Brighton's Rutter Fires Dramatic Equaliser as Tottenham Slip into Relegation Zone

Brighton substitute Julio Rutter came off the bench to score a stunning late equaliser, leaving Tottenham in the Premier League relegation zone after a 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium on Friday.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlTtc5ANU4U

Tottenham appeared to be heading for only their second league victory in six matches when Pedro Porro's header in the 68th minute put the visitors ahead. Brighton had dominated much of the first half, with Kaoru Mitoma's spectacular volley canceling out Dejan Kulusevski's early opener for Spurs.

But Rutter, introduced as a 74th-minute substitute, proved to be the match-winner. The 23-year-old capitalized on a defensive error from Tottenham's Kevin Danso, firing past Guglielmo Vicario from close range in the 89th minute to spark wild celebrations among the home faithful.

The result leaves Tottenham hovering dangerously above the bottom three, with the pressure mounting on manager Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham have now won just two of their last ten Premier League matches and sit just three points above the relegation zone with five games remaining.

We showed great character to come back twice, said Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler. Rutter has been working incredibly hard in training and deserved this moment. These points could be crucial for our European ambitions.

For Tottenham, the mood was somber in the away end. We dominated for long periods and should have killed the game off, admitted captain Son Heung-min. Instead, we find ourselves in a fight we never expected to be in.

Brighton climb to eighth in the table with the hard-fought point, keeping their slim hopes of European qualification alive. Tottenham meanwhile face a must-win home fixture against Manchester United next weekend as they desperately try to escape the relegation battle.