Tottenham get a chance to capitalize on Newcastle’s loss and close the gap to the top four with Bournemouth’s late loss

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By Webdesk



Opposite one Bournemouth side struggling to avoid relegation should be an easy three points for teams with Champions League aspirations. If they’re not Tottenham, that is. On Saturday, the club lost 3-2 to Bournemouth in dramatic fashion, without benefiting from a Newcastle United lose to Aston Villa earlier in the day, and sniff a golden opportunity to gain ground in a tight race for the top four.

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After the sacking of Antonio Conte at the end of March, Spurs have won just one game under interim manager Cristian Stellini. And even that game, a 2-1 win over Brighton, required an apology from the Professional Game Match Officials Board because Brighton should have been awarded a penalty that could have turned the game into a draw or worse for the Spurs.

But somehow, with all the missteps the club has gone through, they are still in the top four, although Saturday’s loss could be the moment that ends that. With Newcastle United losing to Aston VillaSpurs had a chance to tie with the Magpies and Manchester United on points, but the defense let the team down in the worst way…again.

Davidson Sanchez, who was on the field alone due to an injury to Clement Lenglet, was gifted Dominic Solanke with a chance he wouldn’t miss to put the Cherries ahead. Sanchez was immediately taken out of the game after that, demonstrating how unacceptable defensive mistakes of that magnitude are at this point in the season.

Tottenham turned things around as loanee Arnut Danjuma was able to score against his former club in the 88th minute, but the late equalizer didn’t last. As the Spurs pushed for a winner, the Cherries caught them on the counterattack, and Dango Ouattara scored the winner. This is a match that would have been bad enough as a draw, especially given the odds, such as a free rich carlison header on target, which Spurs managed to generate that could have given them a dramatic late win. On the contrary, it comes as a loss and it is downright devastating.

Spurs are a team that still hold their own destiny in the top four, with games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool in the coming weeks. There will also be a match with Unai Emery’s resurgent Aston Villa side in sixth place soon. This is a run where the team could have used the confidence of a dramatic late win to propel them through. Now, based on the three results after the end of the Conte era, it’s hard to imagine things will turn out well.

Always prone to a late season spiral, there’s a reason the term “Spursy” exists. This team has a chance to defy that story if they take control and qualify for the Champions League without a permanent manager, but things are not looking good with the early return.





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