It was one of the great AFC Bournemouth performances under Andoni Iraola on Saturday, as they went to the capital and put a rejuvenated Spurs side to the sword. Truly an outstanding display from start to finish, so much so that it’s hard to single out any individuals for praise as they all deserve it; the fact it was only 1-0 is somewhat criminal.

We learned a lot of things yesterday, pretty much all of which was positive – it’s hard to whittle it down to just five, but here we are:

1. Truffert is the ‘Truff’

I deeply apologise for that pun, it won’t happen again (it will). But wow, Adrien Truffert AGAIN. Another sensational display from our £14M man, looking more and more a bargain as these early weeks go by. I saw someone on Twitter describe Truffert as the ‘adult version of Kerkez’, and I think that is the perfect analogy. Truffert was absolutely everywhere, creating a chance; making nine defensive contributions; completing 3/4 dribbles; and winning 10/17 ground duels. His brilliant game was summed up in the 95th minute, where he somehow managed to muster up the energy to surge forward and win a free-kick just outside the area, bringing a much needed relief of pressure. He is aggressive, but not as rash as Kerkez, and still carries a good threat going forward, non-stop for 90 minutes. The perfect Andoni Iraola full-back.

2. Marcos Senesi is BACK

Perhaps it was harsh to question Marcos’ performances, having hardly played since November last year he was unlikely to immediately return to his best. But there was a little sense of panic – what if he wasn’t going to return to his best, and not be able to replace the massive void left by Zabarnyi and Huijsen? After a much improved performance against Wolves, Senesi again showed his class yesterday. It was almost the complete defensive performance from Marcos, who alongside Bafode Diakite, bullied Richarlison for the entire game. Senesi made 14 defensive contributions (tackles + clearances + interceptions), winning 100% of his tackles, making 6 recoveries, winning 5/5 of his ground duels and 1/2 of his aerial duels. To go with that, of course, was a fantastic assist for Evanilson; Senesi’s distribution from the back was a key out ball throughout the match – there is no AFC Bournemouth defender as capable on the ball as Senesi is. It was great to see him back to his best – whichever central defender is likely signed in the next few days will have to work very hard to get back into the side if this form continues.

3. Djordje Petrovic is very different to Kepa – not in a bad way

I genuinely don’t think I have ever known an AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper to be comfortable catching the ball and to be very commanding of his area, but the early signs from Djordje Petrovic are that he is the one to break that mould. He didn’t have too much to do yesterday, only being forced into one save, but he made three high claims and one punch as he dominated his six yard area. Given the team have lost some height in defence, it’s imperative that Petrovic continues to command his area when needed. That is definitely a strength he has on Kepa, however, his distribution, especially long balls, is not as good. It is not terrible, definitely not a massive problem, but it is clear he is not as comfortable with the ball at his feet as Kepa was. Still, back-to-back clean sheets makes for a very positive start to Petrovich’s Bournemouth career, and I for one like what we’ve seen so far.

4. David Brooks looks better than ever

It really is great to say that this is the best version of David Brooks we have seen since his debut 2018/19 campaign, when he was nominated for the PFA young player of the year. He truly was robbed by Antoine Semenyo for assist of the year – the inch perfect, trivela cross to Semenyo was simply majestic, and somehow headed over the bar. Like his pass to Evanilson to win the red card last week, no Bournemouth player is capable of producing a cross that skilful. Brooks was unlucky not to get an assist again later as his header set Evanilson through, before Brooks’ deflected strike hit the bar just seconds later. The Welsh Wizard was a constant threat – but what Andoni Iraola will likely be more thrilled about is his work going the other way, which Brooks appears to have improved no end this season. He completed the most tackles in the match (three), and won 5/7 ground duels. Died Spence likes to get forward a lot but he was tracked all the way by Brooks. It seems to me that this is a major reason Iraola now trusts him as a regular starter, his understanding of his role has grown significantly, his fitness seems to have gone up a level, and his confidence seems higher than it has in a long, long time. Andoni made it clear he will not be leaving this window – get this man a new contract.

5. Alex Scott is very capable of playing for this team

Alex Scott can be a very frustrating player to watch. We see glimpses of what he is capable of, but we have yet to see a consistent run strung together by the young midfielder. It’s not completely his fault, he’s been thrown into a lot of different positions and had to overcome some untimely injuries. This season, again, we have seen flashes of a brilliant player, but he hasn’t stood out in his starts, and has disappointed some fans. Yesterday was easily his best display of the season, one of his best in a Bournemouth shirt. He looked strong against a physical midfield trio, and had some excellent moments on the ball to help continue the momentum up the pitch. Scott created two chances, completed 88% of his passes, made seven defensive contributions, wasn’t dribbled past, won 5/7 ground duels and 1/1 aerial duels. Of course, we need to see this on a more consistent basis from a man who cost us £25M, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ryan Christie take his place after the international break, but it was a very encouraging display from a man who has already had his fair share of stick this season.

It took everything in my power not to write about Tyler Adams again this week – but I suppose we didn’t learn much about him, we already knew how brilliant he was. The same goes for writing about creating all those missed chances, but yesterday was maybe our best and most complete performance under the absolute genius that is Andoni, so everything needed to be kept positive. It was a true pleasure to watch from start to finish, and AFC Bournemouth fans need to remember to not take anything for granted when it comes to watching this exciting, brave football. UTCIAD.