Spurs inch closer to top four after 2-0 win over Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Son Heung-min celebrate after Kane scored a goal against Brighton at The American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, England on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur continued their late push for a Champions League ticket on Wednesday, beating Brighton 2-0 to move within three points of the top four spots on the Premier League table.

Korean striker Son Heung-min had another quiet game, with Cristian Romero and Harry Kane scoring the two goals for Spurs. Son played 80 minutes but had little impact on the score, prompting concerns that he might be overworked and in need of a rest.

The win takes Spurs up to seventh on the Premier League table, now only three points behind Arsenal in fourth. With only the top four clubs in the Premier League earning a ticket to the Champions League, Spurs will still need exceptional form over the remaining 9 games of the season if they want a shot at reaching the continental tournament.

Manchester United in fifth place are just one point behind Arsenal, with West Ham in sixth on the same number of points as Spurs. Wolves trail two points behind Tottenham in eighth, with a big 10 points then separating the top eight from everybody else.

Yet despite the eight teams till in play for four coveted spots, there is a chance that Spurs manager Antonio Conte could pull off a miracle and lift the club into Champions League contention in the last few weeks.

"It is right to have ambition and I put ambition to my players because it is important to have a target, a difficult target for sure, because to reach the fourth place is not simple, it will be very difficult," Conte said after Wednesday's game. "We are showing great improvement and this is good for the present and the future. To get three points on Sunday will be very important to continue to have a hope to reach fourth place."

Of the nine games that Tottenham still have to play, only two are against higher ranked teams: West Ham this Sunday and Liverpool on May 7. The remaining seven games are all against much lower-ranked teams, including two of the three clubs currently fighting relegation.

If tiredness is an issue for Son, it isn't likely to be resolved any time soon. After the West Ham game on Sunday, the Premier League will then enter an international break and Son will once again be clocking up some serious air miles. The Korean captain will first fly back to Korea to take on Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on March 24, then jet off to Dubai to face the United Arab Emirates at Al-Maktoum Stadium on March 29.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]