In the final act of the year, Tottenham Hotspur celebrated another sense of achievement and stayed in touch with the Premier League’s top quartet after a 3-1 win against Bournemouth, who were strong for a long time.
One thing was clear: Tottenham wanted to get back to winning ways after the 4-2 defeat at Brighton in order not to lose touch with the top four. However, their opponents did not arrive as defensive underdogs; Bournemouth had recently fought and played their way out of the basement with 22 points in nine games, defeating record champions Man United and Newcastle, among others, and most recently winning 3-0 against Fulham.
In a spirited game in increasingly heavy rain, Spurs took a 1-0 lead after Sarr’s precise low shot after winning the ball high up the pitch (5th minute). The 21-year-old, who is in Senegal’s Africa Cup squad, was forced off the pitch in tears later in the first half.
Three big chances for AFC before the break
The Cherries lived up to their reputation until the break. Several dangerous finishes just before the end of the period put the Spurs lead in jeopardy. Tavernier with a deflected free-kick (42′), Kluivert, who missed from the right in the penalty area (45.+1), and goalscorer Solanke with a deflected shot against the crossbar after a clever Sinisterra pass (45.+3) left Tottenham’s supporters trembling.
AFC got off to a similarly brisk start after the restart, with Solanke registering a great headed chance (50′). However, Richarlison should have added to the visitors’ renewed dominance after a clever pass from Son, but pushed the ball past the right-hand post (52′). When Solanke was also unable to score from six yards after an hour, the pendulum gradually swung in the home side’s favour
Double strike decides the game
Son, who had previously missed two good opportunities, finally kept his cool in the 70th minute to make it 2-0 after a good pass from Lo Celso. Bournemouth struggled and conceded a third goal ten minutes later through Richarlison’s direct shot from Johnson’s cross (80′). At least the tireless visitors managed to score a well-deserved consolation goal in the 84th minute through Scott after Tavernier’s backpass. His second goal shortly before the end (90.+10) was disallowed due to a wafer-thin offside position.
Well sold and yet lost – AFC’s run of success thus suffered a setback on New Year’s Eve afternoon. Spurs, meanwhile, ended the calendar year with a sense of achievement, 39 points and fifth place in the table after a long period of sub-optimal performances. Keeping an eye on the leaders Liverpool (42, one game less)
The new year continues with games in the FA Cup. Bournemouth visit Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (4pm), while Spurs host Burnley the day before (9pm).
