ANTOINE SEMENYO delivered a parting gift to Bournemouth – with a 90th-minute birthday winner on his final game for the club.
The Ghanaian leaves on Thursday to join Manchester City in a £65million deal.
Some questioned why he was playing in this game given serious injury could have jeopardised the deal.
But Semenyo, who was celebrating his birthday, showed the sense in it by rifling home in injury time before walking off to a hero’s standing ovation.
It ended Bournemouth’s run of 11 games without defeat and was the perfect send-off for the man signed from Bristol City for just £10m three years ago.
Spurs, who were snubbed by Semenyo this month, thought they had fought back for a point.
Joao Palhinha’s overhead kick had made it 2-2, after goals from Evanilson and Junior Kroupi had overturned Mathys Tel’s early strike in the first half.
It left Tottenham fans to stew on yet another disappointing result under Thomas Frank.
While the image of the Dane drinking out of an ARSENAL-branded beaker before kick-off will have gone down like a cup of cold sick.
The Gunners were the last team to visit the Vitality, when Declan Rice’s double saw Mikel Arteta’s side win 3-2, which is presumably why the Cherries had cups with their badge on it.
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But the optics of having the Tottenham manager imbibing from a vessel promoting the club’s arch-rivals were awful.
If Frank was already not many Spurs fans’ cup of tea, then this image will have landed him in further hot water with them.
Semenyo received warm applause from the home fans as his name was read out before kick-off.
And rightly so after an impressive 31 goals in 109 games since joining from the Robins in 2023, earning that mega-money move to the Etihad.
Andoni Iraola’s hosts started the game like a team which had not had that winning feeling in 11 games.
And as unambitious as Spurs have been in recent months too under Frank, the visitors took full advantage.
With just five minutes played, Tel put Spurs in front.
Xavi Simons had just come back from a three-game ban and it was the Dutchman’s backheel out wide to Tel that saw the young Frenchman cut in and fire a deflected shot into the far corner.
It was a dream start for Frank – and his team’s first goal from open play in TEN hours.
Soon after, Spurs fans were singing “there’s only one Martin Chivers”, in honour of their late, great centre-forward who sadly passed away earlier in the day.
Chivers, who famously scored twice in the 1972 Uefa Cup final against Wolves, including a bullet header, would have appreciated the next goal that went in here for its aerial quality.
But the goal was not for the club whom he represented 367 times, but for Bournemouth instead as Evanilson flicked home a brilliant header to level things up.
The first time Semenyo did anything of any note came in the 35th minute as he glided round a Spurs defender and clipped in a dangerous ball which evaded everyone.
He played a part – of sorts – in the Cherries going ahead as he went to tap home another delicious Marcus Tavernier delivery.
The former Bath City man missed the cross completely, but Marcos Senesi was on hand behind to square for Kroupi to fire high into the net.
It sparked a rousing rendition of “Champions of Europe, you’re having a laugh” from the home fans.
Spurs’ travelling support, who still have the memory of their miraculous Europa League triumph in Bilbao fresh in their minds, responded by singing “Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that”.
Yet back came the home fans, honing in on Frank this time by enthusiastically telling the Dane “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.
Lucas Bergvall had to be taken off when picking up a thigh problem, and banged the floor in frustration, before sub Richarlison turned the ball against the post.
Micky van de Ven thought he had won a penalty when going down in the box under James Hill’s challenge, but the spotkick was reversed following a VAR check, and he was booked.
Still, Frank’s side kept on persevering and got their rewards when Palhinha’s acrobatic effort provided Spurs with their tenth goal from a corner this term.
But birthday-boy Semenyo ensured the night belonged to him as his fairytale finish ensured exactly that for his time down on the South Coast before he joins Pep.
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