Tottenham overcome loss of Harry Kane to injury to hit four past Bournemouth
Bournemouth 1 Tottenham 4: Son scored twice after Kane went off with an ankle injury
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Your support makes all the difference.An injury to Harry Kane took the gloss off a comfortable victory that moved Tottenham Hotspur up into third place and helped Mauricio Pochettino’s side move on from their midweek Champions League exit at the hand of Juventus.
Dele Alli struck his tenth goal of the season after Junior Stanislas had given Bournemouth an early lead before two second half goals from Son Heung-min – taking his tally to seven in four games – and an added time fourth from Serge Aurier completed the win.
The loss of Kane to a first half injury to his right ankle, sustained in a collision with home keeper Asmir Begovic, gave Pochettino cause for concern. The forward, who has scored 35 goals already this season, was twice sidelined last term after suffering a similar injury, missing 14 games in total. A repeat would mark a major blow for the Spurs manager, as well as England coach Gareth Southgate who announces his squad for the forthcoming friendlies with Holland Italy on Thursday.
There was little doubt the midweek defeat had delivered a crushing blow to Pochettino’s side who paid the price for failing to respond to Juventus’s tactical switches in the second half at Wembley.
Instead of celebrating a place in the last eight of European football’s premier competition, Spurs had been subjected once again to questions about their ability to take the next step and deliver silverware under Pochettino.
In that respect, focus now shifts towards next Saturday’s FA Cup sixth round visit to Swansea City. But a bigger priority is to ensure a return to next season’s Champions League and Liverpool’s defeat at Manchester United 24 hours previously presented Pochettino’s side with the chance to strengthen their position within the top four.
The incentives were there for Spurs, but they were initially overwhelmed by Bournemouth’s positive early start that saw Eddie Howe’s side quickly expose the visitors’ back four.
Just four minutes had elapsed before Lewis Cook’s pass undid the Tottenham defence, allowing Lys Mousset to advance from halfway with Stanislas in close support. The young French forward rolled the ball into the path of his team-mate who appeared to have done everything right by lifting the ball over the advancing Hugo Lloris, only to see his effort rebound off the bar.
There was little time for the winger to wait before he got the chance to make amends. Three minutes after that miss, Adam Smith easily moved past Danny Rose and directed a deep cross towards the far post where Stanislas controlled with his chest before drilling a low shot past Lloris.
Bournemouth deserved the lead for their enterprising start but were unable to build on the early advantage and soon found themselves pressed backwards as Pochettino’s side finally got into the game.
Simon Francis’ excellent block denied Jan Vertonghen’s shot before Kane thought he had put Spurs ahead when he turned home Christian Eriksen’s cross only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. To add to the striker’s frustration, he was caught by keeper Asmir Begovic as he shot, forcing the forward out of the game.
Erik Lamela replaced the Spurs leading scorer and helped quickly divert attention from the loss of Kane by playing a role in Alli’s equaliser. The Argentina international’s clever pass to Son allowed the South Korean to move the ball on to Serge Aurier whose low cross was met by Alli six yards out for the 35th minute equaliser.
Bournemouth responded briefly at the start of the second half but Tottenham’s became increasingly dominant as they went in search of the second.
Aurier should have done better when he fired over the bar after Begovic spilled Eriksen’s dipping shot but the visitors completed the turnaround shortly afterwards when Alli picked out Son at the far post. The forward volleyed past Begovic and while replays showed the forward benefited from a borderline offside call, the goal stood.
Son capped a solo run from halfway with a fine 87th minute finish for the third and Aurier completed the win with a header in added time.
Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, S Cook, Ake, Daniels (Ibe 67) ; A Smith, L Cook, Gosling, Stanislas (Defoe 76); Mousset (King 67), Wilson.
Subs not used: Boruc, Surman, Arter, Fraser.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Aurier, Vertonghen, Sanchez, Rose (Trippier 80); Wanyama, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli (Sissoko 85), Son; Kane (Lamela 34).
Subs not used: Vorm, Dier, Llorente, Moura.
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