HOW Thomas Frank must have wished Spurs had rushed the paperwork through for Xavi Simons quicker.
Because if his new playmaker had been able to play here, the Dutchman may well have provided the creativity his imaginative Tottenham side so badly lacked.
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Evanilson’s early strike was enough to hand Bournemouth a surprise win.
But in truth Spurs were lucky they did not lose by a far bigger margin, while their inability to conjure up hardly any chances of note was stark.
Netherlands star Simons, 22, was signed for £51.8million plus add-ons from RB Leipzig on Friday.
But the deal was completed after the midday deadline, meaning he was unable to feature in this fixture.
Simons was given a rapturous reception as he was presented five minutes before kick-off – and it proved to be the only joyous moment Spurs had all day.
Andoni Iraola’s side were simply better – miles better – and really should have rattled in two, three or even four.
The awful performance and poor result checked what had otherwise been a brilliant start made under new boss Frank, who had beaten Burnley and Manchester City in his first two league games and run Paris Saint-Germain so close in the Super Cup.
Spurs had no creativity whatsoever for pretty much the whole game, something that Simons surely must have noticed sitting up in the stands throughout.
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England new-boy Djed Spence had a rampaging early run forward but was stopped by an inch-perfect tackle from David Brooks, who sparkled again.
It summed up how the half went for Frank’s side as Bournemouth checked them at every opportunity, giving them no time to breathe with their relentless pressing.
And within five minutes Iraola’s side were ahead.
Spence was slack as he played Evanilson onside when the Brazilian received a ball through from Marcos Senesi.
Evanilson then struck a shot which took a wicked deflection off Spurs captain Cristian Romero and flew into the far corner.
It was a fortuitous intervention, but Spurs were lucky that their hosts were not as clinical as they should have been or the scoreline could have been far worse come the break.
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Goalscorer Evanilson dragged an effort wide just minutes after his opener.
While former Spurs target Antoine Semenyo somehow headed a breathtaking Brooks cross with the outside of his foot over the bar.
Bournemouth were dealt a blow 26 minutes in as captain and former Spurs defender Adam Smith was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury.
But it did not stifle their dominance which only amplified in the second half.
Frank appeared to send his players out early for the latter 45 but Bournemouth simply picked up where they left off.
And were it not for a hat-trick of fine saves from Guglielmo Vicario – plus some help from the crossbar – the Cherries surely would have doubled their lead within minutes of the restart.
First, Spurs’ Italian stallion in goal denied a belting Semenyo effort by pushing it wide.
Then he was alive to a close-range Evanilson strike which ended up at Brooks’ feet, but the Wales star could only curl onto the woodwork.
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Brooks then drew another fine stop from Vicario with his own blast after a clever twist and turn to free up some space.
By 54 minutes, Frank had seen enough, bringing on Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert for the ineffective Joao Palhinha and Brennan Johnson.
The frustration for the hosts was starting to tell as Spence was booked for a naughty foul which left sub Amine Adli writhing in pain.
Marcus Tavernier became the latest Bournemouth player to come close as Ryan Christie’s cross – sparked by a terrible pass from Vicario – fell to him at the back post but he could only steer into the side netting.
It was as one-sided a game as you are likely to see – and yet, while it remained only 1-0, there was always a chance.
Bergvall finally struck a shot in anger for Spurs on 69 minutes from the edge of the area, but Djordje Petrovic caught it.
With no Dominic Solanke in the squad due to a nagging ankle injury, there was little for Frank to turn to up front off the bench.
Richarlison had started the season like a house on fire but could barely get a kick here.
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Frank made more changes in search of a leveller, with the returning Destiny Udogie and Mathys Tel sent on.
Fellow sub Odobert should have done better when the ball bounced kindly to him inside the area, but he crashed his striker over the bar.
His France Under-21 team-mate Tel went much closer with a superb volley in injury-time which for a second looked to be going in, but ended up flashing agonisingly wide of the far post.
It prompted a late bit of excitement but in the end Iraola’s men held on for a fully deserved three points.
While Spurs chief Frank experienced the kind of dispiriting home defeat that was commonplace last term under predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
More to follow…
