Tottenham Hotspur managed to fumble a two-goal lead as a second-half implosion saw them slip to a 3-2 defeat away at Brighton.
Spurs were excellent in the first-half as goals from Brennan Johnson and James Maddison saw them lead at the break. But Ange Postecoglou’s side completely fell apart in the second period and their defence was all over the place.
As soon as Yankuba Minteh capitalised on an error from Destiny Udogie, Spurs looked totally rattled and their confidence shot to bits. Goals from Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck completed the comeback and saw the Lilywhites slip to a first defeat in five games.
The North London club’s fans noticed something about Micky van de Ven, which was especially surprising following his impressive performance against Manchester United.
Tottenham fans make Micky van de Ven spot vs Brighton
Tottenham supporters were quick to spot how off it Van de Ven looked against Brighton as the defender got run ragged against the Seagulls. He was partly to blame for all three goals but particularly for the second as he got twisted up by Rutter.
His full-back partner Destiny Udogie had a truly shocking display at the Amex Stadium and that didn’t help the Dutch international, but he too was very poor. Minteh caused so much trouble down Tottenham’s left-hand side and had both Van de Ven and Udogie on toast throughout the match.
Speaking about the 23-year-old on X, Spurs fans had plenty to say about his performance and how much he struggled in one-on-one situations.
The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick said: “This is one of the roughest 20 minutes I’ve ever seen from Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, who are getting torn to pieces by Brighton’s vibrant front line.”
One fan said: “We lost every duel. We didn’t put up a fight. Van de Ven and Udogie let Rutter and Welbeck make a fool of them.”
“Van De Ven was terrible today too. Easy pick on Werner but VDV was all over the place. He’s a brilliant young player but he’s not quite the finished article yet,” added another fan.
How bad were Micky van de Ven’s stats vs Brighton?
Van de Ven had a true shocker against Brighton and whilst he won’t get the critics Timo Werner and Udogie are likely to face, the stats show it was a very tough afternoon for him at the Amex.
| Stat | Total |
| Clearances | 1 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Total tackles | 1 |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
| Ground Duels (won) | 8 (5) |
| Ariel Duels (won) | 1 (1) |
| Fouls | 1 |
As the supporters highlighted, he struggled in one-against-one situations making just one tackle, losing three duels and being dribbled past twice.
The defender was well off it against Fabian Hurzeler’s side and the stats highlight just how much of an issue Brighton’s attackers caused him.
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