Tottenham were brought crashing down to earth as their top-four aspirations suffered another crushing blow following a narrow defeat at Burnley.
Just days after their stunning 3-2 victory over Manchester City, Antonio Conte’s side fell to an embarrassing loss as Ben Mee’s second-half goal proved the difference between the sides at a rain-soaked and windswept Turf Moor.
The first half was a largely forgettable occasion but just three minutes after the restart, Harry Kane nodded Son Heung-min’s free-kick delivery onto the post with Nick Pope beaten as Spurs lifted the tempo.
Indeed, Tottenham were the better team in the second half, but against the run of play, the Clarets broke the deadlock in the 71st-minute. Skipper Mee capped an excellent defensive performance with the winner when he climbed above Cristian Romero to meet Josh Brownhill’s free-kick delivery and headed past a helpless Hugo Lloris.
Clearly stunned, the visitors never looked likely to make a comeback and if anything, they ought to have been two-nil down only Jay Rodriguez skied the ball over the bar from just a few yards out.
However, Spurs failed to make him rue such a wonderful opportunity as despite some late pressure, Burnley held on comfortably for just their third league win of the season. They remain in the relegation zone but are now within touching distance of 17th-placed Newcastle. Tottenham stay eighth, seven points adrift of the Champions League places.
TALKING POINT – BATTLING BURNLEY BRING SPURS DOWN TO EARTH
It was only last week Antonio Conte played down Tottenham’s top-four hopes, claiming the club had a ‘one per cent’ chance of securing a Champions League place. However, that remarkable win at Manchester City on Sunday seemed to significantly improve those odds and reignite the hope of supporters after what has been an inconsistent season so far.
But can they do it on a cold, wet and windy Wednesday night in Burnley? It seems not. For large parts of the first half they were outfought by their opponents, who appeared hungrier and more determined. The second half was an improvement but clear cut chances were still at a premium and in the end they were beaten by a set-piece. The horrible weather conditions in Lancashire only summed up the mood of Conte, who is struggling to build any momentum. Forget Sunday’s miracle because it feels like they are only heading in one direction after three defeats in their last four, falling to Southampton, Wolves and now Burnley. It’s very much a case of one step forward and two steps back for Spurs.
In contrast, Burnley are on the up as they sent out another message to the rest of the league strugglers, following up on Saturday’s hugely-impressive 3-0 win at Brighton. With games in hand over Newcastle and Leeds, tonight was a reminder us that you can never write off Sean Dyche’s men.
MAN OF THE MATCH – BEN MEE (BURNLEY)
Even before scoring the winner, Mee was the best player on the pitch. His positional awareness was excellent and allowed him to make a number of crucial interventions to keep Kane and co at bay. Scoring the goal was just the icing on the cake.
PLAYER RATINGS
Burnley: Pope 7, Roberts 7, Tarkowski 8, Mee 9*, Pieters 7, Lennon 6, Cork 6, Brownhill 7, McNeil 7, Rodriguez 6, Weghorst 7.. subs: Barnes N/A
Tottenham: Lloris 6, Romero 5, Dier 6, Davies 6, Royal 5, Bentancur 5, Hojbjerg 5, Sessegnon 5, Kulusevski 6, Son 6, Kane 7.. subs: Winks 5, Bergwijn N/A, Lucas 5.
KEY MOMENTS
48′ – KANE HITS THE CROSSBAR! Son whips in a free-kick delivery, Kane makes an untracked run and makes a connection – with his shoulder – and the ball crashes off the top of the far with Pope seemingly beaten. That’s the closest we’ve come to breaking the deadlock so far!
71′ – GOAL! BURNLEY 1-0 TOTTENHAM (BEN MEE): Never write Burnley off – they’re ahead against Tottenham! What a shift this has been from Mee who has only gone and broke the deadlock! He climbs above his marker to head home Brownhill’s free-kick delivery! There are less than 20 minutes remaining, can they hold on?
83′ – HOW HAS HE MISSED?! Pinball inside Tottenham’s penalty area… the ball drops to Rodriguez, who from a few yards out, only has to hit the target… but he skies it over the bar! A real let off for Tottenham!
