Football.London

Cristian Romero has made a quite remarkable statement about his recovery from injury having made his return to the Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup on Sunday.

Romero made his first appearance since December in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Argentinian looked rusty, having been out for three months, giving the ball away in the first 20 seconds and needing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to spare his blushed by making a top save.

The defender has been hugely missed and will be a key player in the second half of the season if Spurs are to win the Europa League trophy. And open returning to the team, Romero made a point of sending a social media message.

In it he thanked the medical team for getting him back out on the pitch, but not the medical team of Spurs. INstead, he chose to thank the medical staff from the Argentina national team.

In his post on X, Romero said: "Thankful to the physios at Argentina for getting me out of a bad moment and putting me back on the field where I am so happy. Thank you all for your continued support."

Spurs have suffered with a huge number of injuries this season that has hit Ange Postecoglou hard and has left supporters extremely frustrated with the work that has been done behind the scenes and led to plenty of questions being asked. Romero's post may not go down particularly well with those at Spurs, and it remains to be seen what could happen as a result.

Romero also said in his post: "After a difficult period full of things that happened in between, I am back with the group and happy to be able to help the team. There is certainly a lot to correct and work on, but we are together and eager to reverse this situation. See you on Thursday, we will come back stronger than ever, all together."

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has admitted he is still disappointed with his team's performance levels despite coming from 2-0 down to draw with AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.

After the defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, Son told reporters that the defeat was a 'big wake-up' and 'very disappointing'.

For a time, it looked like another defeat was on the card when James Tavernier and Evanilson put Bournemouth in a strong position.

However, going 2-0 down seemed to awake something in Spurs as they pulled a goal back immediately through Pape Matar Sarr.

Son then rescued a point for his side after he was hauled down by Kepa Arrizabalaga in the penalty area.

The South Korean sent the Chelsea loanee the wrong way to equalise and ensure a share of the spoils in North London.

After the match, the winger was quizzed by Sky Sports on whether the comeback was a positive sign but he was in no mood to look at it like that.

"Still I am very disappointed and very frustrated not getting the three points," he explained. "When you play at home, you expect to get the three points.

"Obviously Bournemouth are a really good side, especially this season they have been outstanding. But still 2-2, I still feel like it is not good enough for us and we just have to keep going."

The Premier League has explained why AFC Bournemouth had a goal disallowed during their clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Andoni Iraola's side had looked the better of the two teams and were deservedly ahead at the break thanks to James Tavernier's stretching effort. The Cherries had thought they were 2-0 up just six minutes into the second half when a blistering attack was incredibly finished by Justin Kluivert.

However, Ange Postecoglou's men were saved by VAR with the game restarting with a free kick. Shortly after the incident, the Premier League released a statement explaining why the goal was ruled out.

"VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that [Antoine] Semenyo was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed," they wrote. While it was not controversial to see the goal ruled out, it was seen as such due to the fact that the assistant referee did not flag it at the time.

Allowing games to continue after clear offside calls has led some managers to fear that unnecessary injuries could be picked up due to hesitancy. Bournemouth would eventually double their lead on 65 minutes thanks to Evanilson but Spurs managed to turn the match around.

Pape Matar Sarr pulled one back just two minutes after the visitors' second before Kepa Arrizabalaga hauled down Son Heung-min in the area. Son dusted himself down to dispatch the penalty and ultimately ensure the points were shared.

Spurs now head into a vital week as they prepare to face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League tie before travelling to Fulham on the Sunday before the international break.

Ange Postecoglou is holding his press Tottenham drew 2-2 with Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League and here are our Spurs ratings from the match.

Postecoglou made six changes to his Spurs team that fell to a poor 1-0 defeat on Thursday night in Alkmaar in the Europa League last 16 first leg. The Spurs boss has brought Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke in for their first starts since December and January respectively. Son Heung-min and James Maddison were dropped to the bench with Postecoglou attempting to inject fresh legs into his side to face the Cherries, who had eight days to prepare for the fixtures.

A nervy first half from Spurs ensured a couple of big early saves from Guglielmo Vicario and just as the hosts looked like they were getting a foothold in the game so Bournemouth opened the scoring before the break. A poor pass from Pedro Porro left him exposed and Milos Kerkez ran into that space and curled in a cross for Marcus Tavernier to slide home.

Pape Matar Sarr missed a big chance at one end before Bournemouth netted a second as Justin Kluivert, who had an effort ruled out for offside himself, played in Evanilson and the striker dinked a shot over Vicario.

Spurs grabbed a goal back first when Sarr curled in a cross that sailed over everyone and bounced in off the left-hand post. Then the scores were levelled when Son was brought down in the Bournemouth box by Kepa. He stepped up to hit a calm penalty down the middle.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou after the game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham came from behind to grab a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League and here are our Spurs ratings from the match.

