Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth: Player ratings & talking points from Spurs fightback | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur fought back from 2-0 down to claim a point against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

After a flat and lifeless display in Alkmaar on Thursday, Ange Postecoglou must've been keen for his side to come out the blocks firing against the Cherries. However, despite the return of Cristian Romero, Spurs could've easily been a couple behind in the opening ten minutes.

Arguably the best pressing team in the Premier League wreaked havoc early on, regaining possession high up the pitch relentlessly to create high-quality chances. Two fine Guglielmo Vicario saves ensured the deadlock wasn't broken by the visitors, and the contest did settle after a frantic first 15 minutes.

The hosts started to have more joy breaking Bournemouth's press and finding the spare man between the lines, but rarely could they take advantage of the promising situations they worked. Kepa Arrizabalaga was far from a busy man, with the Spaniard merely required to make a simple stop from a Dominic Solanke header.

It seemed as if the two sides would head into half-time all-square, but a moment of serious quality from Milos Kerkez helped Bournemouth open the scoring just before the interval. The left-back jumped to pick off Porro's underhit pass to Brennan Johnson, raced down the touchline and delivered a stunning cross for Marcus Tavernier at the back post. The midfielder's finish through Vicario wasn't bad either.

The Cherries had a majestic second ruled for offside following VAR intervention, and Spurs should've restored parity through Pape Sarr before the visitors eventually doubled their lead via a slick Evanilson finish over Vicario. The signs were ominous for Postecoglou and Spurs, with a quiet Tottenham Hotspur Stadium drifting into apathy. However, they did perk up after Sarr's cross-cum-shot dipped over Kepa and into the far corner to halve the home side's deficit.

Bournemouth refused to panic in the aftermath and quickly restored control with Spurs continuing to struggle in the build-up. A third Cherries goal seemed likely before the hosts played out superbly, released Son Heung-min down the left and won a penalty after Kepa inexplicably took out the South Korean. The Spurs skipper stepped up and coolly levelled the score with less than ten minutes remaining.

It was a messy end to an entertaining contest with both teams struggling to fashion a match-winning moment.

Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)

Son equalised from the spot / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Antonin Kinsky (GK), Archie Gray, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett.

Bournemouth player ratings (4-2-3-1)

Bournemouth opened the scoring just before half-time / Nigel French/Allstar/GettyImages

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Will Dennis (GK), Julio Soler, Matai Akinmboni, Zain Silcott-Duberry, Daniel Jebbison.

Returning Spurs centre-backs share minutes

Romero made his first start in three months / Nigel French/Allstar/GettyImages

Both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been absent for much of 2024/25, but the pair enjoyed returns on Sunday. Romero took the armband on his first start in three months, lasting an hour before he was replaced by Van de Ven in what was surely a pre-planned substitution.

The pair are pivotal to this Tottenham team, but neither were able to provide the requisite stability. Romero endured a rocky start in the face of Bournemouth's fierce but smart press, giving the ball away on a couple of occasions which led to good early chances. The Argentine, who has returned just in time for the March internationals, showed his quality through several scything passes into the feet of Rodrigo Bentancur between the lines.

Romero was far from his best, but there were signs before his withdrawal of the rust from a lengthy absence being shaken off. Van de Ven's 30-minute cameo was less notable, although a driving run down the left lit up a tame Spurs crowd. He'd just entered the fray when Evanilson doubled Bournemouth's lead, and the Dutchman struggled to instantly develop a rapport with January arrival Kevin Danso.

While Danso is undoubtedly an upgrade on Radu Dragusin, Spurs supporters have been longing to see Romero and Van de Ven back in action together again. The indications from Sunday suggest we'll see the tandem on Thursday night.

Spurs couldn't cope with Bournemouth's work without the ball / Nigel French/Allstar/GettyImages

Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth have punched above their weight this season because of their ability to win the back back high up their pitch. They're an excellent pressing team, and the visitors smelt blood on Sunday afternoon.

We saw a compact AZ team which pressed more sporadically take advantage of an unsure Tottenham build-up on Sunday, and although the hosts had Romero back in the team here, Bournemouth constantly forced Postecoglou's men into dangerous giveaways. They press with ferocity, no doubt, but there's an efficient astuteness to their work too. Their timing is spot on, as are the angles the pressers take when closing space to make sure there's no easy way out.

In the opening ten minutes, Bournemouth had recorded three shots on target having made just nine successful passes. Pressing alone should've seen them into a 2-0 lead (before they actually went up by a couple of goals).

Their intensity rarely ceased, although Spurs did produce a couple of slick sequences which allowed them to progress upfield. Such instances were very rare, though, and Bournemouth, as a result, controlled the contest. They should've seen out the game without much fuss, but a questionable decision from Kepa meant they were pegged back late.