There were songs of love and devotion and the home crowd yearned for the magic of Mauricio Pochettino to come back and clean up this mess from Tottenham.
And there was the sound of protest, as the home fans demanded chairman Daniel Levy step out and jeer center half Davinson Sanchez for his unfortunate contributions to this latest demise of the Spurs, who crashed to defeat just as they appeared to have saved a point.
But it was the cheery chorus of defiance from the other side that rang longest and loudest as Bournemouth won at Spurs for the first time ever, adding three points to the survival fund thanks to a mind-blowing final scene in a breathtaking game.
Kersen substitute Dango Ouattara settled it in the fifth minute of injury time with the fifth goal of the game. Tottenham had equalized in the 89th minute with a blistering strike from Arnaut Danjuma against his former club and threw everything forward in search of the winner as the visitors broke away.
Dominic Solanke, who made his side’s first, scored their second and excelled all around, shook off Pedro Porro and settled for Ouattara who kept his mettle to work the ball back to his right foot and pick his spot, low past Hugo Lloris.
Bournemouth recorded a crucial 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday
Star substitute Dango Ouattara (left) scored a winner in the 95th minute for the traveling Cherries
The ones in Bournemouth red-and-black erupted. The win puts them six points clear of the relegation zone. They have 33 points with seven to play and appear to have the necessary stomach for battle as they head into games against West Ham, Southampton and Leeds.
“Just a big three points,” said boss Gary O’Neil. “The first thing you need in such a big place is faith. They have a beautiful new stadium and the England captain, one of the best strikers ever up front, but we have to believe we can come here and get a result.’
Believe they did. They arrived late, the team bus was stuck in an accident on the way from the hotel for almost an hour, and the Cherries fell behind in the 14th minute, when Son Heung-min found the net.
Clement Lenglet gave a long pass to Ivan Perisic, who drove behind the Bournemouth defense and showed the presence of mind to find Son on his shoulder rather than flash the ball squarely. Son swept it into the net with the inside of his left boot for the first time, converting his eighth Premier League goal of the season for new South Korean boss Jurgen Klinsmann.
Spurs threatened to stretch ahead. Harry Kane shot wide from 20 yards and Neto made the save, first to avoid Son on the run and limping past Chris Mepham on a pass from Oliver Skipp. Then, to block a bet from Kane after a pass slipped through a crowded penalty area by Son.
O’Neil had adapted his system to Tottenham’s three backs and for a time the home side took advantage of the space behind the full-backs, but the visitors settled into a happier rhythm after conceding.
Perhaps the home team helped them by lowering the intensity levels and going on autopilot. Ryan Christie fired a caution with a chance to equalize at half time and Marcus Tavernier saved Lloris with a curling iron from 20 yards out.
Sánchez then came on for Lenglet, who was injured in an innocent challenge in midfield.
Interim Spurs boss Cristian Stellini shook Cristian Romero right to left off his back three and his team relented from the flank, now casually patrolling Sanchez and Porro.
Matias Vina jumped up to steal the ball from Porro and continued his forward run. Philip Billing found Solanke and his pass reached Vina, who scored his first goal for the club, a clipped finish over Lloris’ dive.
Neto saved a shot through the crowd from Son, but Bournemouth were the better team as the first half drew to a close, passing the ball with sharpness and confidence as their fans chanted about staying up, a feat few outside Dorset at the start of the season thought possible.
Horace Danjuma thought he had saved a point for Tottenham with an 88th minute equalizer
Matias Vina reversed the hosts’ early opener to level the scoreboard in the 38th minute
Son Heung-min celebrates his trademark celebration after firing Spurs into the lead in the early stages
Christie was booked for a dive and tried way too hard to make contact under a challenge from Romero. They then lost Vina to injury before taking the lead six minutes into the second half.
Tavernier on the run sent Spurs panicking in defense and an unfortunate intervention from Sanchez put the ball perfectly in the path of Solanke, who applied a clinical finish to beat Lloris.
Stellini’s search for a way back into the game spelled further embarrassment for Sanchez, replaced by Danjuma as Tottenham switched to a back four. His team was one up when he came on and trailed 2-1 when he left. The home crowd, who had booed him after the second goal, cheered his departure.
Dominic Solanke put relegation-threatened Bournemouth ahead early in the second half
Skipp was later sacrificed for Richarlison and Spurs finished the game with five strikers on the field and Kane operating from midfield.
A Richarlison goal was disallowed for offside and Bournemouth resisted until the 88th minute when the Dutchman Danjuma equalised. A Perisic long throw glanced from Mepham’s head to Danjuma, who smashed it into the net with the help of a slight deflection.
There was a delay in deciding whether Kane, clearly offside, was in the goalkeeper’s eyeline before the goal was awarded. O’Neil felt it should have been ruled out.
And there was a golden opportunity for Richarlison, who missed the mark with a free header at the back post for Ouattara’s winning contribution and an explosion of emotion.