Beijing time at 22:00 on December 31, the 20th round of the 2023-24 Premier League season: Tottenham vs. Bournemouth.
Although they once rose to the top of the Premier League standings early this season, the more realistic goal for Tottenham is not to compete for the championship, but to strive to enter the top four and return to the Champions League.
Bournemouth's strength is limited, that is, the level of a relegation team, but they can also cause trouble for strong teams from time to time. For example, in the 16th round, they defeated Manchester United 3:0 away from home, and in the 14th round, they drew 2:2 at home. Aston Villa has been on a roll lately.
In the Premier League standings before the game, Tottenham ranked fifth with 36 points from 19 games, 11 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, 4 points behind fourth-place Arsenal and third-place Manchester City, and behind first-place Liverpool and second-place Aston Villa. (First round) 6 points, which may seem like a small gap, but in fact the competition for the top four is extremely fierce.
is the game. Tottenham started with a 433 formation, with Richarlison playing center, Son Heung-min and Johnson on both sides, midfielders Lo Celso, Bentancur, and Sarr, and four defenders Udoji, Ben Davis, and Emer. Sen, Polo, goalkeeper Vicario. The total value of the starting eleven is 370 million euros.
Bournemouth started with a 4231 formation, with center Solanke, midfielders Sistella, Kluivert Jr. and Tavernier, double midfielders Lewis Cook and Christie, and four defenders Ouattara and Sene. West, Zabarny, Smith, goalkeeper Neto. The starting eleven are worth a total of 160 million euros.
After the game started, both sides had offense and defense.
In the 7th minute, Bournemouth made a pass from the left, and Solanke headed the ball from the penalty area, but it was confiscated by the goalkeeper.
In the 9th minute, Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto made a mistake from the backcourt. Sarr got the ball and went all the way into the penalty area and hit the goal. Tottenham leads Bournemouth 1:0.
In the 18th minute, Emerson took the ball outside the penalty area and took a long shot, but Neto struggled to save it from the bottom line.
In the 25th minute, Tottenham made a through ball in the midfield. Son Heung-min came all the way into the penalty area and hit the goal, but was resolved by the goalkeeper.
In the 31st minute, Tottenham made passive substitution adjustments. Sarr was unable to persist due to injury and was replaced by Skip.
In the 35th minute, Bournemouth passed the ball from the frontcourt to the penalty area. Tavernier got past the defense in the penalty area and then hit the goal, which was confiscated by Vicario.
In stoppage time in the first half, Solanke's shot hit the crossbar and popped out.
In the 71st minute, Lo Celso made a through pass. Son Heung-min took the ball and entered the penalty area. He shot with his left foot and the ball went in! Tottenham 2:0 Bournemouth.
In the 80th minute, Johnson made a pass from the right, and Richarlison scored with a kick in front of the goal. Tottenham 3:0 Bournemouth. The game is no longer in suspense. Arsenal on the other field is a bit uncertain. Trailing Fulham 1:2 in the away game, there is not much game time left.
In the 84th minute, Tavernier made an inverted triangle pass from the left side of the penalty area. Scott followed up and hit the goal, but this could no longer change the result.
won this battle. Tottenham has accumulated 39 points in 20 games, still ranking fifth in the Premier League standings, but only 1 point behind fourth-place Arsenal. It is possible to return to the top four. On the scorer list, Son Heung-min, who scored in this round, is tied for second with 12 goals, Bournemouth forward Solanke and Liverpool forward Salah, 2 goals behind the top leader Haaland, who has 3 penalty kicks. Sun Xingmin and Solanke both have 1, and Salah also has 3.
