Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's later Premier League kickoff as
Bournemouth host
Tottenham Hotspur at the Vitality Stadium!
These two teams have been among the hardest to beat in the top flight since the turn of the year, and both still have work to do to seal their objectives before the end of the season at either end of the table.
There is plenty riding on this match, then, so let's waste no time in getting started with some team news...
BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Begovic; Francis, S Cook, Ake, Daniels; Smith, L Cook, Gosling, Stanislas; Mousset; Wilson
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Borus, Surman, Arter, Fraser, Ibe, King, Defoe
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane
TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Dier, Sissoko, Lamela, Lucas, Llorente
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, we'll get to the hosts in a moment, but let's start with a look at that Tottenham team as manager Mauricio Pochettino makes three changes to the team which was beaten by Juventus in midweek.
One of those sees Eric Dier drop out of the starting lineup, having undergone a late fitness test after picking up an elbow injury during the defeat to Juve, although his inclusion on the bench suggests that the England international will be fit enough to feature should he be needed. Victor Wanyama comes into the starting lineup in his place.
Tottenham's other two changes both come in the full-back positions as Kieran Trippier drops to the bench and Ben Davies misses out entirely - presumably due to an injury which had not been reported when Pochettino took part in his pre-match press conference.
Serge Aurier - who missed the Juventus defeat as he was serving a European suspension - returns, while Danny Rose is in on the opposite flank to take the place of Davies.
Toby Alderweireld remains sidelined with a hamstring problem so Vertonghen and Sanchez once again make up the pairing at the heart of the defence, while further forward they will be protected by Wanyama and Dembele.
In front of them there is very little doubt about who will start for Spurs nowadays, with Son having established himself as a key part of Pochettino's side, every bit as important as Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen alongside him.
The main goal threat will, of course, come from Harry Kane again, though, with the England international having the chance to pull clear of Mohamed Salah at the top of the goalscoring ranks again following Salah's blank yesterday.
Kane has scored six goals in his four Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, including a hat-trick on his only previous visit to this stadium in 2015. He is also only three goals short of equalling the Premier League record for most away goals in a season, which is currently held by Kevin Phillips, who scored 16 in 1999-2000.
Kane has scored in his last six away games for today's visitors, and often leaves it late too having netted in the 82nd minute or later in four of their last five away games.
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There was talk that one of Kane's goalscoring predecessors at Spurs may start for Bournemouth today, but Jermain Defoe once again has to settle for a place on the bench from the start this afternoon.
It is a role the striker has had to make do with for much of his second spell at Bournemouth so far, with fitness - notably a spell out with an ankle injury - keeping him from earning a regular starting spot and perhaps damaging his World Cup chances too.
Instead Callum Wilson leads the line for the Cherries today, having scored seven Premier League goals this season but none since January - a drought he will be desperate to end today.
Wilson will today be supported by Mousset behind him as Eddie Howe opts to include him ahead of Joshua King, who drops to the bench despite scoring against Leicester last time out.
That is the only change made by the home side this afternoon as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of conceding that late equaliser against Leicester last time out.
The back four of Francis, Cook, Ake and Daniels remains unchanged, while in midfield Lewis cook and Dan Gosling are once again selected in the middle, with Smith and Stanislas providing the width.
Bournemouth are able to welcome Harry Arter back into the squad today, though, while Ryan Fraser and Jordon Ibe have both recovered from injury setbacks to also feature on the bench here.
Fraser was also on the bench against Leicester but has been struggling with a back injury lately, whereas Ibe has been sidelined with a hamstring problem but returns to the matchday squad today.
There are options on the bench for
Eddie Howe should he need them today, then, but any Bournemouth team he opts to put out at the moment seem to have made themselves very difficult to beat.
The Cherries have only lost one of their last 12 games across all competitions - with one of those coming in the FA Cup - which is a vast improvement on their run of four defeats in a row prior to Christmas. There have perhaps been too many draws during Bournemouth's recent improved form - six compared to four wins - but it is still a sign that they are moving in the right direction.
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Eddie Howe will be the last person who needs telling that they still have work to do this season, though, having been in the bottom three himself as recently as December.
However, there are a few teams in greater danger than Bournemouth at the moment and, with a six-point gap separating them from the bottom three as things stand, it may take just two more wins from their final nine games to secure yet another season in the top flight.
With two more wins - and perhaps another draw - needed to secure survival, it will come as good news to Bournemouth fans that they still need to face three of the current bottom four before the end of the season - including rock-bottom West Bromwich Albion.
