Tottenham went ahead in the 13th minute through Harry Kane, but Brighton were the architects of their own downfall.
Adam Webster missed his kick when trying to play out from the back, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg teed up Kane and the England striker curled into the top corner from 20 yards.
It was 2-0 11 minutes later and there was a large amount of fortune involved.
Emerson Royal ploughed a lone furrow down the right and his cross, with no one in the box, deflected off Solly March and over Robert Sanchez.
Brighton found a way back into the game in the 63rd minute as Yves Bissouma ran across the face of goal and got in a shot which was heavily deflected past Hugo Lloris.
Three minutes later Spurs regained their two-goal advantage as Son Heung-min embarked on a solo run, which was ended by Adam Webster’s tackle, but Kane was on hand to ram home from close range.
Scroll down and click through to see how they rated
9. Solly March 6:
A decent display and provided good delivery from the left. Unlucky with the deflected goal for Spurs' second. Replaced by Caicedo on the hour
10. Jakub Moder 6:
Missed a presentable chance in the first half when he blazed over from the edge of the box. Kept driving forward and turning into a Potter favourite
11. Neal Maupay 5:
Sliced an effort on the turn wide in the first half and then scuffed a second half chance when through one on one with Lloris.
12. Joel Veltman 6
Replaced Lallana after 45 minutes and a typical non-fussy display