Manchester City set new record for consecutive Premier League wins as Tottenham make top-four return

Dominant Tottenham were not at their free-flowing best tonight, but a goal at the end of each half from Aurier and Son is enough to secure a second successive Premier League win.

With Liverpool and Arsenal both failing to win, that result sends Pochettino's side back into the top four at Burnley's expense before a daunting trip to leaders Manchester City on Saturday. A rare clean sheet and 76 minutes under the belt for Lamela are two other real positives to take from the evening.

Brighton, meanwhile, are now winless in six and sit 13th, three points above the relegation zone. They entertain the high-flying Clarets this weekend.

That is all for now, goodnight.

Full-time

Tottenham 2-0 Brighton

Tottenham on easy street now as they simply keep possession and run down the clock.

We should mention that Son was very angry as he made his way off there. I think he feels he may have been punched by Bong.

There did not look to be much in it at first glance.

Son appears to be winded after a blow to the midriff from Bong. Davies is sent on in his place.

Three minutes of added time signalled. No chance for Brighton now.

Son drifts across substitute Gross and gets ahead of Propper before stooping low at the front post to head Eriksen's free-kick beyond Ryan.

The underrated South Korean forward has now scored in four successive matches. Game, set and match Tottenham.

Goal: Tottenham 2-0 Brighton (Heung-Min Son)

March's foul on Aurier gives Tottenham a free-kick in a useful position on the right flank. Eriksen to take.

Woodwork!

Murray is penalised for a foul on Eric Dier and Kane's awkward low-free kick is touched onto the post by the fortunate Ryan.

Inside the last five minutes now.

Alli feeds Rose and instead of taking the initial shot on his favoured left foot, the full-back cuts inside onto his right and sees an effort blocked behind for a corner by Duffy.

That 15th successive win was never in doubt. City cruising towards the title.

Full-time scores

Newcastle 0-1 Everton

Southampton 1-4 Leicester

Swansea 0-4 Manchester City

Another miserable evening for Newcastle is complete as Shelvey receives a second yellow card at the death for a foolish challenge on Idrissa Gueye.

Red card: Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)

Kane tries to curl an effort into the far corner but Ryan reads it and gets down to smother.

Alli collects possession from Eriksen early in the gap between midfield and defence and is afforded acres of space to pick out a shot that sails high into the stands.

Lamela's first start for almost 14 months ends after 76 minutes. He receives a standing ovation as he makes way for Alli.

Hemed will be left to rue that missed chance as he goes off to be replaced by the evergreen Murray. Pascal Gross has also come on for Kayal.

20 minutes plus stoppage time remaining.

Scrappy stuff from Tottenham, who fail to adequately clear their lines. They are almost made to pay when Hemed fires a shot straight at Lloris.

That should have been the leveller.

Make that 52 league goals for City before Christmas. Aguero runs down the Swansea left and beats Lukasz Fabianski with a precise shot into the corner.

Goal: Swansea 0-4 Manchester City (Sergio Aguero)

Pochettino looks to his bench for the first time after 67 minutes. Winks makes way for Dembele.

Dunk and Duffy are certainly two centre-backs that do not shirk their heading duties. The former blocks a long-range drive from Son.

March shows good strength to win the corner off Aurier. Schelotto keeps the attack alive after Knockaert's delivery sails out of the box and Duffy loops in a header that is caught by Lloris.

The first substitution of the night is from Hughton. Solly March replaces Izquierdo.

Hemed shoots straight at Lloris after being teed up by Knockaert and Spurs immediately pour forward on the counter in an attempt to exploit the space that has opened up.

Kane provides a lovely reverse pass for Lamela, who is whistled for offside as he attempts to lift the ball over Ryan. Dunk launches a header behind anyway.

Aurier mishits another cross after getting in behind Bong, but this one won't trouble Ryan.

For all their dominance, Tottenham are still far from home and hosed as we approach the hour mark.

There will be no miracle turnaround from the Saints. Okazaki applies the finishing touch to a Jamie Vardy cross and restores Leicester's handsome three-goal lead.

Goal: Southampton 1-4 Leicester (Shinji Okazaki)

Spurs apply real pressure with a succession of corners. Kane's latest strike is deflected out by Duffy and Sissoko's looping header is caught by Ryan.

