For how much longer he will remain one of their own who knows. Harry Kane himself may not have the answer; much rests on the next ten games and Tottenham’s final place in the Premier League standings. But for so long as he remains in situ, the goals will come, and the fans will serenade him. Kane’s side were already one to the good when Wayne Rooney’s away goalscoring record was broken, Cristian Romero having unwittingly grabbed his first since joining before the break. As they do, Brighton started the second half brightly. As Kane does, he made the finish look easy, having been fed Rodrigo Bentancur on the counter. He has 95th league goals on the road and the Champions League dream rolls on. Once more Tottenham jolt forward, learner drivers yet to master the pedal. They have a fine instructor but pulling away smoothly remains a work in progress. Lose; win; repeat. That must stop. Aesthetically pleasing as their symmetrical start to 2022 has been - eight wins and eight defeats - consistent inconsistence is a trait Antonio Conte will deplore. A dirty half dozen of consecutive defeats for Graham Potter’s Brighton means their season has petered out. Owner Tony Bloom spent the afternoon watching his horse Energumene triumph in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, before being chauffeured the near 150 miles back to the Amex. A quick return journey may have been on the cards. There will be no amateur over-dramatics from Brighton supporters. They appreciate how far they have come in a short space of time. Yet football fans crave entertainment, and the large handful of empty blue seats around the Amex had multiplied rapidly well before the close. There are, after all, cheaper ways to be entertained than 10 goals in 15 home league games. The first half lacked zip, perhaps unsurprising for Tottenham given they were unchanged from weekend disappointment at Old Trafford. Conte had suggested this would be the case as their Manchester showing largely pleased him. It will have caused pain too; double-game weeks are not the Italian’s ‘thing’. There was almost some relief in a gift-wrapped perfect start though. Lewis Dunk’s back-pass was innocuous, if slightly underweight, but the fault lay with Robert Sánchez. The goalkeeper was way too casual in allowing Kane to successfully charge down the clearance. For the second time in five days here, Sánchez’s heart was in his mouth; Kane rolled a left-footed shot across the face of goal. And so, it was left to Brighton to draw first blood a minute later - literally. Neil Maupay caught Eric Dier in the air to earn a booking. Nothing vicious but Dier continued a-la Terry Butcher. Tottenham’s opener had more than a touch of fortune. Dejan Kulusevski, who has quietly excelled since his January arrival, shot from the edge of the box. It hit Romero loitering in the area and spun away from Sánchez. Conte swivelled in the visiting dug out, drew hands from pockets for the first time and punched the air. It was tough on Brighton who had until then - sloppiness excluded - looked marginally superior. Leandro Trossard was troublesome in dangerous areas; Yves Bissouma delicately broke up play. Kane was tad fortuitous to escape a booking after reacting to losing possession with a bear hug. Their problem has been that bubble-wrapped scissors have more cutting edge than their frontline in recent weeks. It was Tottenham’s Bentancur who came closest to beating Hugo Lloris with an attempted clearance from 30-yards directed goalward. It floated just over. Tottenham were almost handed a second with an error going unpunished pre-break. Shane Duffy - one of two changes from Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool - attempted to clear by heading straight into Kulusevski’s chest. This time Sánchez came to the rescue. A Kane free-kick on the stroke of the interval was harmless. As with the first goal, the second came with the hosts on top. Attack quickly became defence as possession was lost, Kane delighting the travelling fans, kicking a fizzy drinks bottle in celebration. He would twice almost turn provider, sending Sergio Reguilón racing away only for Sánchez to pull off a pair of fine saves. Brighton huffed and puffed but they came not much closer than a Marc Cucurella drive that went wide. No shots on target, one goal in six. Tottenham’s faint hopes of top-four continue to flicker. Their issue has been that against the five sides immediately above them, their haul is a pitiful three from a possible 24 points. Starting with West Ham’s visit to Haringey on Sunday, that needs addressing.