Bournemouth puts brakes on Tottenham's solid start
Tottenham Hotspur's winning start to the 2025-2026 Premier League campaign came to an end as it fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
Evanilson silenced Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the fifth minute when his strike took a fortuitous deflection and looped in.
That marked the first time Spurs have conceded in the league under manager Thomas Frank, but it struggled to test the visitors despite having more than 90 minutes, including stoppage-time, to play with.
Indeed, it was deep in second-half stoppage-time before Spurs had their clearest chance, when Destiny Udogie headed wide from a free-kick.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, was unfortunate not to add to its lead, with Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson squandering good chances and David Brooks hitting the crossbar.
After an opening day defeat away at Liverpool, Andoni Iraola’s side has now recorded consecutive Premier League wins and join Spurs on six points from the opening three matches.
While Frank's side has been impressive over the past two weeks, this performance left a lot to be desired.
"Not a shock if I'm honest but not what I expected," Frank said after the loss.
"I hoped for more. We played against a good Bournemouth team. I don't think we handled the balls behind and the second ball game very well for whatever reason.
"They play behind as soon as they can and have willing runners. A few passes and they play the ball behind. That's difficult to play against.
"In football, it goes so quickly. We can still find good bits but overall, it's not a good performance.
"I think we looked very strong in three games but it's about being consistent and doing that throughout the season."
With new signing Xavi Simons watching on from the stands, Spurs will be hoping the Netherlands international can get them firing again when they return to Premier League action against West Ham United after the international break.
"I think it's a great addition for us. Always, we look to see if we can strengthen the squad. That's the plan, but we only want players who can improve us," Frank said of Simons's arrival.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola was enthused by his side's display.
"It was a very good win. We played very well and should have scored and finished the game in a better way. I am happy because I have seen a good performance," he said.