Still 1-0 to the hosts.

Kane's heavily deflected strike is parried by Ryan and the offside flag is raised against Son as his follow-up effort is handled on the line.

Lewis Dunk, captaining Brighton tonight with Bruno on the bench, then diverts Lamela's shot behind off the outside of the post.

Brighton go in search of an early second-half equaliser. Kayal lays the ball off for Propper, who drags his low shot well wide of Lloris' left-hand post.

Samson lost his powers after having his hair cut, but it only appears to have made Silva stronger...

Yoshida heads Ryan Bertrand's corner towards goal and Tadic reacts fastest to reduce the deficit.

The last time Leicester led 3-0 at half-time in a Premier League match, against Wolves in 2003, they ended up losing 4-3.

Surely history is not about to repeat itself.

Goal: Southampton 1-3 Leicester (Dusan Tadic)

The second half is upon us at Wembley. Can Tottenham secure back-to-back home wins, or do Brighton have what it takes to claim an unlikely point?

The leaders have now scored 51 goals in just 17 Premier League matches this season. Absolutely frightening.

An exquisite chip gives Silva his second goal of the evening at Swansea. City rampant at the Liberty.

Goal: Swansea 0-3 Manchester City (David Silva)

Not a vintage opening 45 minutes from Tottenham by any means, but that freak effort (cross) from Aurier means they lead at the interval.

Back underway in tonight's three 19.45 GMT kick-offs.

Half-time

Tottenham 1-0 Brighton

A crucial block from Vertonghen prevents Brighton from launching a swift counter-attack. Rose then scythes down Schelotto and joins Knockaert in the book.

One minute of added time to be played at the end of this first half.

Knockaert received a yellow card for dissent following that fluke effort. Are Brighton claiming that linesman Mark Perry's flag actually distracted Ryan and prevented him from making the save?

Winks feeds the ball right to Aurier, who beats Izquierdo before sending in a deep cross that evades everyone - including the back-pedaling Ryan - before sneaking in at the back post.

The assistant referee was actually flagging for a foul by Izquierdo, but referee Madley played the advantage.

A freak goal gives Tottenham a deserved lead.

Goal: Tottenham 1-0 Brighton (Serge Aurier)

Schelotto and Knockaert engineer a two-on-one with Rose down the Tottenham left.

Hemed tries to create a pocket of space in the box before Schelotto's second cross cannons behind off Jan Vertonghen.

Knockaert's corner is headed goalwards by Duffy, but it's an easy save for Hugo Lloris.

Eriksen fools Kayal with a tremendous piece of skill. However, Son cannot get a shot away amid a sea of yellow shirts and stubborn Brighton clear their lines.

Eriksen then gets slightly too much on a cross-field pass for Rose and Ryan can gather.

Half-time scores

Newcastle 0-1 Everton

Southampton 0-3 Leicester

Swansea 0-2 Man City

Kane gets ready to pull the trigger again after his initial shot is blocked. However, Lamela takes it off of his foot before bending an effort over the bar.

Feels like just a matter of time before Spurs take the lead at Wembley.

Harry Maguire's cross is turned in by King as Leicester take a 3-0 first-half lead at St Mary's. Southampton sinking without trace.

What a night for Puel.

Goal: Southampton 0-3 Leicester (Andy King)

A few chances for dominant Tottenham as Aurier sees a shot blocked before Kane's effort is cleared off the line by Duffy.

Son then shoots over at the back post after Kane combines with Harry Winks.

Newcastle strike the woodwork again through Mikel Merino. Just not Newcastle's night thus far.

When your luck is out...

It's turning out to be happy return to Southampton for Puel as Okazaki pokes home his seventh of the season following a goalmouth scramble.

In South Wales, De Bruyne's in-swinging free-kick nestles in the bottom corner. City comfortably on course for that 15th straight league win.

Goal: Swansea 0-2 Manchester City (Kevin De Bruyne)

Goal: Southampton 0-2 Leicester (Shinji Okazaki)

He also now has one more Premier League goal than Romelu Lukaku in 2017-18...

Knockaert impedes Rose and Eriksen's overhit left-wing free-kick drifts harmlessly out of play.

