Eriksen earns Tottenham first home win of season

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were in danger of becoming the only club in English Football League history to win their first four away league games without tasting victory in any of their opening four at home after a drab first half.

Danish playmaker Eriksen ensured that did not happen, however, with a well-taken 47th-minute goal to keep Tottenham in third place with 17 points from their opening eight games - five behind leaders Manchester City.

The fluent football Tottenham have produced away from home was again missing, though, as Harry Kane’s prolific run of scoring for club and country came to an end.

Kane, who had netted nine times in his previous five games, had a goal rightly ruled out for offside and wasted another great chance to settle his side’s nerves before being withdrawn in readiness for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.

Bournemouth remained second from bottom but could argue they were worthy of a point. They had the better chances before the break and were always a threat late on with former Spurs favourite Jermain Defoe causing anxiety in the home defence after coming on as a substitute.

Tottenham dominated possession in the first half but lacked penetration and they could have been behind at the interval.

Junior Stanislas had a shot deflected narrowly wide and from the resulting corner Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris made a superb one-handed scooping save after the ball glanced off defender Eric Dier in a congested goalmouth.

Tottenham changed from a back four to a three after the interval and needed only two minutes to break the deadlock when Eriksen’s goalward dribble was stopped but the ball fell conveniently for the Dane to side-foot calmly past Bournemouth keeper Asmir Begovic.

The home side briefly raised their game with Kane’s effort chalked off and he had a close-range effort saved by Begovic when he should have buried the chance.

Eriksen’s stinging drive also forced Begovic into acrobatic action but Bournemouth were always in the hunt and Defoe, given a rousing reception when he came on, went close to equalising when his low shot was kept out by Lloris.

The final whistle was greeted with relief by Tottenham’s fans, many of whom will travel to Madrid on Tuesday for their side’s crunch match in Madrid.