- Spurs faced Cherries with a chance to cut gap on top-four
- A chaotic game ended in a home defeat
- Goal-scorer Danjuma defends his side's approach
WHAT HAPPENED? Winter recruit Arnaut Danjuma has come out to defend Tottenham Hotspur's attack-minded approach late in their 3-2 last-gasp defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday as the Lilywhites blew a gilt-edged chance to boost their hopes of finishing in the Premier League's top four.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the frustrating result, Danjuma said: "We have to come to terms with it. I think we did our best to pursue an extra goal. If you are Spurs, you should always try to go for the win, which we have tried to do. Inevitably you leave some space for Bournemouth to counter-attack.
"It is a bit quiet [in the dressing room] but as quiet as it is we are still excited about upcoming games. We saw Newcastle dropped points. The game has not been good for us but we go back to the drawing board and work hard in training."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Third-placed Newcastle United's surprise 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa opened the door for Tottenham to move level on points with the Magpies, albeit having played a game more.
And Son Heung-min's 14th minute opener looked to have set the wheels in motion, however Spurs capitulated, reminding everyone of the latter stages of the Antonio Conte era, when they were undone a lot of times due to their sluggishness.
Spurs raised their intensity levels after going in behind after goals from Bournemouth's Matias Vina, and Dominik Solanke. Then Danjuma's blazing left-footed equalizer set up a frenetic finale.
But with the hosts busy eyeing a late-winner, Bournemouth broke away with a long ball lumped forward that bounced to Solanke, who played in Ouattara on the left-flank. The 21-year-old cut in elegantly, leaving his marker in the breeze, before unleashing a well-placed right-footed strike past Lloris as the Cherries sealed all three points right at the death.
As a result, Tottenham remain in fifth place with 53 points after 31 games, three adrift of Manchester United and Newcastle, who have played 29 and 30 games respectively. On the other hand, Bournemouth's survival hopes have improved significantly, as they currently have 33 points, six more than third-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM? The Lilywhites will next make the trip up north to face fellow Champions League-chasing rivals Newcastle United in what is expected to be yet another high-voltage encounter, and certainly a must-win for Cristian Stellini's men if they want to keep their top-four hopes alive.