Tottenham suffered a thrilling 3-2 loss to Bournemouth on Wednesday night, and despite being unbeaten in their last three games, the visitors couldn’t shake off their ‘Dr Tottenham’ label as they faced a Bournemouth side that hadn’t tasted victory since October.
Mathys Tel reaped the rewards of consecutive starts within the first five minutes. The young Frenchman, set up by a clever backheel from Xavi, cut in from the left wing and drove a low shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. The hosts equalised in the 22nd minute when Evanilson found himself unmarked in front of Tottenham captain Cristian Romero and headed home Marcus Tavernier’s cross.
Nine minutes before half-time, Bournemouth seized the lead due to more lacklustre defending from Spurs. A Tavernier cross from the left reached Marcos Senesi at the far post, who squared it for Junior Kroupi to blast into the net.
Richarlison, coming on as a substitute, nearly equalised with a header that hit the post with 20 minutes left in the match. A penalty was awarded shortly after when Micky van de Ven’s lengthy run ended with him falling in the box, but referee Darren England, after consulting his monitor, ruled there was no foul as it appeared the Dutchman’s leg had hooked the defender’s.
However, the equaliser did arrive at the 78-minute mark, courtesy of a spectacular overhead kick from Palhinha following a corner.
Spurs almost clinched the win with Van de Ven’s header, which was saved by Djordje Petrovic at full stretch. But it was Antoine Semenyo who secured the victory, firing a low shot from outside the box in added time in what is expected to be his final game for the club before transferring to Manchester City.
Here are our player ratings for Spurs from the match…
Guglielmo Vicario
Despite not being able to do much about Evanilson’s precise header or Kroupi’s close-range effort, and despite Semenyo’s shot finding the bottom corner, Vicario’s kicking was subpar. 5.
Pedro Porro
Caught out of position on the left for Bournemouth’s equaliser, giving Tavernier ample time to cross. Back on his usual side, he was nowhere near anyone for the second goal.
He received a yellow card for a late tackle on Evanilson in the second half. It was a challenging night for him. 4.
Cristian Romero
Sent a header over the crossbar from a corner midway through the first half. Lost Evanilson for the hosts’ equaliser.
Was defensively weak in the first half but improved significantly in the second, making some crucial challenges and proving to be a formidable presence during set pieces in the Bournemouth box. Nearly set up Tel for a late equaliser. 7.
Micky van de Ven
Made some careless passes in the first half. Thought he’d secured a penalty in the second half only for VAR to step in, suggesting that he had tripped the defender rather than vice versa.
Received a yellow card for his objections. Had a header brilliantly saved by Petrovic in the final 10 minutes. 6.
Djed Spence
Attempted to create opportunities down the left but failed to connect with Tavernier’s cross for the second goal. Some sloppy touches on the run in the second half. 6.
Joao Palhinha
Performed solidly until he produced something extraordinary with a stunning overhead kick to level the score. 7.
Rodrigo Bentancur
At times he covers others so well but equally is so poor in possession at others, gifting the home side the ball in dangerous areas especially in the first half. Improved as the second half progressed before being substituted due to injury in the final five minutes of normal time. 4.
Lucas Bergvall
Took an early long-range shot that the goalkeeper collected on the second try. Around the half-hour mark, he curled a shot just over the crossbar.
Worked diligently but seemed to sustain a groin injury after an awkward twist and exited the game after repeatedly pounding the ground in frustration. 6.
Xavi Simons
Back in action after missing three games, he immediately contributed with an assist, backheeling into Tel’s run. Started the match strongly but lost momentum after Bournemouth’s two first-half goals. 6.
Mathys Tel
Started energetically, cutting inside just five minutes into the game to strike a low shot into the far corner. He was Spurs’ standout player in the first half, consistently attacking down the left flank and causing problems for Bournemouth.
Delivered some threatening set pieces in the second half and had a late opportunity but was too exhausted to capitalise. 7.
Randal Kolo Muani
Received very little service and did virtually nothing when he did get the ball. 3.
Subs
Wilson Odobert
Brought some forward drive after replacing the injured Bergvall. 6.
Richarlison
Hit the post with a header and posed problems for the Cherries. 6.
Archie Gray
Came on for Bentancur in the final moments. N/A.