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Tottenham’s prolific away form eluded them in an even match against Burnley, the last three, though the ever-reliable Son Heung-min came to their rescue with an opportunistic winner 15 minutes from time. They are now the Premier League’s top scorer with eight, while Spurs shoot half a dozen places in the table as a result.
That was difficult for Burnley to take, because despite not registering a goal at Turf Moor this season, they were enjoying the best of chances before Son attacked from a set piece. Harry Kane, whose header set up Son’s scoring opportunity to record another assist between the two, had just cleared a James Tarkowski effort off the line in what equaled the closest thing to the game’s opening goal. Kane came down the other end to change all of that as he encountered a corner kick from Erik Lamela to set up Son’s close-range shot, leaving the locals disappointed after managing to keep aside that they won their last two away games. 5-2 and 6-1 for good. more than one hour.
“Three very important points” was the verdict of José Mourinho. “This was the kind of game with all the makings of scoring, a cold, rainy night in an empty stadium with opponents defending very well. I knew from the beginning that we would not be allowed to play the way we wanted, but we really wanted to win. We always do. I don’t change my speech. We want to win every game, and when you have a combination like Kane e Son, you will always have a chance. “
With Josh Brownhill booked for taking down Tanguy Ndombele with just a couple of minutes left, Ashley Barnes was fortunate not to receive at least the same punishment after catching Toby Alderweireld in the face with his elbow as he leapt for a high ball. . The Spurs defender was left with a boxer cut just below his right eyebrow, and as medics worked to stop the flow of blood and wrap a Terry Butcher-style bandage around Alderweireld’s head, the VAR would have had countless opportunities. to verify the incident. The result was simply playing when the player was fit to continue. Mourinho managed to look concerned and unimpressed at the same time.
The Tottenham manager would have been more outraged if his team had lagged behind when Barnes hit the ball into the net five minutes later, although the scoreline was correctly discarded for offside. There was also no need for the VAR to verify the linesman’s decision, as Barnes and a couple of his teammates were ahead of the visitors’ baseline.
Tottenham managed to keep Burnley in his own half for much of the early part of the game without managing to find the revealing final ball that their quick approach job deserved. The home team was disappointed when Son was unable to react fast enough when Nick Pope’s punt went straight for him and when the same player found himself in an equally threatening situation after half an hour, a pass from Ben Davies from the left left behind. .
This was last season’s encounter when Mourinho publicly criticized Ndombele’s overall contribution to the record signing, although now the French midfielder appears to be fully in favor, at Dele Alli’s expense. The England player didn’t even travel to Lancashire, in top form but off the team, though with Ndombele confident and running and Gareth Bale in reserve on the bench, it’s hard to argue that the Spurs currently have no attacking options. “It hurts to leave good players out, but we have another game on Thursday, we don’t have to risk everyone,” Mourinho said.
When Ndombele was caught in possession by Brownhill at the edge of the box, it took a good save from Hugo Lloris to avoid Ashley Westwood’s loss. Lloris was in action again just before the break, this time avoiding an effort from Johann Gudmundsson. The Icelandic midfielder was never able to score, but at least Burnley was working as a rival goalkeeper. By the time the interval came, with Kane frequently deep or wide, Pope still had to deal with a shot on goal despite the Spurs enjoying two-thirds of the possession.
When Mourinho sent a substitute during the last half hour it was not Bale but Lamela. Burnley continued to threaten at that point, albeit from a distance, though it took a warning block from Alderweireld to prevent a Barnes shot from the edge of the area from hitting its target. Tarkowski also managed to find Westwood’s corner, but not in such a way that he could properly target a header from within the six-yard line. Davies had to block from Westwood as Burnley passed the ball cleanly around Tottenham’s box, before Tarkowski reached Westwood’s corner but found Kane standing on the line. Burnley probably thought they had done enough to deserve at least a draw, but goals are game-changing and Son’s took the Spurs to the dizzying heights of the fifth, while Burnley’s inability to score is as worrisome as having a single point after five games.
“I was disappointed to let in a soft goal after defending so well,” said Sean Dyche. “But there are signs that we are starting to play well again, we kept a very good team quiet for most of the game.”
