Son signs off in style as Tottenham sink Bournemouth to close gap on top four

The more Tottenham change, the more they stay the same. They tried to make life easy for themselves here, they really did. They scored early and scored late, weathering the long periods of Bournemouth pressure, as well as a very Tottenham kind of rain, one that came in furious, intense squalls before disappearing entirely for around 20 minutes at a time.

But texturally this was basically the same substance Tottenham have been serving up all season: a spirited but uneven performance in which the fun is basically indistinguishable from the suffering. Pape Matar Sarr scored a fine goal before going off injured; Bournemouth were the better side for much of the first half; Spurs improved markedly in the second, making the game safe through Son Heung-Min and Richarlison, and yet still ended the game on the scramble after Alex Scott’s two late goals, one legal and one ruled out for offside.