Son penalty saves Spurs from another defeat

Tottenham staged a dramatic comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth after falling 2-0 behind in North London.

The Cherries looked set for a vital win in their chase for Champions League football, but Ange Postecoglou’s side clawed their way back in an entertaining Premier League clash.

Bournemouth started brightly, pressing high and testing Spurs’ defence from the outset. Evanilson and Justin Kluivert both forced early saves from Guglielmo Vicario as the visitors threatened on the counterattack.

Spurs struggled to break down the Bournemouth defence and managed just 0.47 expected goals (xG) in the first half.

Their best chances came from half-hearted efforts by Yves Bissouma and Brennan Johnson, neither of which truly troubled Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.

As the half wore on, Bournemouth’s pressure paid off. Milos Kerkez surged down the left flank in the 42nd minute and delivered a world-class cross to Marcus Tavernier, who volleyed home to give the Cherries a deserved lead at the break.

The home crowd voiced their frustration as boos rang out around the stadium when the half-time whistle sounded.

Bournemouth started the second half with confidence and thought they had doubled their lead in the 52nd minute.

It ends level. pic.twitter.com/leOU4WM1fe

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 9, 2025

A swift counter-attack saw Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo combine to set up Kluivert, who finished beautifully. However, VAR intervened, ruling out the goal for offside in the build-up.

Undeterred, the visitors pressed forward again, and they got their second goal in the 65th minute. Kluivert cleverly played in Evanilson, who chipped a composed finish over Vicario to put Bournemouth 2-0 ahead.

Spurs, however, found a response almost immediately. Lucas Bergvall struck the post before Pape Matar Sarr pulled one back in the 67th minute with an audacious long-range effort that caught Kepa off his line, looping over the stranded goalkeeper to make it 2-1.

With momentum shifting, Tottenham pressed hard for an equaliser. They continued to test Bournemouth’s backline, with Heung-min Son, James Maddison, and Wilson Odobert all seeing efforts blocked.

Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when Maddison played a well-weighted pass into Son, who was brought down in the box by Kepa.

The referee immediately pointed to the spot, and Son made no mistake, coolly slotting the penalty down the middle to bring Spurs level at 2-2.

Both sides had chances to win it late on. Kluivert struck the post for Bournemouth, while Maddison saw a close-range shot blocked by Kerkez in stoppage time.

Despite both teams pushing for a winner, the game ended with the spoils shared.