AFC Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur Match Report, 09/07/2020, Premier League

goal.com, 9 July 2020, 19:02
Bournemouth claimed their first point since the Premier League resumed in June by holding a blunt Tottenham side to a goalless draw.

Tottenham 's hopes of achieving European qualification suffered a setback with a toothless 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Bournemouth on Thursday.

Spurs beat Everton 1-0 on Monday but could not make it back-to-back wins for the first time since the Premier League resumed last month, failing to register a single shot on target at the Vitality Stadium.

Harry Kane felt aggrieved not to be awarded an early penalty and Jose Mourinho was visibly irked neither the referee nor the VAR spotted Joshua King's shove in the area.

Bournemouth, who saw Adam Smith and David Brooks go off injured, thought they had a winner in the 90th minute, but Callum Wilson's overhead kick went in off King's arm and was chalked off, leaving them three points adrift of safety.

Mourinho was heavily critical of VAR after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in June and a 3-1 loss to Sheffield United last week, and he had more cause to be frustrated with the system inside five minutes on the south coast.

King appeared to push Kane over in the six-yard box at the back post from a corner and referee Paul Tierney's decision not to award a penalty was upheld by the video official.

Kane made an important intervention to stop Nathan Ake nodding home at the back post, before Hugo Lloris kept Junior Stanislas' skidding 18-yard effort out of the bottom-left corner on the stroke of half-time.

HALF-TIME: All square at the break after a half of very few chances at the Vitality Stadium.

#AFCB 0-0 #THFC pic.twitter.com/Oeo3SJRDWC

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 9, 2020

Bournemouth saw Smith leave the pitch on a stretcher after a clash of heads with Ben Davies and then Brooks hobble off, before having a potential win taken away from them following a VAR review of Wilson's late goal.

Lloris produced a stunning stop to deny Harry Wilson in a one-on-one situation in the sixth added minute, ensuring Tottenham avoided a surprise defeat.

What does it mean? More problems than VAR

Mourinho will no doubt once again feel hard done by due to the lack of a penalty that really should have been awarded, but Spurs were dismal throughout.

They managed nine attempts on goal and were unable to test Aaron Ramsdale with any of them.

After Son Heung-min and Lloris had to be separated during the victory over Everton, Mourinho has bigger issues to worry about than contentious VAR calls.

Vertonghen back on song

Handed his first start since the restart due to Eric Dier's four-game ban, Jan Vertonghen was solid at the back for Spurs. Few impressed across the 90 minutes, but the centre-back was strong on the deck and forceful in the air.

Lacklustre Lo Celso

It was unsurprising to see Giovani Lo Celso hooked at half-time. He gave away three free-kicks and had a passing accuracy of just 73.3 per cent during his time on the pitch.

What's next?

Tottenham have a north London derby against Arsenal to look forward to on Sunday, when Bournemouth's fight against the drop does not get any easier with the visit of Leicester City.

Top News

27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly considering triggering the release clause of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi during the January transfer window due to their ongoing issues. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly made an offer for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool boss Arne Slot will only be missing three players for Sunday's Premier League showdown with West Ham United at the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have reportedly rejected the chance to sign unsettled forward Marcus Rashford, with the Old Lady more interested in bringing in his Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is grappling with a new selection crisis ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit of Liverpool to the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to hit the 45-point mark before the end of the calendar year, relentless Premier League leaders Liverpool head to West Ham United on Sunday evening for their final match of 2024. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Dani Olmo's situation at Barcelona, with the Spain international potentially becoming available on a free transfer at the start of January. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out when they travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will aim to maintain their remarkable unbeaten status in this season's Scottish Premiership when they host bottom of the table St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One team on an upward trajectory and another on a downward trajectory conclude their Premier League duties for 2024 at 3pm on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both seeking to end a sub-par year on an up note, AC Milan and Roma will close out 2024 with a Sunday night clash at San Siro. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is at risk of being without a single senior centre-back for Sunday's Premier League home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two of the Premier League's bottom-half battlers collide in their final match of 2024 on Sunday, as an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur welcome a reborn Wolverhampton Wanderers to their North London base. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Curtis Jones has revealed he received a touching message from former manager Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool's Boxing Day win over Leicester. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both in desperate need of some end-of-year inspiration, Premier League foes Leicester City and Manchester City play their final match of 2024 at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he will "change something" for Monday's Premier League fixture at Ipswich Town. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton will go in search of just their second Premier League victory of the 2024-25 campaign when they head to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon to tackle Crystal Palace. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is currently sweating over the availability of a handful of players ahead of Sunday's trip to Leicester City in the Premier League. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool may reportedly be offered the chance to loan out Federico Chiesa during the January transfer window. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will be deprived of the banned Jordan Ayew for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the King Power Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hitting low ebb after low ebb, Premier League champions-in-crisis Manchester City endeavour to close 2024 with an increasingly rare win away to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to hand a red card to Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran against Newcastle United. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from a home defeat to Fulham when they head to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on December 30. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in all competitions when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday night. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Level on points in the Serie A standings, Juventus and Fiorentina meet in Turin on Sunday evening, both aiming to stay in touch with the Scudetto race. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Ben Davies will not be available for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Radu Dragusin is still a doubt. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Fulham's social media team aimed a brutal dig at former star Tosin Adarabioyo following their Boxing Day win over Chelsea. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by four places in the Scottish Premiership table, St Mirren are favourites to close out the year with a positive result against Dundee in Sunday's gameweek 20 clash at the SMISA Stadium. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Jamie O'Hara has named the Premier League manager he wants Tottenham to poach as Ange Postecoglou comes under increasing pressure. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Out to avoid an embarrassing fifth loss from six Premier League matches, Tottenham Hotspur play their final game of 2024 on Sunday, when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers in North London.