It will not all be plain-sailing throughout the remainder of the campaign, though, as including this afternoon they must also play three of the current top four in their final nine games, with Liverpool and Manchester United also still to come.
Interestingly, Bournemouth have exactly the same number of points this season as they did after 29 games last season, although last term they were a place better off and crucially nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Even so, it bodes well considering they went on to finish ninth last season, amassing 46 points to leave themselves 12 points clear of the bottom three. Eddie Howe would certainly take a repeat of that if you offered it to him now.
That Bournemouth have a bit of breathing space between themselves at the bottom three is largely down to a run of only one defeat in their last 10 Premier League games since Christmas, even if half of those have ended as draws.
Only today's opponents Tottenham have lost fewer league games since Christmas, although Bournemouth are winless in their last three and could draw three top-flight games in a row for the first time today.
Bournemouth have also scored in 10 successive Premier League games for the first time in their history, but on the flip side they have kept only one clean sheet in their last 16 top-flight outings - that in a 3-0 win over Chelsea. Both teams to score looks like the safe bet today, then.
Spurs may naturally come into this match as favourites, but Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six home games across all competitions, since they were put to the sword here by Liverpool in mid-December. That run includes winning three of their last four Premier League home games, which is one more than they had managed from their opening 10 home league outings this season.
A three-match winning streak did come to an end in their most recent home league game, although that 2-2 draw with Newcastle may have felt like a victory as they came from two goals down late on to secure a point.
Bournemouth's current unbeaten run of five home league games in a row is already their best ever in the top flight, but despite their good recent form, only three teams - Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Brom - have amassed fewer points in front of their own fans so far this season.
Only Watford, Palace and West Brom have conceded more home goals this season too, with Bournemouth having failed to keep a clean sheet at Dean Court since November 18 - a run of nine matches which has seen them ship 17 goals.
The hosts will certainly be hoping that Spurs are suffering a hangover of sorts from their midweek defeat today as the first goal could well be crucial this afternoon.
Spurs are unbeaten in the 18 league matches in which they have taken the lead this season - winning 17 of those - but only Huddersfield have picked up fewer points from losing positions and Spurs are yet to win in a game in which they have fallen behind. By contrast, Bournemouth have won 13 points from losing positions this term, which was more than any other team prior to this round of fixtures.
A quick start is key, then, so
Mauricio Pochettino will be stressing the importance of leaving that loss to Juventus in the past. There is no doubt that it will be a difficult one to swallow as Spurs were the better team over the two legs and Juventus looked to be there for the taking, but once again they fell short and now they have only the Premier League and FA Cup to look forward to for the rest of the campaign.
The FA Cup remains their only remaining chance of silverware, which means that Saturday's quarter-final against Swansea has taken on even greater significance now.
Spurs cannot afford to take one eye off today's match, though, as however badly the fans want a trophy to celebrate, they will also be desperate to ensure that they are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Juventus again next season.
As things stand Spurs will be doing that, but the gap to fifth-placed Chelsea is now only two points following their win over Crystal Palace yesterday, and Spurs must still face the champions and Manchester City before the end of the season. It looks like it might go right down to the wire.
While the Chelsea result didn't go Tottenham's way, there was better news earlier in the day as Liverpool lost at Manchester United, bringing Jurgen Klopp's side back to within striking distance of both Spurs and Chelsea.
Indeed, a victory this afternoon would see them leapfrog Liverpool up to third in the table, crucially taking them five points clear of Chelsea again too. There were no such problems last season when Spurs were four points better off at the same stage of the campaign, sitting in second and seven points off the leaders whereas now they are fourth and 20 adrift of Man City.
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Spurs cannot afford to let Wednesday's defeat derail their season, though, and prior to that loss at Wembley they were in fine form, stringing together a 17-match unbeaten run across all competitions which stretched back to their loss at Man City in mid-December.
Pochettino's side could now lose successive matches for the first time since October, but they are still unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games, which is the longest current run in the division. Indeed, Spurs have won their last three without even conceding, and could register four successive wins and clean sheets for the first time since April 2017.
Tottenham have also improved away from home in recent months, and they make this trip to the South coast unbeaten in their last eight games on the road across all competitions - although only three of those have ended as victories.
Victory at Crystal Palace in their most recent away game ended a run of five consecutive draws on their travels, but even their record of three wins and five draws from their last eight away outings is a significant improvement on the run of one win and four defeats in seven which preceded it.
