Bournemouth leapfrogged an increasingly out-of-sorts Tottenham in the Premier League after Dean Huijsen’s header secured a deserved 1-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium.
At 19 years and 235 days, Huijsen became the Cherries’ youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer when he met Marcus Tavernier’s corner after 17 minutes.
Ryan Christie struck the frame of the goal while Evanilson had his effort chalked off for offside by VAR in what could so easily have been a heavier defeat for Spurs, who slip to 10th in the standings following a sixth loss of the campaign.
Only Wolves (7) and Everton (6) have conceded more Premier League goals via crosses this season than Tottenham (5)
The results means it is one win in six games for Ange Postecoglou, less than a fortnight since he witnessed his side’s 4-0 victory at champions Manchester City.
Spurs have now lost nine of their last 13 away games in the Premier League but such inconsistency is not something Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola needs to concern himself with at present, with his side rising to ninth on 21 points.
Bournemouth earn another home scalp
Dean Huijsen celebrates scoring against Tottenham
Iraola’s side had upset title hopefuls Arsenal and Manchester City in two of their previous three fixtures on home soil. Spain U21 international Huijsen secured a further scalp for the south coast as Spurs suffered another setback in a patchy season so far.
This was a deserved success which should have been more comfortable. Christie struck the woodwork and the impressive hosts failed to capitalise on a host of chances, while toothless Tottenham created little going forward.
Spurs hammered champions Manchester City 4-0 in their previous away fixture but that was their only win in five games in all competitions ahead of the trip to Dorset.
The north London club started in the ascendancy and, after the recalled Dejan Kulusevski shot straight at Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dominic Solanke fired wastefully over, having been released by stand-in skipper James Maddison.
Ange: I got some pretty direct feedback
Spurs have lost seven of their last 11 Premier League away games
While Tottenham continued to dominate possession, the Cherries remained the greater threat after breaking the deadlock.
Tavernier had the ball in the net 14 minutes after the opener but was clearly offside, before later seeing a close-range header from Milos Kerkez’s cross clawed away by Forster.
Despite Tottenham’s shortcomings, Postecoglou opted against changes at the break – but apart from a Heung-Min Son disallowed strike for offside, Spurs produced an even more insipid second-half display.
“We weren’t good enough,” said Postecoglou. “We conceded a really poor goal and we lost our way a little bit and allowed Bournemouth to play the game they wanted to. We had our moments in the second half but we weren’t able to get a goal.
Ben Davies and Evanilson battle for the ball
“We just have this sort of propensity to shoot ourselves in the foot when really we should be taking control of games.
“We know they’re hard to beat here and what you don’t want to do is give them a goal that gives them that sort of momentum they need.”
On approaching fans at the final whistle, Postecoglou added: “I wasn’t having a word… they’re pretty disappointed – rightly so – and I’ve got some pretty direct feedback as to how we’re going.”
Bournemouth should have put the game beyond Spurs, with Tavernier and substitute Dango Ouattara each squandering excellent opportunities by firing over.
The misses ensured plenty of tension during six minutes of added time but mattered little in the end as Spurs could not muster a meaningful attempt to snatch a point.
Huijsen: My first goal gave me goosebumps
Huijsen (19y 235d) is Bournemouth’s youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen told Amazon Prime:
“We know we make it hard for teams coming here.
“It’s a really exciting win. Every little boy dreams of playing in the Premier League. I’m just so happy to get my first goal. It’s definitely a special memory. The goal is all due to our trainer. We scored a few set-piece goals because of him.
“How do you say it in English? I see, goosebumps. It was a goosebumps moment, definitely.
“We all worked really hard to get this win. We also know Tottenham’s a very physical team. And I think it was a great match-up and a great match to watch for anyone watching at home or in the stadium. First of all, we need to avoid relegation.
“But I think we have a little bit more in us. So maybe, who knows, maybe we can get a Conference League place or something if we keep pushing like this.”
Opta stats – Fortress Vitality
The result means Bournemouth leapfrog Spurs
- Bournemouth have won four of their last five Premier League games at the Vitality Stadium (L1), as many as in their previous 12 such games in the competition (D4 L4).
- Tottenham have lost seven of their last 11 Premier League away games (W3 D1), while they haven’t won on the road when conceding first in the competition since a 5-2 win at Burnley in September 2023 (D2 L8 since).
- Bournemouth have won successive Premier League games for the first time since April, while both their clean sheets in the league this campaign have come in home wins, also beating Arsenal 2-0 in October.
- Only Arsenal (8) and Aston Villa (7) have scored more Premier League goals assisted via crosses this season than Bournemouth (6), while only Wolverhampton Wanderers (7) and Everton (6) have conceded more such goals in the competition this term than Tottenham (5).
