The Tottenham midfielder posted sensational stats in what was a close fought 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth’s Jack Wilshere in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
Tottenham Hotspur recorded a hard fought 0-0 draw away to Bournemouth on Saturday to keep their unbeaten league season going.
It was a disappointing result as Spurs missed out on the chance to go top of the Premier League, but as well as avoiding a defeat for the ninth successive game, a big plus for the North Londoners was the return of Mousa Dembele, with the Belgian playing 90 minutes for the first match since the battle at Stamford Bridge in May.
Bournemouth’s Dan Gosling in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
Though Tottenham smashed Bournemouth home and away last season, it was a different quality of side they were up against at the Vitality Stadium in their latest match, with the Cherries having smashed their last home opposition 6-1.
Dembele played very well though in his first full game of the season, demonstrating good tenacity and defensive duties. Below are his statistics from the match:
| Position | Team | Accurate Pass | Passing Accuracy | Touches | Successful Take Ons | Duel Won | Won Tackle | Poss Won Mid 3rd | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mousa Dembélé | MF | Tottenham | 63 | 93% | 87 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 90 |
Harry Arter received a lot of praise after the game and rightly so as he and Bournemouth matched Spurs in midfield for the most part, but Dembele’s quality in the middle of the park was clear for all to see, and the stats back it up.
The Belgium international was ahead of anyone else on the pitch in a number of key areas. He made more accurate passes than any other player, had the best passing percentage of any player that played the full 90 minutes, and also had the most touches and dribbled past more players than any one else.
Bournemouth’s Dan Gosling in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
And that was just with the ball at his feet, defensively he was excellent too, winning more duels for possession than any other player and matching Arter for the successful tackles – both players being ahead of any other man on the pitch.
The 29-year-old lost possession a couple of times, but helped get the ball back before the Cherries could make their opportunity count.
All in all, even though Spurs failed to get the win, Dembele reminded those watching what a top player he is and how valuable he is to Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele walks off to be substituted after sustaining an injury
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