Antoine Semenyo delivered a parting gift of the highest drama on the south coast, crashing in a 95th-minute winner to give Bournemouth a 3-2 victory over Tottenham and finally end the hosts' longest winless run of their Premier League era. On his 26th birthday, and with a move to Manchester City imminent, the winger had been a peripheral figure and had only a yellow card to show for his efforts – until the ball broke to him on the edge of the area and he drove a ruthless finish past Guglielmo Vicario with what is likely to be his last kick for the club.
That strike settled a topsy-turvy contest in which Spurs had struck first through Mathys Tel, only for Bournemouth to turn the game around by half-time with headers from Evanilson and the 19-year-old Junior Kroupi, both created by Marcus Tavernier. João Palhinha's stunning overhead kick appeared to have rescued a point for Thomas Frank's side after a second half sprinkled with controversy – including a VAR-overturned penalty for Micky van de Ven and a Richarlison header against the post – but, true to the 'Dr Tottenham' cliché, they contrived to hand a badly out-of-form Bournemouth the win in stoppage time.
Tel ends drought before Bournemouth seize control
Tottenham arrived with the weight of a poor run – just two wins in their previous 12 league matches – and a recent struggle to create chances, reflected in a shots-per-game average that is the club's lowest since such data started being recorded more than 25 years ago. Wearing black armbands in memory of club legend Martin Chivers, however, they made a dream start. With only five minutes gone, Xavi Simons produced a deft backheel on the left edge of the box to release Mathys Tel. The French forward, making only his fifth league start since turning his loan move permanent in the summer, drove at James Hill, cut inside, and unleashed a curling effort that took a touch on its way into the far corner. It was Spurs' first goal from open play in six games and briefly looked like a potential turning point in their stuttering season.