Spurs have certainly had their problems away from home in the league this season - at one stage going through a run which saw them fail to win five in a row and pick up just one point from a possible 15 in the process - but they come into this match unbeaten in five, with three wins in that time too.
Indeed, despite that blip in the middle, only Man City, Liverpool and Manchester United have picked up more points on their travels this season, while only Man City and Burnley have conceded fewer away goals.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Vitality Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Bournemouth have been scoring goals at one end but leaking them at the other tpp frequently recently, so I can see both sides getting on the scoresheet again this afternoon. Spurs have the firepower to really punish any defensive blips, though, so we're going for a narrow away victory.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Bournemouth 1-2 Tottenham
These two sides have only ever met each other on five previous occasions in the league, and all of those have come in the Premier League era too.
Spurs have dominated those past meetings, winning four of them and only failing to win once - a goalless draw in the corresponding fixture last term. That also just so happened to be the first and only time that Bournemouth have kept a clean sheet against Spurs.
The Cherries have failed to even score in their last four meetings with Tottenham, though, which is a drought which now stretches back 449 minutes.
Indeed, the only league goal Bournemouth have ever scored past Tottenham came just 49 seconds into their first ever league meeting when Matt Ritchie opened the scoring, although Tottenham still went on to win that match.
The most recent meeting between these two sides also saw Spurs run out winners, with Christian Eriksen scoring the only goal of the game at Wembley in October.
Bournemouth have tasted victory over Tottenham once before, though, coming out on top in their only ever non-league meeting when they were drawn together in the 1957 FA Cup.
The Cherries ran out 3-1 winners on that occasion, which was the first ever meeting between the two sides, but since then it has been Tottenham who have dominated this fixture.
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to get started here. A quick reminder of the team news before we do get going...
BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Begovic; Francis, S Cook, Ake, Daniels; Smith, L Cook, Gosling, Stanislas; Mousset; Wilson
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Bournemouth get us underway at Dean Court!
Spurs are seeing all of the ball in these opening exchanges as they pin Bournemouth back early on. It has been a bright start from the visitors.
OFF THE BAR! Incredible! Out of nothing, Bournemouth break forward as they catch Spurs sleeping defensively. It is a lightning break as Mousset drives forward with no defenders separating him from the goal. Sanchez is getting back, but Stanislas is in support and Mousset finds him with a square pass. Stanislas tries to just dink it over the diving Lloris, though, and his effort comes back off the crossbar!
What a start that could have been for Bournemouth, and in truth they really should have scored. Spurs were cut open far too easily there, though.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Tottenham (Junior Stanislas)
What a start this has been for Bournemouth! This time Stanislas makes no mistake with his finish, and the hosts have the lead after only seven minutes!
Smith does really well down the left flank to turn the ball around the corner and chase it down himself before delivering a dangerous cross into the box. Aurier has come inside and left Stanislas on his own, allowing the Bournemouth man to take a touch before arrowing his finish into the far corner.
This has been a really high-tempo start to the match for Bournemouth, and Spurs look shaken here. Remember, they have never won after conceding the first goal this season, so they have a lot of work to do here!
SHOT! Stanislas is wreaking havoc at the moment. Again he causes confusion in the defence while breaking into the box, winning Bournemouth a corner which Daniels can only turn over the crossbar.
This is a really key spell for Tottenham now. They have been all at sea defensively so far, while Bournemouth can smell blood, but if the visitors can weather this storm without suffering further damage then that could prove to be very important.
Better from Spurs as they string together a few passes and put the Bournemouth defence under pressure, but Aurier's cross into the box is collected by Begovic - although he almost spills it at the feet of a white shirt.
Bournemouth win a free kick in a dangerous position which Stanislas tries to curl towards goal, but his effort hits the top of the wall.
YELLOW CARD! Again Spurs leave Sanchez one on one against a Bournemouth attacker, and Wilson skips inside which forces Rose to trip him and pick up a yellow card.
Bournemouth continue to look dangerous almost every time they come forward here, with Spurs struggling to deal with their quick attack. In contrast, Kane has barely had a kick so far.
Spurs do seem to have weathered the early storm and are now beginning to settle into the game a little more, but they are certainly not at their best just yet. A hangover from midweek, perhaps?
Spurs have seen the majority of the ball in the opening quarter of this match - 56% to 44% - but they are yet to pose Begovic any real problems in the Bournemouth goal. There was been very little cutting edge from the visitors.
