Tottenham Hotspur substitute Rodrigo Bentancur‘s goal deep in stoppage time secured a stunning 3-2 comeback victory at Bournemouth after the visitors had trailed by two goals in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
Antonio Conte’s Spurs side were again involved in late drama three days after having a stoppage-time winner controversially chalked off by VAR at home to Sporting in the Champions League,
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
This time, however, there was a happier end as Uruguayan Bentancur fired in from a corner to reward non-stop pressure.
Tottenham had looked on course for a third successive Premier League defeat as they trailed to Kieffer Moore‘s double but they showed great character to remain in third place.
With one eye on Tuesday’s vital Champions League clash at Marseille, where Spurs must avoid defeat to reach the round of 16, Conte made several changes to his side and Bournemouth took full advantage.
Moore finished off a flowing move in the 22nd minute when he curled a low shot past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after a ball in from the right wing by Marcus Tavernier.
The closest Tottenham came to a leveller before halftime was when Son Heung-min’s cross was headed against the woodwork by Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi.
Spurs looked more threatening at the start of the second half but were rocked when Moore added his second goal in the 49th, heading in off the bar from Adam Smith‘s cross.
Ryan Sessegnon was about to be substituted by Conte in the 57th minute but the left back earned a reprieve when he reduced the arrears with an angled left-foot shot.
Tottenham, who sent on Eric Dier, Bentancur, Lucas Moura and Ivan Perisic in the second half, were unrecognisable from their first half performance as they pushed Bournemouth back.
Defender Ben Davies rose unchallenged to power home the equaliser in the 73rd minute and Spurs then piled on the pressure. They were rewarded in stoppage time when the ball fell to Bentancur in the area and he hooked a shot past Mark Travers.
The victory kept Tottenham in third place with 26 points from 13 games, while Bournemouth, who have now lost three matches in a row, are 14th on 13 points.
