Pochettino: Formation change key to victory

Pochettino made a tactical change ahead of the game to switch from his usual 3-4-2-1 formation to a 4-2-3-1 as Spurs were without the in-form Ben Davies through illness, and Jan Vertonghen filled in at left-back.

However, Spurs struggled to cut through the Bournemouth defence in the first half, so Pochettino changed back to a 3-4-2-1 at the break, with Vertonghen moving to wing-back and Dier dropping into the back three.

The change paid off almost instantly as Christian Eriksen scored the game's only goal two minutes after the restart.

Speaking after the victory, the Argentinian coach said: "They [Bournemouth] played so deep in the first half and we made some mistakes in the first half with our positioning and offensive set-up and we found it difficult to move the ball quickly and break them down.

"In the second half we worked and tried to fix that, we made some changes to our formation in possession and I think that was good because we began to dominate and create a lot of chances."

With a big game against Real Madrid looming midweek, the Spurs boss with pleased with the win, to end talk of any Wembley hoodoo.

"It was important. It was a game we needed to win and take the three points and it was difficult but in the end our performance was enough to take the three points," he said.

"In the Premier League you can always concede some chances, Jermain [Defoe] had one and Hugo Lloris made two big saves and was fantastic.

"It's normal for you to ask [about Wembley] when we don't win here! But I am so pleased to avoid the question this week and hopefully for the rest of the season."