Bournemouth continued its trend of upsetting top Premier League teams, defeating Tottenham 1-0 on Thursday, adding the Spurs to a growing list that includes Manchester City and Arsenal.
Dean Huijsen capitalized on Tottenham’s defensive frailties during set pieces, scoring the match’s only goal in the 17th minute. Following the lackluster performance, some Tottenham fans expressed their frustration towards manager Ange Postecoglou as he approached the away supporters. “They are pretty disappointed, rightly so, and I got some pretty direct feedback as to how we are going,” Postecoglou acknowledged. “That’s fair enough.”
With the victory, Bournemouth climbed to ninth place in the standings, one point and one position above Tottenham. The match highlighted Bournemouth’s knack for surprising high-profile opponents at the Vitality Stadium. Earlier this season, Manchester City began a remarkable four-game losing streak with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, while Arsenal also suffered its first loss of the season there, falling 2-0 on October 19.
This latest defeat marked Tottenham’s sixth of the campaign, leaving them with an equal number of wins and losses. Their away form has been particularly concerning; aside from a 3-0 victory at Manchester United and a 4-0 win against Manchester City, Spurs have lost four matches and drawn one against relegation-threatened Leicester City. “We’ve got to get out of this space we’re in at the moment where we’re just not able to get a real grip on our season,” Postecoglou stated.
Defensive issues, particularly during set pieces, continue to plague Postecoglou’s squad. A week after conceding two goals from set pieces in a 2-2 Europa League draw with Roma, Huijsen was left unmarked in the area during a corner and headed home the decisive goal. Postecoglou had previously downplayed concerns about his team’s set-piece vulnerabilities, stating in May that he “wasn’t interested” in their fallibility and accepting the responsibility after a similar loss to Arsenal in September.
“We started well and conceded a really poor goal,” Postecoglou reflected after the match. “It’s a difficult place to come when giving the opposition the opportunity to play in the manner they want.”
Iwobi Shines in Fulham’s Victory Over Brighton
In other Premier League action, Alex Iwobi scored twice to lead Fulham to a 3-1 victory against Brighton. The Nigerian winger opened the scoring in the fourth minute by intercepting a poor pass from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and slotting the ball into an empty net.
Brighton equalized through Carlos Baleba in the 56th minute, but Fulham regained the lead when Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley, a former Fulham academy player, deflected a corner into his own net. Iwobi sealed the win with a curling shot in the 87th minute.
With this victory, Fulham moved up to sixth place in the standings, just one point and one position behind Brighton.
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