Ange Postecoglou made six changes to his Spurs team that slumped to a 1-0 defeat on Thursday night in Alkmaar in the Europa League last 16 first leg. The Spurs boss had brought Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke in for their first starts since December and January respectively.

Son Heung-min and James Maddison were dropped to the bench with Postecoglou attempting to inject fresh legs into his side to face the Cherries, who had eight days to prepare for the fixtures.

A nervy first half from Spurs required a couple of early saves from Guglielmo Vicario and just as the hosts looked like they were getting a foothold in the game so Bournemouth scored before the break. It all came from a woeful pass from Pedro Porro that left him exposed in behind and Milos Kerkez ran into that space and curled in a cross for Marcus Tavernier to slide it home.

Pape Matar Sarr missed a big chance before Bournemouth netted a second when Justin Kluivert, who had an effort ruled out for offside himself, played in Evanilson and the striker dinked a shot over Vicario.

Spurs grabbed a goal back when Sarr curled in a cross that sailed over everyone and bounced in off the left-hand post.

The scores were levelled when Son was brought down in the Bournemouth box by Kepa. He stepped up to hit a delicate penalty down the middle of the goal. Both sides pushed for a winner but neither could find it in the closing stages.

Here are our Spurs player ratings from the match:

Guglielmo Vicario

Made a terrific low save to bail out Romero in the opening 30 seconds and then again on the five-minute mark from Kluivert. Couldn't get to Tavernier's first-half goal but saved well from Kerkez's miss-hit cross in the second half. Those early saves ended up bring crucial. 8

Pedro Porro

Big error for Bournemouth's first half goal, giving the ball away and leaving his entire flank exposed. Didn't add much else to the game before coming off in the final 10 minutes. 4

Cristian Romero

His first appearance since December and he made an early mess with a rusty pass just 25 seconds in straight to Evanilson to gift him a chance. Looked nervy at times but did get better in the second half before coming off before the second Bournemouth goal. 5

Kevin Danso

Battled away as the fittest centre-back despite looking tired towards the end of the game and made some important late interceptions. 7

Djed Spence

Some positive forward play but couldn't get back to catch Tavernier and played Evanilson onside for the second Bournemouth goal. 6

Rodrigo Bentancur

Started the game nervously with some mistimed passes and got a yellow card on the half hour mark for a mistimed challenge. Never really recovered. 4

Yves Bissouma

Back in the team and he gifted Kluivert a chance with a messy moment five minutes in. Made a couple more mistakes and picked up a yellow card and was taken off at the break. 3

Pape Matar Sarr

Spurs' brightest midfielder in the first half. He did drag wide a big chance in the second half just before curling a cross in off the left-hand post to grab a goal back. Did well overall with his play. 7

Brennan Johnson

Just didn't take on his man enough in the first half and found himself hooked at the break. Couldn't really complain. 3

Dominic Solanke

Looked shattered at the end after playing the full game but it will have done him good. Had no service to speak off so just ran and ran. 5

Wilson Odobert

Plenty of threat but without the end product. 5

Subs

Son Heung-min

Sent a deflected curling effort against the outside of the left-hand post. Hit a calm penalty down the middle in a big moment after being fouled in the box by Kepa. 7

Lucas Bergvall

Hit the post himself with a strike from distance and needs to be starting every game right now. He changed so much about Spurs' play with his twists, turns and positive play. He does everything the other more senior midfielders aren't right now. 8

James Maddison

Set up Sarr for a big chance in the second half but then lost the ball to allow Bournemouth to break and hit the post. Played in Son to win the penalty. 7

Micky van de Ven

Looked a bit rusty but a couple of sprints up the pitch will have done him good. 6

Destiny Udogie

Came on for Porro for the final 10 minutes or so. N/A

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Jamie Redknapp could not believe the way Tottenham chose to play once again as they struggled in the first half against Bournemouth in north London.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is unwavering in his philosophy of playing football on the floor out from defence to attack. But in the first half against the Cherries there was more than one heart in mouth moment for Tottenham as they continued to give the ball away.

Bournemouth are known for the high pressing game and they caught Tottenham in possession on numerous occasions to work a number of good opportunities. Spurs needed Guglielmo Vicario to save them regularly in the first half, although the Italian could do nothing about Marcus Tavernier volleying home a pinpoint Milos Kerkez cross after a promising Spurs attack was broken up after a poor Pedro Porro pass.

Redknapp, who played for both Tottenham and Bournemouth, was on pundit duty in the Sky Sports studio and could not believe what he had seen.

In analysing a moment where Yves Bissouma was caught in possession gifting a chance to Justin Kluivert, Reknapp raged: "It drives me insane. Coaches do this, why does Bissouma want that ball there? He's getting man-marked, you're in the first ten minutes of a game, play the ball into the space, they've got [Dominic] Solanke up front.

"I watched Liverpool this week and I know they were incredibly lucky but they've got the best ball-playing centre-back in Virgil van Dijk and they never played out for the first 20 minutes against PSG. They thought 'there's no point because they're going to press us'.

