LONDON (Reuters) -Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane struck a late winner in a fiery 2-1 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday to boost his side's hopes of a top-four finish.
Son Heung-min's 100th Premier League goal, a superb curler in the 10th minute, had given Spurs the lead against the run of play but Brighton levelled through Lewis Dunk in the 34th.
Brighton were by far the better side and had two goals ruled out although the biggest talking point until Kane's 79th-minute winner was an altercation between Tottenham caretaker manager Cristian Stellini and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Both men were red-carded in the second half following a melee which had been brewing since the Italian pair exchanged angry words before kickoff.
England striker Kane at least sent the Spurs fane home happy as his deflected shot from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg beat Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.
Victory kept Tottenham in fifth place with 53 points but they have played a game more than Manchester United in fourth and Newcastle United who both have 56 after wins on Saturday.
Brighton's hopes of gate-crashing the top-four took a big knock and they dropped to seventh with 46 points.
After two costly draws against struggling Southampton and Everton, Tottenham's season appeared to be petering with grumbling from the stands but the reliable duo of Son and Kane at least kept them in the hunt for the top four.
Son's 10th-minute opener was the kind of goal he used to score for fun but has been largely missing this season.
Cutting in from the left he curled an unstoppable shot into the opposite top corner to become the first Asian player to score a century of goals in the Premier League.
He dedicated the goal to his grandfather who recently died.
"Scoring 100 goals in the Premier League is a massive thing. I was really emotional because I have had tough moments in the last few weeks," he said.
"I hope all the Asian players -- especially in South Korea -- look at this achievement and believe they can do it as well."
While Tottenham's fans celebrated the win, it was another lacklustre display from their side and Brighton will wonder how Dunk's 34th-minute header from a corner was their only reward for a display that was too lively for their hosts at times.
Home defender Eric Dier cleared a Kaoru Mitoma corner off the line early on, Mitoma had an effort ruled out for offside and Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris was forced into saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
Solly March fired wide after Dunk's equaliser and Brighton thought they had taken the lead after the break only for Welbeck's effort to be ruled out by VAR because it had brushed Mac Allister's arm on the way into the net.
Tempers boiled over on the touchline as De Zerbi and Stellini got into a furious argument that briefly stopped play before referee Stuart Attwell dismissed both men who continued their verbal slanging match down the tunnel.
"Probably every one of us was full of anger and tension. But everything that happened on the pitch stays there and it does now," Stellini said. "I don't like to show something bad. From me this has never happened."
De Zerbi had apparently been upset by Stellini's pre-match comments saying Brighton's impressive season was down to the work of former manager Graham Potter.
"I am used to always respecting everyone and I want the same to me," De Zerbi, who has been touted as a potential target for Tottenham, said of the incident.