Not the sort of delivery we have come to expect from the talented Dane.

It should be noted that Ritchie hit the bar for Newcastle shortly before that Everton opener.

Deadlocks broken in our other two early kick-offs.

The unmarked Silva taps home namesake Bernardo's cross from inside the six-yard box and Rooney capitalises on an error from Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow to mark his 100th Everton appearance with a goal.

Both players picking up where they left off after derby day.

Goal: Newcastle 0-1 Everton (Wayne Rooney)

Goal: Swansea 0-1 Manchester City (David Silva)

Bong is caught upfield and Izquierdo, in his haste to retreat and cover for his full-back, brings down Lamela.

The Argentine's free-kick from the right is then headed straight at goalkeeper Mathew Ryan by Kane.

Early appeals for a penalty from Tottenham after Duffy slides in on Son after failing to generate much power on a header to clear Kane's hopeful flick.

The referee waves play on. That looked like a superb challenge, it must be said.

Brighton not lacking confidence during the early stages as Kayal, who suffered a broken leg during pre-season, surges forward from midfield.

Davy Propper eventually lifts the ball towards Schelotto, whose header back across goal is fired over by Izquierdo.

Schelotto is bullied off the ball by Heung-Min Son in the corner and the South Korean makes his way into the penalty area before seeing a powerful drive deflected behind by Shane Duffy.

Eriksen's poor corner is cleared.

Christian Eriksen gets proceedings off and running at Wembley. Spurs are in their familiar home strips, while Brighton are kitted out in their yellow away strips.

Robert Madley is your referee.

Despite Southampton's strong opening, it is Leicester that have drawn first blood on the south coast. Mahrez carries the ball forward and beats a few defenders before netting a shot from 25 yards.

Did somebody say January transfer window?

Goal: Southampton 0-1 Leicester (Riyad Mahrez)

Lively starts from both Southampton and Newcastle, with chances for the likes of Maya Yoshida and Matt Ritchie. No goals to speak of just yet, however.

Underway at St James' Park, the Liberty Stadium and St Mary's. Goal updates from those three matches to come.

Just under 15 minutes remaining until kick-off in our feature match between Tottenham and Brighton.

Here is what Pochettino had to say about Lamela's return to the starting XI and those three other changes in his pre-match interview, per BBC Sport....

We believe he is in good form. He is ready to compete again. It is good for the team to rest players and rotate. It is important during such a busy period.

It is a little bit about everything. To provide the team with freshness and to be competitive in every single game. We believe with the players we have picked today we can beat Brighton. Every game is tough but it is important to have different facility to play and win games.

The philosophy of the Brighton manager, who we know well, is to keep the ball and play on the grass. They are having a good season. It will be tough.

It's going to be a chilly old night in northwest London...

Brighton, it is worth noting, have not played at Wembley Stadium since it was reopened in 2007.

The last of their three visits to the old home of English football came in June 1991, when they lost 3-1 to Notts County in the Division Two play-off final.

The two teams have met just twice in competitive action in the 35 years since then.

In 2005, Robbie Keane notched a late FA Cup third-round winner for Martin Jol's Tottenham at White Hart Lane after a Richard Carpenter free-kick had cancelled out Ledley King's first-half header.

Spurs also beat Brighton 2-0 on the same ground in October 2014 as goals from Lamela and Harry Kane sent them through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup. They were eventually beaten by Chelsea in the final.

This is the first league meeting between Tottenham and Brighton since April 1983, when the Seagulls, who were relegated from the old first division that season, beat a Spurs side containing Hughton 2-1 at the Goldstone Ground.

"I've been reminded a few times about it," he said about that match. "It was at an iconic stadium and I do remember it as there were players in the Brighton side I knew, so you have that competition as well but it was a very long time ago."

It's been a gruelling road to recovery for Lamela, who underwent surgery on both of his hips.

Hughton opts for five changes, also swapping both of his full-backs as Bruno and Markus Suttner are replaced by Ezequiel Schelotto and Gaetan Bong.

Knockaert returns as expected, while Beram Kayal, Tomer Hemed and Jose Izquierdo also start. Pascal Gross and Glenn Murray drop to the bench along with Chelsea loanee Izzy Brown.