"If Liverpool are going to do that, why are Tottenham trying to play out against on of the best teams at stopping you? That my sound like I'm a dinosaur but you are asking for trouble."

Ange Postecoglou has made six changes to his Tottenham team to face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

Spurs served up a woeful showing on Thursday night in Alkmaar in the Europa League last 16 first leg defeat at AZ, with just one shot on target which appeared to be a miss-hit cross from Wilson Odobert. Now the Cherries come to town having had eight days to prepare for the game against Postecoglou's team.

The Australian did not use the returning Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven on Thursday due to concerns about the pitch in Alkmaar and the risk of another re-injury and the Argentine returns to the starting line-up against Bournemouth as captain with the Dutchman on the bench and expected to get minutes.

Dominic Solanke returned to the action on Thursday but suffered a painful knee to his backside from the AZ goalkeeper. However, he has been deemed fit to start his first game since January and will be looking to score against his old side.

Elsewhere, Postecoglou has made changes in defence, midfield and attack to freshen up his team with Son Heung-min and James Maddison coming out of the team along with Destiny Udogie.

Here's the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected to face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Solanke, Odobert. Subs: Kinsky, Udogie, Van de Ven, Gray, Bergvall, Maddison, Son, Tel, Scarlett.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou faces several Tottenham Hotspur selection decisions for the Premier League match against Bournemouth after being beaten by AZ in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned to the matchday squad in Alkmaar, sitting on the bench but remaining unused on Thursday evening. Dominic Solanke, though, did feature as a substitute, playing for the first time in almost two months after recovering from a knee injury.

However, after being replaced by Dane Scarlett in added time because of receiving a knee in the back, the striker's availability is again in question. Postecoglou said it was sore during his pre-match press conference after describing it as a knock soon after the match.

Spurs have shared a matchday graphic across their social media platforms on Sunday morning, which features several players. Photos of Archie Gray, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Rodrigo Bentancur and Son Heung-min are in the collage, plus a further image of presumably another squad member who is not immediately identifiable as only the side of their head and right eye are visible.

Bentancur is perhaps the most notable, as the midfielder cannot play in the second leg against AZ on Thursday because of a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation. That likely presents an opportunity for Yves Bissouma after barely playing over the last month, so making sure the Mali international is sharp may become a factor for Postecoglou.

Tottenham will resume their Premier League charge vs Bournemouth as they look to return to winning ways.

Ange Postecoglou's team are winless in their last two games in all competitions, including a 1-0 league defeat to Manchester City and AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League respectively. Spurs will look to revert the deficit in Europe when they host the Dutch side next week to book a place in the quarter-finals.

Bournemouth on the other hand are winless in their last two Premier League games following defeats to Wolves and Brighton. However, they have had a promising season thus far and sit eighth in the table with 12 wins to their name from 27 matches.

Speaking before the game, Postecoglou said: "Look, we definitely need another game to get the squad to where we need to get to. It's an opportunity to get more game time into certain guys.

"The best way to put last [Thursday] night's disappointment to one side is to perform well this weekend and our league form hasn't been too bad over the recent period, and we'd want to continue that. The Europa League is a massive emphasis for us, but I still want us and have a real desire to move up the table - we get that opportunity on Sunday."

Here, we take a closer look at all the details needed to follow Sunday afternoon's showdown;

What time does Tottenham vs Bournemouth kick-off?

The match will kick-off at 2pm on Sunday, March 9 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Is Tottenham vs Bournemouth being shown live on TV?

Fans will be able to watch the match live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels. Coverage will start at 1pm.

Alternatively, our Tottenham correspondent will be in attendance at the stadium to bring you all the build-up, analysis, reaction and updates via our latest live blog.

How can I watch the Spurs match overseas?

The match will also be available to watch outside the UK. To find out if the game will be shown in your area, you can find the Premier League's international broadcast partners here.

How can I watch Tottenham vs Bournemouth highlights?

You can catch up with the extended highlights on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 10.30pm. Fans will also be able to watch the best bits via the Sky Sports website and app and Spurs' own YouTube channel.

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Hello and welcome to football.london for live coverage of Tottenham's Premier League meeting with Bournemouth this afternoon.

Spurs need to show a major reaction after a poor performance at AZ Alkmaar on Thursday evening in their Europa League round of 16 first leg clash. The 1-0 scoreline in the Netherlands flattered Ange Postecoglou's side as they struggled to get the ball near their hosts' goal with just a single shot sent on target and even that was a miss-hit cross from Wilson Odobert.

Now Tottenham must bounce back against a Bournemouth team that beat them at the Vitality Stadium and has had eight days to prepare for this Premier League clash in north London compared to the hosts' three.

Postecoglou has plenty of selection decisions to make as he looks to get Tottenham back on track before their season completely slips away from them.