The first hint of a chance for Spurs as Rose sends a low pass into the box which goes all the way through to Vertonghen, but under heavy pressure from Francis he can only blaze his effort well off target.
This is much better from Tottenham now and they keep the ball for a long time here, knocking it about amongst themselves. They aren't going anywhere fast, but they are beginning to gain a bit of control over this one.
DISALLOWED GOAL! At the end of that really good team move Tottenham do have the ball in the back of the net, but the flag is immediately up for offside. Eriksen bent a beauty of a cross into the box which Kane finished with aplomb, but he had just strayed offside.
The big concern for Tottenham here is that Kane stayed down after that incident, having been clattered into by Begovic. Kane is holding his ankle, but it looks as though he will try to carry on here.
Kane has had a long walk around the pitch to the halfway line, but now he has turned around and is heading down the tunnel. That would be a huge blow for Spurs.
CHANCE! Bournemouth almost shoot themselves in the foot here as Begovic flaps at a cross and can only push it as far as Alli. The midfielder watches it all the way, but snatches at his volley and completely misses it, allowing Lewis Cook to make the clearance.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Here is the change as Kane is replaced by Erik Lamela. Interesting that Fernando Llorente was overlooked, and Son will now lead the line for Spurs.
SAVE! The ball drops to Mousset around 25 yards from goal, but his subsequent effort is tame and Lloris gets down to make a routine save.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Tottenham (Dele Alli)
Tottenham may have lost their chief goalscorer, but they are level here as Dele Alli equalises with 10 minutes of the half remaining.
Son slides a good pass in behind for Aurier down the right flank, and the full-back's cross on the run is perfect. Alli meets it and controls his finish well to steer the ball home from close range!
Tottenham have been nowhere near their best so far, but they have got their equaliser here and Pochettino will be hoping for a much better performance in the second half. The visitors will be relieved if they go into half time level considering how this first half has gone.
SHOT! Bournemouth continue to carry a threat when they come forward and Wilson slips a pass in to Smith here, who just passes his finish comfortably wide of the far post.
Eddie Howe will be really happy with how his side have played in this first half, but Spurs have grown into this first half as it has progressed. This is set up very nicely for another good half of football.
SAVE! Better from the visitors as they work space for Eriksen to shoot from just outside the area, but his low effort is gathered at the second attempt by Begovic.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Bournemouth 1-1 Tottenham
An entertaining first half comes to an end at Dean Court, and we're all square between Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.
It is Spurs who will perhaps be the happier of the two sides at the interval having made a poor start to the game, but they grew into the first half eventually and will be hoping for a much better performance in the 45 minutes to come.
Bournemouth made a flying start to the match and struck the crossbar even before their seventh-minute opener, with Stanislas lifting his finish over Lloris but against the woodwork when he really should have scored at the end of a quick counter-attack.
Stanislas made no mistake when he was presented with another opening just three minutes later, though, collecting Smith's cross from the right before drilling a crisp finish into the bottom corner to leave Lloris no chance.
Tottenham were hit by an injury to Harry Kane in that first half too, but the visitors actually played better without their top scorer on the field.
Indeed, just one minute after he was subbed off Spurs levelled things up through Alli, who did well to control his finish past Begovic after being picked out by Aurier's cross. Begovic could have perhaps red the cross better, but Alli did well to finish it as it arrived awkwardly to him.
The extent of Kane's injury is yet to be determined, but it certainly didn't look good for the striker.
His ankle got caught underneath Begovic when Kane was finishing off an Eriksen cross, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside anyway. Fans of Spurs and England will be hoping that it is nothing serious, but it looked like a painful one and he is not the type of player who will stay down unless he is really hurt.
KICKOFF: Spurs get us back underway at Dean Court!
SAVE! It is another flying start to the half from Bournemouth, and they almost regain their lead! Sanchez can only clear the ball as far as Francis, who hammers a fine strike towards goal which Lloris does really well to turn behind for a corner.
The resulting corner is met by Aurier, but his clearance hits the head of Ake and bounces over the crossbar. That one could have gone anywhere.
Ake stayed down and needs treatment after that blow to the head, but after a couple of concussion tests he looks like he will be fine to continue.
Crucial interception from Francis here! Another Eriksen cross into the box almost finds Alli, but it is half blocked on its way through and Francis then gets a foot in just as Alli is looking to pull the trigger.
Bournemouth are still more than holding their own in this match - there has not been a shift in the balance of power at half time. The hosts will really fancy their chances of getting something out of this game.
