Spurs pulled off one of the biggest possible coups in the PL last week by winning away to Manchester City. But despite being buoyed by a victory over a side who’ve won four of the last five PL titles, they started slowly here and found themselves behind inside five minutes when Evanilson ghosted into the area and saw his deflected effort nestle in the far corner – the first goal Tottenham have conceded all season.
Spurs certainly didn’t look like a side famed for their newfound defensive solidity in the opening stages, and they were lucky not to fall two behind soon after when David Brooks found Antoine Semenyo inside the area, but he headed over from six yards.
Thomas Frank’s side were uncharacteristically poor in the first half, particularly in the final third, and they brought the 45th minute up without having a single attempt.
That’s certainly not the type of football Spurs fans have become accustomed to in recent times, and with audible frustration starting to creep in as half-time loomed, the hosts had plenty to improve upon after the break. They could even have got into the interval two behind, but Evanilson spurned a great chance to head home his second goal of the game on the stroke of the break.
Despite the fact that Spurs were most likely given a stern dressing down at the break by Frank, it was Bournemouth who picked up where they left off in the first half. The hosts were all over the place in defence, and the Cherries almost doubled their advantage within minutes of the restart. Evanilson was again heavily involved, but this time it was Brooks who almost struck the killer blow when his effort crashed back off the crossbar.
The chances just kept coming for the visitors, who missed a golden one to sit a little more comfortably when Guglielmo Vicario lost the ball in his defensive third, but fortunately for him, Marcus Tavernier’s back-post effort only rippled the wide netting.
It took the hosts 70 minutes to muster an effort on target, and even when they did, Lucas Bergvall’s effort was tame to say the least.
Most inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expected more from the home side in the final third, but they weren’t forthcoming and slipped to their first defeat of the season. Meanwhile, things are looking up for Bournemouth, who, after a turbulent summer, have now won back-to-back league games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: David Brooks (AFC Bournemouth)
