended Spurs' dire winless streak in the league to 15 consecutive matches.
Roberto De Zerbi's side now sit precariously one point adrift of safety with only five fixtures left to play this season.
The north London club face the genuine prospect of dropping out of English football's top division for the first time since 1977.
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Spurs had appeared destined to climb out of the relegation zone when Xavi Simons produced a fine curling finish with 13 minutes of normal time on the clock.
However, Rutter's intervention in the fifth minute of eight added on ensured the home faithful left devastated rather than relieved.
Georginio Rutter scores in STOPPAGE TIME! 😱 pic.twitter.com/9ulysSFg3w
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 18, 2026
Tottenham's day certainly started well, with the players performing far better than last time out against Sunderland.
It was Pedro Porro who stepped up when Spurs needed, with the right-back heading home following a pinpoint delivery from Simons.
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Tottenham thought they'd won against Brighton when Xavi Simmons struck
|GETTY
Brighton, however, were a side full of confidence after winning their last three matches.
They levelled superbly through Kaoru Mitoma, with the Japan international emphatically drawing his side level just before the interval.
In the second half, Tottenham had to be resilient with Brighton starting the better of the two sides.
But they went ahead through Simons, with the Netherlands international producing a stunning curling strike that sailed into the top corner.
Georginio Rutter earnt a draw for Brighton at the death against Tottenham
|GETTY
Just as Tottenham fans started to dream of a seismic victory, however, the crushing blow arrived at the death.
It was Rutter who struck, with the Brighton star silencing the home fans in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
For the visitors, they'll be hopeful of ending the season on a high after managing to avoid defeat.
For Tottenham, however, the prospect of life in the Championship continues to loom large after throwing away victory when they had it in their hands.