Spurs want a penalty as Son tumbles over in the box after collecting a pass from Alli. Mike Dean is unmoved, though, and it looks like the correct decision to me.
Francis goes barrelling into Alli in the corner, but Mike Dean again lets play continue. Alli cannot quite believe it, and this time the Spurs man has a point.
SAVE! Eriksen finds a bit of space to go for goal from range, but his dipping strike is parried away by Begovic before it can nestle into the bottom corner.
CHANCE! Bournemouth have a chance at the other end as Stanislas draws all of the Tottenham players towards him before finding Gosling, who can only drag his effort wide of the target from the edge of the box.
Tottenham are on top in this game as we pass the hour mark. Bournemouth are still holding firm and Begovic is by no means under constant pressure, but the visitors are in control at the moment.
YELLOW CARD! Gosling picks up a rather soft yellow card for clipping Rose.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-2 Tottenham (Son Heung-min)
Who needs Harry Kane?! Son continues his fine recent scoring form to give Spurs the lead, although there is a stroke of luck to this one.
It is patient play from the visitors as Alli cuts inside before picking out a cross to Son at the back post. The Korean attempts a first-time volley, but he completely scuffs his effort and if anything that helps it go in as it bounces over Begovic and in.
Spurs are on course to win from behind for the first time this season, then, and despite Bournemouth playing pretty well for long spells of this match, you'd have to say that tottenham are worthy of their lead. Something needs to change for the hosts here.
SAVE! Son threatens again here as he sneaks in down the right channel to latch on to Aurier's low cross. the Korean takes one touch before drilling a powerful strike towards goal from a tight angle which Begovic needs to save.
Tottenham are really pushing for the third goal which could kill this game off now. Bournemouth are comfortably second best at the moment, and Howe looks like he will be making changes as a result.
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Sure enough, there is a double change as Mousset and Smith are replaced by Josh King and Jordon Ibe.
SAVE! Stanislas manages to get a shot away, but it is never troubling Lloris and he gathers with minimum fuss.
Less than 20 minutes remaining for Bournemouth to try to get something out of this game now. They have tired as it has progressed, but as long as the deficit remains one they are still in this.
Eddie Howe is readying another change here, and it is an interesting one with Defoe lining up to come on against his former club.
SHOT! A cross from the left arrives at the feet of Francis outside the area, and again he only has one thought in his mind. It is another well-struck effort, but this time it flies over the crossbar.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: There is the change as Jermain Defoe replaces Stanislas.
Bournemouth are enjoying a good spell of possession now as Spurs begin to drop back a little deeper in an attempt to protect their lead. Just over 10 minutes remaining now!
Rose has had a miserable time with injuries recently, and he is down again here. It looks like a muscle problem and he may not be able to carry on here.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Kieran Trippier replaces Rose, which will see Aurier switch over to the opposite flank.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Bournemouth have the ball in the back of the net, but the referee has already blown for a foul against Wilson on Sanchez. Wilson took it down on his chest before sweeping the ball past Lloris, but he had just nudged Sanchez in order to make the space.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs may be en route to three points here, but they have also lost three players to injury and Alli is the latest to limp off as he is replaced by Moussa Sissoko.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-3 Tottenham (Son Heung-min)
Game over! Son gets his second and Spurs have their fourth, with Bournemouth shooting themselves in the foot when going all out attack.
One ball forward releases Son clean through on goal from inside his own half, and he uses the run of Lamela in support as a dummy before taking it past Begovic and sweeping his finish into the empty net.
CHANCE! Son almost has his hat-trick here as he breaks in down the left flank, but his drive towards the near post is turned away by Begovic.
There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-4 Tottenham (Serge Aurier)
Begovic has not looked particularly comfortable all game, and he has gifted Spurs a fourth here.
Trippier's cross from the right should be cleared by the keeper, but his touch only tees it up perfectly for Aurier to nod into the empty net.
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Well, the fixture promised goals, but Eddie Howe certainly would not have wanted four for Tottenham as they overcome a really slow start to beat Bournemouth 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth took the lead after only eight minutes through Stanislas, but Dele Alli equalised before half time and Son added a second-half brace to put the game to bed. Serge Aurier then capped off the scoring to secure a fourth straight league win for Spurs, who climb up to third in the Premier League table.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Tottenham come from behind to beat Bournemouth 4-1, climbing up to third in the table in the process. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around or reaction from both camps too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
