If the winning goal had been called off by VAR, I would have had a heart attack, Conte said after a wild game against Bournemouth

Tottenham got back to winning ways after two league defeats, turning the scoreline from 0-2 to 3-2. Thanks to this, they defended the third place, which Newcastle is pushing for, and they can be happy that they still have a coach. Antonio Conte really breathed a sigh of relief after the game.

In previous games, it was confirmed that Spurs have problems with top teams. A draw with Chelsea, losses to Arsenal, Manchester United and most recently Newcastle.

Despite all that, Tottenham are still in 3rd place with 26 points. Conte owes this mainly to Ryan Sessegnon, Ben Davies and also Rodrigo Bentancur, who managed to turn the unfavourable state of the match in their favour with three accurate goals.

However, the Italian coach did not celebrate too much after the winning goal and headed for the tunnel. “When I heard that the goal was valid, I went back. But in my head I thought that if it wasn’t valid I would have a heart attack because two days ago we scored and in the end the goal was cancelled out,” Conte told Sky Sports after the game.

For now, the 53-year-old Italian coach is left with wrinkles on his forehead only because of the missing pair of Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski.

It is the absence of the 22-year-old Swede that is definitely felt on the pitch. Kulusevski has scored one goal and three assists in seven league games, but his activity, which has created many interesting chances for his opponents, has been incredibly valid.

Tottenham lost the very first game in which the left-footed winger was absent due to injury and lost twice more in the following five league games.

It is similar with Richarlison, who started to get more and more minutes on the pitch since Conte, after which he also got injured. Spurs then lost two league games in a row.

So Conte was very pleased with the victory before the crucial duel with Marseille. Tottenham are still leading their group, but only a point ahead of Sporting and Frankfurt. The French team is then two points behind the English, so Spurs must not lose.

Tottenham still have to face Liverpool before the World Cup break, followed by a cup game against Nottingham Forest and a league game against Leeds United.

Sources: Premier League, Sky Sports