Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho revealed that star striker Harry Kane is "optimistic" he can return from his latest injury setback in two weeks.
Kane was missed during Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Brighton after damaging both ankles in last week's 3-1 loss to champions Liverpool.
The England captain has undergone scans and, according to his manager, is upbeat about a swift recovery.
He will almost certainly miss successive home games against Chelsea and West Brom, as well as the FA Cup fifth-round trip to Everton, but could be back to face Premier League leaders Manchester City on February 13.
"The news is pretty good news," said Mourinho in a video posted on Spurs' Twitter account. "On the day of the Liverpool game, [we had] no idea. Then, the next day, we were thinking about three weeks, something like that.
"I do not want to be super optimistic but Harry is optimistic. He has the experience of some injuries in ankles and in Harry's mind it is a couple of weeks, so let's see if he is right."
Kane has scored or assisted 23 of Tottenham's 34 Premier League goals this season.
Real Madrid loan player Gareth Bale was given a rare opportunity to impress in his absence against Albion but was largely ineffectual, while Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius went closest to an equaliser after coming off the bench.
"We lost a match, and when we lose a match, we lose a match, we lose all together. We don't lose because of one player, or one bad performance. We lose together," said Mourinho, who is not anticipating any transfer dealings on deadline day.
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Brighton 1 Spurs 0; player ratings
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BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 7 – Sanchez was sparked into action after the break and saved well twice from Vinicius. The Spaniard probably expected a busier evening. AFP -
Ben White 8 –Another accomplished performance. Kept Son, Bale and Bergwijn quiet for much of the game and restricted the Tottenham attack to long-range efforts. Saw an effort saved by Lloris at the other end. AFP -
Adam Webster 7 – Had a great tussle with Gareth Bale. Beat the Welshman for pace on more than one occasion and was rarely troubled. Blocked a shot from Son with his chest, though Spurs argued the case for a penalty. Reuters -
Lewis Dunk 7 – Solid at the back, he came close to scoring but had to watch Bale clear his header off the line. Unbeatable in the air. AFP -
Joel Veltman 7 – Very solid on the right-hand side and looked to get forward on the overlap. AFP -
Pascal Gross 8 – Had the first chance of the game but saw his effort hit the post as he seized on some statuesque defending from the visitors. Ten minutes later, he pulled the ball back for Trossard to open the scoring. Classy performance in the middle. Reuters -
Yves Bissouma 8 – The defensive midfielder made more interceptions than any other player and his passing was on point too. A superb performance. AFP -
Alexis Mac Allister 8 – Was central to Brighton’s attacking powers and after coming close with a long-range effort, he supplied a defence-splitting pass to release Gross, who crossed for the opening goal. He came close to scoring several times. A danger all game. Reuters -
Solly March 7 – Looked very comfortable in the left-wing back position. He kept Sissoko quiet and also managed to cause a bit of havoc in the Spurs defence when he got forward. AFP -
Neal Maupay 7 – Brighton’s attacking midfielders had a field day and linked well, but their decision making in the final third could have cost them. Reuters -
Leandro Trossard 7 – Scored his second goal of the season, his first since the opening day, when he drilled home following a neat team move. EPA -
SUB: Dan Burn (Veltman, 72) N/A – Solid performance when he came on, clearing his lines well and formidable in the air. Reuters -
SUB: Aaron Connolly (Trossard,79) N/A – Had a great chance to make sure of the three points when he had the goal at his mercy, but his effort was blocked by Alderweireld. A dink over the Belgian defender would no doubt have doubled Brighton’s score. Reuters -
SUB: Adam Lallana (Maupay, 79) N/A – A welcome cameo to get some minutes under his belt after missing out in the Fulham game. AFP -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris 6 – Had very little chance of stopping Brighton’s opening goal but kept Spurs in the game when he stopped Ben White doubling the advantage after the break. Reuters -
Joe Rodon 5 – Was found ball watching for Brighton’s goal but didn’t do a lot wrong after that. AFP -
Toby Alderweireld 6 –Made a goal-saving block in the last 10 minutes to deny Connolly. As the most experienced of Tottenham’s three centre-backs, he struggled to keep Rodon and Sanchez in check, but he looked far more comfortable in the second half when Spurs went to four at the back. Made another great block to deny Mac Allister. Reuters -
Davinson Sanchez 5 – Had a poor first half and couldn’t deal with Brighton’s attacking movement. Was substituted at half time. Reuters -
Moussa Sissoko 5 – With Serge Aurier dropped and Matt Doherty on the bench, Sissoko filled the right wing-back position. It didn’t work, though he looked more comfortable as a right-back. Reuters -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 6 – Was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge early on but was arguably Tottenham’s brightest spark. Battled well and tried to keep the ball moving. AFP -
Tanguy Ndombele 6 – Like Hojbjerg, he battled hard in the middle and was caught a few times by wayward Brighton challenges, but he was bypassed by his teammates too many times. He saw more of the ball in the second half but turned over possession too frequently. Reuters -
Ben Davies 4 – Started the game as a wing-back and lost Gross in the build-up to the opening goal. Looked more solid as a left-back when Spurs reverted to four at the back in the second half. Reuters -
Gareth Bale 4 – Offered very little going forward but he tracked back on occasion and was in the right place at the right time on the line to clear Lewis Dunk’s goal-bound header. Was substituted after the break. Poor. AFP -
Steven Bergwijn 5 – The liveliest of Tottenham’s attacking trident, he at least had an effort on goal, although it finished wide of the post. He then set up Vinicius for a shot in the second half. EPA -
Son Heung-Min 5 - Had a very quiet night. Was restricted to a couple of long-range efforts that didn’t trouble Sanchez in the Brighton goal. AFP -
SUB: Carlos Vinicius (Sanchez, 45) 6 – Tested Sanchez twice; once with a header and then a turn and shot. Looked the most likely to score for the visitors. Reuters -
SUB: Lucas Moura (Bale, 61) 4 – Added some pace to the Spurs attack and his dribbling caused Brighton to drop deep, but overall he was ineffectual. Reuters -
SUB: Erik Lamela (Ndombele, 74) N/A – Was brought on to make things happen but couldn’t influence the game. Reuters
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"So I don't think it's fair, especially for myself, in representation of my team, I don't think it's fair to answer to you to that question, especially now.
"If that question comes in a great moment for the team, and after a victory, and when Gareth like the team plays a good game, it's easier for me to answer to you. I don't want to do that. We lost, and we all lost."
Uncertainty lingers, though, over the future of midfielder Dele Alli, who has been linked with a loan to Paris Saint-Germain, managed by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The England midfielder has been out of favour under Mourinho, rarely featuring in the Premier League this season.
The Portuguese said last week he was not expecting Alli to leave but admitted "sometimes unexpected things can happen".
