Heung-Min Son scored a late penalty to salvage a point for Tottenham against Bournemouth in a 2-2 draw after he was fouled by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was in desperate need of a lift after Thursday’s flat display in their Europa League defeat at AZ Alkmaar and had Cristian Romero back, but watched the Cherries roar into a 2-0 lead.
Spurs could have been a goal down inside 20 seconds when Romero presented Evanilson with a glorious opportunity but Guglielmo Vicario made a smart stop.
The goal eventually came just before the break when Milos Kerkez flew down the flank and delivered a sensational cross that was swept home by Marcus Tavernier.
Justin Kluivert thought he had doubled the lead on 52 minutes but VAR spotted a clear offside on Antoine Semenyo. However, Andoni Iraola’s fluent side grabbed the second goal when Evanilson clipped home a lovely finish.
Spurs were set for a 15th league defeat of the campaign at this point.
Evanilson celebrates after doubling Bournemouth’s lead at Spurs
The home crowd were getting restless with their team but the response came, albeit in fortunate circumstances, when Pape Sarr’s overhit cross looped over Kepa and into the top corner.
Micky van de Ven had been introduced for his eagerly-anticipated return by this point and Son then grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, drawing a needless foul from Kepa inside the area when there was little danger on. The South Korean stepped up and cheekily dispatched the penalty.
The result eases the pressure somewhat on Ange Postecoglou ahead of Thursday’s do-or-die Europa League second leg against AZ Alkmaar.
Van de Ven return offers hope
Micky van de Ven made his long-awaited return for Spurs
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
The biggest cheer from the Spurs faithful on another muddling home performance wasn’t Heung-Min Son’s equalising goal – it was when Micky van de Ven entered the field.
He hasn’t been seen in a Premier League game since December when he hobbled off against Chelsea. Boy, Spurs have missed him.
The numbers are there for all to see about how much the Dutchman influences this team. In the 29 games without him, Spurs’ win percentage in the Premier League has dropped from 54 per cent to 37 per cent. They win 1.8 points per game with him and just 1.2 without him. Over a prolonged period of a season, that could be the difference between mid-table and a European finish.
That’s why the home fans found their voices when he was stripped and ready to go.
Immediately there was a difference in Spurs, in that they were being braver and pushing further up the pitch. Van de Ven’s pace and power is the insurance policy that allows Spurs to play this way. It’s the bedrock of how Ange Postecoglou wants to play the game.
Iraola’s pressing monsters wobble Spurs
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Andoni Iraola conceded Bournemouth lacked the required ruthlessness to finish off Spurs
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
Bournemouth are machine-like in their pressing without the ball. To see it up close at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in full flow was a joy. They just don’t stop running.
Spurs felt this heat inside 20 seconds of the game when Cristian Romero was forced into an error and the visitors rarely took their foot off the gas. It is brave. It is bold.
It’s a style of play teams really struggle to work out. The 38 pressures that led to a turnover by Bournemouth is a monstrous figure – the eighth highest produced by any team in a Premier League game this season.
Justin Kluivert was the leader of the press, making 55 pressures, with six of them leading to a turnover of possession.
What Andoni Iraola now needs to do is create a ruthlessness in this Bournemouth team because their high-level performances merit a higher points return.
This is back-to-back away games now, at Brighton and Tottenham, where they’ve left with fewer points than they deserved.
Lewis Jones
Ange: It became a game that suited them
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Ange Postecoglou claimed his Tottenham players showed great mentality to fight back from 2-0 down against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou:
“To come back from 2-0 down, the positives are there. We’ve shown a really strong will to get something out of the game, which, to be fair, that’s probably what’s been missing this year. I think there’s a lot of games we’ve lost where games have just petered out.
“If we hadn’t got sort of more of those single-goal defeats we had in terms of draws like we did today, we’d be in a better position in the league.
“It ended up becoming a basketball game. And that really suits them. That’s kind of their template.
“There’s obviously a sense of nervousness there and we’re getting players back that have been out for quite a while.
“I think some of it is just that little bit of anxiety and nervousness, which we need to get under control, and stay calm in these moments.
“But they persevered, which to me shows they still have belief in what we are doing.”
