MOURINHO CONTINUES TOTTENHAM REVIVAL
THREE wins in eight days, six points in his pocket and Jose Mourinho declared the hunt was on as he turned his attention on chasing down Chelsea in the race for the top four.
Tottenham have scored 10 goals in their first three games under their new boss and eased up to fifth with this win against Bournemouth.
In between the two Premier League victories, Mourinho’s side have clinched a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Dele Alli, who scored the first two Spurs goals, is revitalised and even Moussa Sissoko scored. It was his first for more than two years and there can be no clearer indication of things turning their way.
There is work to be done tightening up at the back before Mourinho will be truly satisfied but he could not have hoped for a better way to prepare for his return to Manchester United on Wednesday.
‘When I arrived, we were 12 points behind the Champions League position and I didn’t want to think about it,’ said Tottenham’s new head coach. ‘I just wanted to play matches.
‘We want to play European football next season. And if we thought too much about it we were going to be depressed.
Now we are going into a period with a lot of matches. You have match, match, match and so you have the chance to put pressure on your opponent.
‘We play Chelsea at the end of December. If the game was tomorrow we would play them with six points difference and it would be a fantastic situation to play them. But we play them at the end of December and we have to keep close — as close as possible.’
Here was the first glimpse of Mourinho’s competitive edge. He has been charm personified since replacing Mauricio Pochettino but he has picked up the scent of his former club.
This is the challenge to his players: decent start, keep it going, here is the next target.
It is also a test for Frank Lampard and his young team at Stamford Bridge. It should be fun when they meet on December 22. Bournemouth, stretched by suspensions and an illness to Adam Smith on the morning of the game, made an encouraging start, forcing Paulo Gazzaniga into saves from Arnaut Danjuma and Diego Rico but were always vulnerable when Spurs sprang out of defence.
There was a warning when Harry Kane released Heungmin Son to fire across goal and narrowly wide and, two minutes later, the visitors were trailing and Eddie Howe was furious to see his defence undone by such a routine form of attack.
Toby Alderweireld was afforded all the time he needed to launch a long, straight pass forward. Son was first to pick up the flight, met it on the bounce and his touch, although perhaps not intended as a pass, rolled perfectly into the path of Alli, who finished first time, a sidefoot shot to beat goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Ramsdale saved from Kane at the near post and Davinson Sanchez had a goal ruled out for handball before Alli struck again, five minutes into the second half. Once more, it was a goal of staggering simplicity and it came from the same unlikely source.
Alderweireld, channelling his inner Rudi Krol, fired the ball long and Alli took it down on his chest as he made a run inside from the Spurs left. His touch was sound and he had the strength to hold off full-back Jack Stacey before clipping a shot past Ramsdale.
Alli started the move for the third with a pass to Son, who crossed deep from the left to find Sissoko leaping high to finish with an athletic volley.
Bournemouth responded and Tottenham nodded off. Substitute Harry Wilson pulled one back with one of his exquisite free-kicks, curled over the wall from 25 yards. Then added a second in stoppage time after good work by Danjuma, who skipped past Sissoko and crossed from the left.
Spurs still have only one clean sheet in the Premier League this season and it made for an anxious final few minutes but the visitors had given themselves too much to do to find an equaliser.
‘The atmosphere is one of pure disappointment and frustration at what’s happened,’ said Bournemouth boss Howe. ‘The spirit is there, you can see that on the come back today, similar to Wolves last week when we were down to 10 men and fought brilliantly.
‘We know what we’re capable of but we need to start showing it on a consistent basis, even within games. That’s our challenge.
‘The key moments were the first two goals. We have to defend those situations better and we paid the ultimate price. The lads in general played well but the first two goals killed us.’
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga 6.5; Aurier 6, Sanchez 6, Alderweireld 6.5, Vertonghen 6; Dier 6, Ndombele 6 (Moura 74min, 6); Sissoko 6.5, Alli 8 (Winks 90), Son 7.5 (Lo Celso 88); Kane 7. Subs (not used): Whiteman, Rose, Walker-Peters, Eriksen.
BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Ramsdale 6; Stacey 5, S Cook 5, Ake 5, Rico 5; L Cook 6.5 (Gosling 74, 6.5), Lerma 6, Danjuma 7, Fraser 5 (H Wilson 63, 7.5); Solanke 6.5, C Wilson 6. Booked: Rico, Lerma. Subs (not used): Boruc, Simpson, Mepham, Kilkenny, Saydee. Referee: L Mason 6.