A stoppage-time winner from Christian Eriksen moved Tottenham to within five points of the top spot as Burnley’s admirable defensive work counted ultimately counted for nothing.
The Clarets were four minutes away from a well-earned point at Wembley but fell apart right at the death, as Tottenham were handed a few late chances to grab the win. In the 91st minute, the ball fell to the substitute Eriksen, who made no mistake in planting the ball nicely into the left-hand side of the net.
A cruel blow for courageous Burnley
Burnley’s resolute defending almost earned them a valuable point and, had the match ended goal-less, you wouldn’t have said they deserved anything less. It looked like they were going to hold on for the draw right up until stoppage time, but when you allow a team like Spurs so much possession, chances are they will punish you, even if it takes more than 90 minutes to do so.
Nevertheless, the positive for Sean Dyche is that Burnley’s defence has looked far more sturdy in the past month than it did in the early stages of the season, and the fact that they were in the game throughout will have done the manager proud.
Tottenham remain in the title chase
By the skin of their teeth, Spurs have kept themselves within two wins of first place and people are considering the Lilywhites to still be in the title chase – at least for the time being anyway. A common theme this season is that they have played below par on a number of occasions, but have still been able to come out with three points.
Until Eriksen and Son were brought on on Saturday, Spurs did lack cutting edge in their attack, but just like during the week at the Nou Camp they kept patient and continued pushing until the final whistle.
One tasty fixture coming up in the new year is Manchester City versus Liverpool – a chance for one or both of the top two to drop points. What’s more is that Spurs don’t play a single team in the top six until then and have every chance of keeping up with the leaders until the new year.
Pochettino’s unorthodox starting XI
The team that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino put out was likely influenced by the huge Champions League match that Spurs took part in on Tuesday evening. The team worked extremely hard to scrape qualification into the knockout stages and no doubt some of the players were not fully recovered come 3pm on Saturday.
A couple of inclusions stood out in the Tottenham lineup, firstly 18-year-old Oliver Skipp, playing alongside Sissoko in a central defensive midfield role. The team’s extensive injury list probably had a part to play in the teenager’s start, but Skipp looked composed and did well for himself on his debut.
Another interesting involvement came from Ben Davis, who played as a central defender alongside Alderweireld. Admittedly, most of Burnley’s attacks were not too difficult to defend, and the clean sheet stayed intact despite the full-back’s re-positioning.
Despite the lineup changes, Spurs continued their recent good form and the result was Pochettino’s 100th win in the Premier League with Tottenham and a perfect way to end a rather good week.
Burnley’s hit-and-hope approach
Last season Burnley made a name for themselves as being one of the most defensive teams in the Premier League and their resolute defending on Saturday almost earned them a third clean sheet in four matches.
However, only Fulham have conceded more goals in the league than Burnley and their attacking approach is certainly not as effective as it was last season. The Clarets are 16 points worse off than they were at this point last year, and without much-attacking venom, there is a reason to be worried if you’re a Burnley fan.
For much of the game, Burnley adopted their long ball approach, particularly in the first half, heaving the ball forward and hoping for someone to latch onto it. Arguably the best opportunity of the match fell to Ashley Barnes, but this chance was not created from a long ball; suggesting that Burnley lack the ambition to look for less direct routes towards the opposition’s goal, but perhaps do still have the quality to do so.
The rejuvenated Moussa Sissoko
Tottenham have got a reinvigorated midfielder on their hands in the form of Moussa Sissoko, who once again showed inspiring work ethic against Burnley, after being heavily criticised for lacking this attitude during his time at Spurs. His presence on the pitch has not gone unnoticed, and the praise has been trickling in for the Frenchman.
When Sissoko was first signed from Newcastle, the £30 million move quickly turned into an absurd decision from Pochettino; especially considering that forking out that amount of money on one player is a rare occurrence at Tottenham. However, this investment is finally starting to pay off, with Sissoko playing in all of Spurs’ last 11 league matches.
The 29-year-old has been pivotal in these games and has started having a part to play in all positions around the pitch. Whatever Pochettino said to Sissoko at the start of the season, it has certainly done him good and the midfielder looks eager to be on the ball whether it’s in their own half or the oppositions.