Lamela does indeed make his first Tottenham start since October 2016 in place of Dele Alli.

Full-backs Serge Aurier and Danny Rose replace Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies, while Moussa Sissoko is in for Mousa Dembele.

Team news has reached us from Wembley. Stand by...

While we wait for Tottenham and Brighton's official lineups to drop, let's take a quick look at the lineups for our other two matches...

Eliaquim Mangala replaces Kompany for City, while Kyle Walker makes way for Danilo. Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero also come in as Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus drop to the bench.

One change from Clement from the West Brom match, with Routledge replaced by Jordan Ayew. Veteran right-back Angel Rangel comes onto the bench, with Fernandez once again named among the substitutes.

Swansea vs Manchester City

Manchester City

Injury-plagued captain Vincent Kompany misses out once again for City after being forced off at half-time in the Manchester derby. However, Pep Guardiola is optimistic that his muscle issue is not as bad as first feared.

John Stones and Benjamin Mendy are both still sidelined.

Swansea vs Manchester City

Swansea

Argentine centre-back Federico Fernandez could return for Swansea tonight after missing four games following the death of his father, although winger Wayne Routledge is doubtful due to muscle tightness.

Kyle Bartley (knee ligaments) remains a long-term absentee for Paul Clement's side.

Tottenham vs Brighton

Brighton

Experienced central midfielder Steve Sidwell, who underwent back surgery in September, is still Brighton's only injury absentee.

Former Tottenham stalwart Hughton says he also plans to make changes with another tough test against high-flying Burnley to come this weekend, with Anthony Knockaert poised to return the matchday 18 after his omission for Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield.

Tottenham vs Brighton

Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino confirmed during his pre-match press conference that influential defender Toby Alderweireld would now be sidelined until February as the result of the hamstring tear sustained against Real Madrid in early November.

Victor Wanyama joined in with the training warm-up at Hotspur Way on Monday as he closes in on a return following four months out with a knee problem, but the combative midfielder remains unavailable for selection this evening.

Davinson Sanchez, meanwhile, is set to serve the second game of a three-match ban handed down following his red card in the 1-1 draw at Watford.

Spurs are likely to make changes tonight to cope with the demands of a typically hectic December fixture list, with Pochettino admitting that Erik Lamela could make his first league start for more than 400 days after three successive substitute cameos.

Good evening and welcome to IBTimes UK's latest comprehensive live coverage of another action-packed slate of pre-festive midweek Premier League football.

Updates on Manchester United vs Bournemouth, the London derby between West Ham and Arsenal and Liverpool's clash with West Brom are being ably provided elsewhere by my colleagues this evening, but here our feature game comes from Wembley Stadium where Tottenham Hotspur entertain Chris Hughton's Brighton & Hove Albion.

Spurs ended a run of four league games without a win with a 5-1 demolition of woeful Stoke on Saturday and could potentially make their way back into the Champions League places depending on results elsewhere.

The newly-promoted visitors, meanwhile, are seeking to halt an alarming sequence of three losses, one point and just solitary one goal from their previous four outings that has seen them slide closer towards the dreaded bottom three.

We will also be keeping a close eye on events in tonight's slightly earlier 19.45 GMT kick-offs, where dominant leaders Manchester City, who moved 11 points clear at the summit courtesy of a comfortable derby triumph at Old Trafford, will look to put all the drama of milk-gate behind them and set a new record of 15 successive top-flight victories.

They face a struggling, goal-shy Swansea team that moved off the foot of the table with a narrow win over fellow relegation battlers West Brom last time out but have since been pushed back to the bottom courtesy of Crystal Palace's last-gasp defeat of Watford on Tuesday. They are three points adrift of safety as things stand.

Elsewhere, Leicester boss Claude Puel will feel he has a point to prove as he returns to Southampton for the first time since being sacked in June after just one - wholly tedious - season at St Mary's.

Buoyed by an unlikely point in the Merseyside derby, Sam Allardyce takes Everton to one of his former clubs in Newcastle looking to take advantage of a team that have now lost six of seven and could be distracted by a looming £300m takeover by Amanda Staveley and the Dubai-based PCP Capital Partners investment fund.

All the latest team news to come.