Semenyo's Farewell Gift Secures The South Coast Side Victory Over Wobbling The Londoners.
For almost all of the fixture, Antoine Semenyo had done little aside from receiving a booking on his 26th birthday. But then, deep into stoppage time, came the storybook send-off.
Getting the ball on the edge of the Tottenham box, he unleashed a perfect shot past a helpless keeper to end Bournemouth's worst winless run in the Premier League and depart in the best possible way. Amid an impending transfer elsewhere, he leaves the club with the best wishes of all, having blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous attackers. Following 11 outings without a win, Bournemouth finally rediscovered the joy of success.
Tottenham's Woes Deepen
For Spurs, the difficulties mount. They had seized an early lead through their young forward and later equalised thanks to a stunning goal from João Palhinha. But, with Thomas Frank at the helm, the team's concerns are profound after managing just two wins from their last twelve league games.
The fear among the faithful—based on past experience—was that their side would sit back after gaining an early advantage. Those fears proved premature by halftime, as they had not only lost their lead but gone behind.
The Cherries' Opening Superiority
Celebrating his 50th Premier League appearance, the Bournemouth striker headed home the first goal, meeting a excellent cross from Marcus Tavernier after being afforded far too much room on the right flank.
The second goal originated from the same source, with another Tavernier cross finding Marcos Senesi at the far post, who cut it back for Junior Kroupi to tap in from point-blank range.
The outgoing striker will be "almost impossible" to fill the void left by, but Bournemouth may have found a star in the teenage Kroupi, who looks more assured with each performance. This goal brought his total for the campaign to seven, drawing him level as the highest-scoring teenager in Europe's big five leagues.
Tottenham's Difficult Day
That Spurs had taken the lead after just five minutes seemed surprising, given the absence of several first-choice attackers due to injury. Sporting black armbands in honour of a club legend, the team's lack of firepower was a persistent theme.
Starting only his fifth league game of the season, Tel still had much to do on the left byline when he got the ball from a deft backheel. He smartly drove infield, bending a fine finish inside the far post—a moment mostly overshadowed by the scoreline of the first half.
Their problems were compounded soon after the break when another player went down, clutching his thigh and hobbling off. Lacking a clinical finish, Tottenham's annoyance showed in petulance and rash challenges. They came close an unlikely equalizer when a replacement glanced a corner against the foot of the post.
A dramatic moment followed when a defender went down in the Bournemouth box, earning a spot-kick decision that was overturned after a video review, with the player getting a yellow card for diving.
Late Drama
Then came a piece of sheer genius from João Palhinha. Facing away from target, he connected with a loose ball from a corner with an acrobatic kick that flew into the roof of the net.
It seemed to be enough to secure a point. But, Semenyo had written a alternate conclusion.