Christian Eriksen ended Tottenham’s wait for a Premier League win at Wembley as his goal handed Mauricio Pochettino a valuable 1-0 over Bournemouth.
The Cherries followed in the footsteps of Burnley and Swansea as they sat deep and looked to frustrate their hosts, with Spurs creating little in a passive first half.
If anything was to change a fast start to the second half was needed, and it was exactly what they got when with just a minute gone Eriksen took advantage of Simon Francis’ inability to clear from the edge of the area and slotted home fine finish.
A dominant Spurs spell followed their opener as Eddie Howe’s side struggled to cope with the speed and power that was non-existent in the first half.
In reply Howe sent on Jordon Ibe and former Tottenham hero Jermain Defoe who, after a big reception from the home crowd, could have had the Cherries level as his near-post effort was sent behind by Hugo Lloris.
While a win over Bournemouth would be par for the course for a side chasing a title, a first home win of the season going into a run which will see Tottenham take on Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid – twice – means it’s worth far more than three points.
