TOTTENHAM HAVE A FEEL OF 4TH FOR NOW AFTER HARRY KANE SPOT KICK WINS THE GAME AGAINST RELEGATION THREATENED BURNLY.
Tottenham Hotspur leapfrogged Arsenal and temporarily moved into the Premier League top four after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Burnley. Dreams of a return to the UEFA Champions League now depend on the ‘Gunners’ dropping points at Newcastle United.
The atmosphere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was far more subdued than it had been in their recent North London Derby victory, but that didn’t stop the home side from flying out of the traps. Harry Kane, as ever, was the danger man inside the area, but he saw a pair of headed efforts well denied by Nick Pope and Nathan Collins. The ‘Clarets’ centre-back created the best chance of the half for his side, slipping in Maxwel Cornet, only for the Ivorian’s shot to be denied by Hugo Lloris.
As the half went on, Antonio Conte’s men looked increasingly short of ideas on how to break down Burnley’s low block. Lucas Moura was finding joy on the right though, beating his marker before pulling the ball back to Kane, who somehow missed the target. In the build-up to that chance though, Ashley Barnes had handled the ball while blocking a touch from Davinson Sánchez. After a VAR review, a penalty was given and Kane stepped up to convert in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Buoyed by a sense of injustice over the penalty decision, Burnley were the aggressors after the restart, with Kevin Long and Collins both coming close from set-pieces. The pressure continued as the tension grew among the home faithful, with Barnes rifling an effort against the post. That said, Spurs’ deadly attack was never out of the game, as was evident when golden-boot chasing Son Heung-min forced a fine save from Pope on the break.
Mike Jackson’s men appeared to be running out of steam in pursuit of what would have been a vital point. Son had the best chance of a goal in the closing stages, forcing an impressive reflex save from Pope. A ninth win from the last 10 meetings with Burnley on home soil ensured Spurs opened a two-point gap on Arsenal, albeit having played a game more. Meanwhile, the ‘Clarets’ remain deep in the relegation mire, only ahead of Leeds United on goal difference, who could move out of the drop zone with a win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
