Tottenham vs Burnley
Harry Kane’s penalty beat the obstinate Burnley team as Tottenham improved over Arsenal to finish fourth and held the Clarets hope of survival in doubt.
In a highly tense afternoon at the north of London with lots at stake on both sides of the pitch, Kane’s penalty kick in the first half’s stoppage time was enough to earn his team three crucial points in their quest for Champions League football.
Spurs are two points over their rivals the Gunners and will be able to stay ahead of them through the final day of the season , unless their north London opponents beat Newcastle on the road at St. James Park next Monday.
Burnley remain 17th but could be in the zone of relegation later on Sunday, should Leeds defeat Brighton.
The Clarets were forced to withstand initial pressure, but they began to gain control of the game prior to it swinging on Tottenham’s penaltywhich was given at the end of the half-time interval.
Davinson Sanchez’s effort to hit a ball inside the Burnley box was unsuccessful as the ball brushed against Ashley Barnes’ outstretched arm.
The referee Kevin Friend did not spot the incident, and Harry Kane went close to performing a Ryan Sesgnon pull-back, as the play continued until VAR intervened.
After checking his computer, Friend pointed to the spot , and Kane didn’t make a mistake in placing his penalty in the lower corner.
This wasn’t an end to Burnley’s chances However, it was not the end of their threat. Clarets goalkeeper Nick Pope made two brilliant saves on Son Heung-min just after at half-time to ensure that the score remained in equilibrium, and his team nearly leveled the score with a shot from Ashley Barnes fired against the post.
In the final minutes the home fans were asking Friend to let the final whistle go off as Burnley put balls into their box in final moments, and they received their wish as Spurs were able to hold on to an important win.
Spurs get the job done.
It was a disappointing Spurs performance did not bring the excitement that accompanied their victory against Arsenal on Thursday, but they did their best to ensure that they got the same outcome.
They were able to get it despite having four players suffering from stomach bug: goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who played for 90 minutes, as did his assistant Pierluigi Gollini the winger Dejan Kulusevski as well as the midfielder Harry Winks who were all in the sideline.
Tottenham’s attempt to finish fourth in the league is not entirely in their hands but they’ve put stress on the Gunners in the present, with only seven days remaining.
The the way Antonio Conte’s side began the game, it seemed they were going to take on the Clarets and they didn’t even get a foot in the Spurs area until the 25th minute.
However, Pope saved the day from Kane who was also able to see an goal-bound header snagged free from Nathan Collins and Burnley began to make opportunities that they had created their own.
The visitors missed an excellent chance to score a goal as Maxwel Cornet ran clear but shot weakly towards Hugo Lloris, but they remain steadfast at the back , and Spurs’ anger continued to increase until VAR gave Kane the opportunity to score the winning goal.
Burnley have work to do.
The Burnley bench was clearly furious as Tottenham were awarded a late penalty that ruined all the Clarets great work during the first half.
Michael Jackson’s side been preparing a game plan to be a force in the fight and to pack their own boxes and, after getting through the initial rush it appeared to be successful.
The team did a good job in following the game and also caused Spurs some issues during the second half, particularly from set-pieces, but regardless of their effort, Barnes’ effort from far was the closest they got to scoring an equaliser.
After racking up 10 points in his initial four matches under charge, the caretaker manager Jackson has since lost two games in a row.
His side has a one-game advantage against Leeds who are their nearest rivals in relegation and also an impressively higher goal difference however, they head into last week with the outcome in doubt.