Tottenham Hotspur put in a wonderful team performance to beat Bournemouth 2-0 in Saturday's early kick-off as Ange Postecoglou claimed his second win as Spurs boss, maintaining his unbeaten record.
Goals from James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski saw Spurs ease to a comfortable Premier League victory, moving the Lilywhites into first place at the beginning of the weekend's action.
How the game unfolded
Andoni Iraola was searching for his first victory as Bournemouth boss and had set his side up to press Spurs from the first whistle. Both teams started with great intensity in the opening minutes, but it was Tottenham who settled the quickest and managed to sustain some pressure in the Cherries' half.
The Lilywhites' first chance came after 14 minutes, Neto giving away possession poorly but redeeming himself with a smart stop from James Maddison's effort.
However, the Cherries' goalkeeper was helpless minutes later when Maddison converted Pape Matar Sarr's pass in behind the Bournemouth defence after a wonderful Spurs move. The former Leicester City man opened his account for the season by coolly sweeping the ball beyond the Brazilian to give Spurs an early lead.
Ange Postecoglou's side continued to dominate proceedings after their opener. Sarr had an effort comfortably saved from the edge of the area, Son Heung-min struck a volley wide and Richarlison failed to convert a one-on-one, as well as seeing a header hit the side netting from a Maddison free kick.
Ryan Christie did eventually force a save out of Guglielmo Vicario with a stinging long-range effort after 40 minutes, while Philip Billing struck inches wide with a venomous shot just before the half-time whistle. However, Bournemouth were perhaps fortunate to only be a goal down at the break.
Iraola's side did make a positive start to the second half and created the first opportunity after Dominic Solanke flashed an inviting but ultimately fruitless cross across the face of the Spurs goal. Antoine Semenyo then struck a wicked effort goalward from the edge of the area, but only managed to hit the side netting.
Bournemouth's lively start ultimately meant nothing, however, with Spurs doubling their lead in the 63rd minute after Destiny Udogie's lovely near-post cross was converted by Kulusevski. It was another sweeping Tottenham move that put the game beyond the hosts.
Substitute Ivan Perisic did give Postecoglou a few breathless moments after an altercation with Max Aarons briefly saw a VAR check take place. Nothing was given and that ended up being pretty much the final moment of action as Spurs eased to a comfortable three points at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth player ratings vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Neto - 5/10 - Made an early error playing out from the back for which he atoned. Didn't have much else to do and was helpless for both Tottenham goals.
RB: Max Aarons - 5/10 - Looked good going forward at times, but a little suspect defensively.
CB: Illia Zabarnyi - 5/10 - The more comfortable of the two centre-back, but Bournemouth's entire defence struggled with Spurs' attackers.
CB: Lloyd Kelly - 3/10 - Struggled throughout and couldn't cope with Tottenham's attacking threat. Picked up a yellow card for scything down Richarlison.
LB: Milos Kerkez - 6/10 - Positive in both attack and defence, but did struggle at times with Kulusevski. Looks like he could develop into a strong player for the Cherries though.
CM: Philip Billing - 5/10 - Needs to do better going both ways. Fairly invisible at times, despite the odd moment of quality.
CM: Joe Rothwell - 4/10 - Pretty anonymous in the first half. Replaced by Lewis Cook at the break.
RM: Antoine Semenyo - 5/10 - Livelier in the second half, but almost invisible in the first.
AM: Ryan Christie - 6/10 - Created Bournemouth's best opportunity in the first half and produced a wonderful bit of skill to control a falling ball. Perhaps could have been more influential before being subbed on the hour mark.
LM: Justin Kluivert - 5/10 - Showed glimpses on his first competitive start but lacked end product. Was replaced in the second half despite Iraola needing goals.
ST: Dominic Solanke - 5/10 - Tried his best but couldn't get the better of the Tottenham centre-backs.
Substitutes
Lewis Cook (46' for Rothwell) - 5/10 - Helped improve Bournemouth at the beginning of the half, but Spurs' second killed the contest.
Hamed Junior Traore (60' for Christie) - 5/10 - Didn't do an awful lot right or wrong.
Jaidon Anthony (60' for Kluivert) - 6/10 - Was lively and had an effort comfortably saved by Vicario. However his influence waned over time.
David Brooks (73' for Semenyo) - 5/10 - Didn't make a huge difference after coming on.
Kieffer Moore (86' for Billing) - N/A
Manager
Andoni Iraola - 4/10 - Caught in two minds with Bournemouth neither pressing aggressively for the majority of the match, nor making themselves tough to beat.
Tottenham player ratings vs Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10 - Very confident in possession and reacted well when called upon. Didn't have much to do though.
RB: Pedro Porro - 7/10 - Strong defensively and posed some threat going forward. Looks more comfortable under Postecoglou than previous bosses.
CB: Cristian Romero - 7/10 - Compliments Van de Ven well and was extremely physical with the likes of Solanke and Billing.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 8/10 - Superb defensive performance from the Dutchman who looked more confident than against Manchester United. Dealt with Solanke really well.
LB: Destiny Udogie - 8/10 - Great assist for the second goal and made a couple of wonderful attacking runs. Another great display from the youngster, but did leave the field injured which will be a concern.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 7/10 - Really classy assist for Maddison's opener and dominated the first half alongside Bissouma in midfield. Looked a little sluggish after the break and was subbed for Perisic just before 60 minutes.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 8/10 - Excellent in midfield and commanded central areas with authority. Looks brilliant defensively but also very capable driving the ball forwards and picking out passes. Works well with Sarr in the centre of the park.
RM: Dejan Kulusevski - 8/10 - Took his goal really well with an intelligent near-post dart and was electric throughout. Spurs need him to help chip in with some important goals in Harry Kane's absence.
AM: James Maddison - 9/10 - Astonishing performance, truly astonishing. Scored Spurs' first and was a constant menace throughout. Bournemouth simply couldn't handle his creativity and quality in attacking areas.
LM: Son Heung-min - 6/10 - Lively but still looks some way short of his best. Nice one-two with Udogie in the build-up to Tottenham's second.
ST: Richarlison - 5/10 - Made some positive runs but spurned several chances and looks devoid of any confidence. Comically stood on the ball in the second half and picked up a needless booking for swiping at a Bournemouth player.
Substitutes
Ivan Perisic (60' for Sarr) - 6/10 - Showed a little petulance in a coming together with Aarons and saw a yellow card, but was otherwise solid.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (60' for Richarlison) - 7/10 - Did really well to control the midfield battle when he arrived on to the pitch.
Oliver Skipp (74' for Maddison) - 6/10 - Effective in helping Tottenham recycle possession to run down the clock.
Giovani Lo Celso (74' for Bissouma) - 6/10 - Did well in possession but wasn't asked too many questions.
Ben Davies (81' for Udogie) - N/A
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 9/10 - Wonderful performance from his side who played through the early Bournemouth press really well. Made important substitutions at the right moments to control the final 30 minutes.
Player of the match: James Maddison (Tottenham)
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This article was originally published on 90min as Bournemouth 0-2 Tottenham: Player ratings as Maddison helps Spurs to comfortable victory .
