Bournemouth 1 Tottenham 4: Kane injured as Spurs come from behind

Harry Kane limped out of Tottenham's 4-1 win over Bournemouth as Mauricio Pochettino's side leapfrogged Liverpool into third.

Published : Mar 11, 2018 23:42 IST

Tottenham came from behind to thump Bournemouth 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium but now face an anxious wait to learn the severity of Harry Kane's first-half injury.

The England striker was substituted in the 34th minute after suffering a heavy blow on his ankle from Asmir Begovic as he turned home Christian Eriksen's cross from an offside position.

Dele Alli, who also limped off late on, swiftly helped turn attention away from Kane's departure, though, meeting Serge Aurier's cross to cancel out Junior Stanislas' early opener for the hosts.

And Son Heung-min's fine season continued as he scored twice in the final half-hour - his 11th and 12th league goals of the campaign - to secure the win for Spurs.

Aurier then added gloss to the scoreline in injury-time, taking advantage of some poor goalkeeping from Begovic to head in at the back post. 

The result marks a return to winning ways for Tottenham after their Champions League exit to Juventus in midweek and moves them ahead of Liverpool into third, four points behind Manchester United.  

Bournemouth started at a breakneck pace and only a lack of composure by Stanislas prevented them from taking the lead inside four minutes.  

After latching onto Dan Gosling's incisive pass, Lys Mousset slid the ball across for the 28-year-old, who could only clip his effort over Hugo Lloris and against the crossbar.

The former Burnley striker made amends for that miss just three minutes later, however, controlling Adam Smith's deep cross at the back post and drilling an unerring half-volley past Tottenham's French goalkeeper for his third goal in his last six Premier League appearances.

Mauricio Pochettino's disjointed side then suffered a further blow when Kane limped off after a heavy collision with Begovic.

The enforced departure of their talisman sparked Spurs into life, though, and they pulled level a minute later when Alli diverted Aurier's teasing cross past Begovic with his thigh for his first Premier League goal since January 2.

The hosts opened the second period with the same intensity that characterised their blistering start to the game and they twice came close to restoring their lead within three minutes of the restart.

First, Simon Francis' fierce long-range drive was tipped behind by Lloris and then Davinson Sanchez's clearance ricocheted off Nathan Ake's head and flashed over the crossbar from point-blank range.

The two sides then exchanged quick-fire chances with Begovic repelling Eriksen's effort from distance and Gosling dragging his shot wide from a good position on the edge of the penalty area.

Alli's influence was starting to grow and he turned provider for Son's first strike just after the hour.

His clipped cross to the back post was met by the South Korean, who shinned a volley into the ground and over Begovic.

The in-form forward grabbed his second three minutes before the end, breaking from inside his own half before rounding Begovic to slot home. 

The Bosnian goalkeeper's miserable afternoon was compounded in injury time when he could only swat Kieran Trippier's cross onto the head of Aurier as Tottenham banished memories of their Champions League defeat in style.

Key Opta stats:
- Tottenham are now unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League games (W9 D3) – only once before have they been on a longer run without a defeat in the competition (14 games ending in December 2015).
- Bournemouth have now failed to beat Spurs in six Premier League meetings (D1 L5). Only against Manchester City City (0 points) have they picked up fewer points in the competition since promotion.
- Indeed, the Cherries side have conceded 17 goals in six Premier League games against Spurs – only Man City have netted more against them (21).
- Eddie Howe’s side have now lost 19 points from leading positions this season; only West Brom (21) have dropped more after taking the lead in the Premier League.
- Dele Alli has now scored in 30 Premier League games and is yet to end on the losing side in those matches (W24 D6 L0), with only three players scoring in more without losing - James Milner (47), Darius Vassell (46) and Salomon Kalou (32).
- This was Mauricio Pochettino’s 144th Premier League game in charge of Tottenham – no manager has taken charge of more in the competition for the Lilywhites (level with Harry Redknapp).
 

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment