Harry Kane made the difference as Tottenham beat Burnley 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to move up to fourth on the Premier League table.
The first half was a drab affair, with chances coming few and far between at both ends. The closest that any player from either side came close to scoring in the regulation time was when Nathan Collins slipped Maxwel Cornet through on the Tottenham goal, only for Hugo Lloris to stand in the Ivory Coast international’s way.
As for Tottenham, Harry Kane came close before Collins denied him with a superb block. But Kane broke the deadlock from the spot in the eighth minute of injury time after Kevin Friend awarded Spurs a penalty following much deliberation for a handball by Ashley Barnes.
The second half started just as the opening period had, with neither side having enough quality to test either goalkeeper. Burnley created the first clear-cut chance, as Barnes looked to make amends for the handball. But the striker’s smashed the woodwork when Lloris was rooted to his spot.
At the other end, Nick Pope made a few big saves to deny Son Heung-min and keep Burnley in the contest. But the Clarets’ attackers did not have the quality to trouble Lloris. In the end, Tottenham held on to the slender advantage to clinch all three points and rise to the fourth spot on the Premier League table ahead of Arsenal’s game on Monday. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Antonio Conte’s men.
Three more points
One game to go pic.twitter.com/nf93UpKnVu
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 15, 2022
Hugo Lloris: 7/10
Lloris enjoyed a quiet afternoon and earned another clean sheet. The Tottenham captain had just one save to make in the game, but he reacted well to deny Maxwel Cornet. Otherwise, the French international had more work to do with his feet than his gloves as his team clinched three crucial points.
Davinson Sanchez: 7/10
Apart from one moment when Cornet drifted off him in the first half, Sanchez barely had anything to worry about and kept a check on Dwight McNeil. The Colombian international was instrumental in winning the penalty, as his lay-up caught Ashley Barnes’s hand before Harry Kane converted the spot-kick. As for the other defensive moments, Sanchez stood tall at the back.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Dier had no trouble in dealing with Barnes, and it was only when Burnley introduced Wout Weghorst in the second half that the English international had a moment of worry. Otherwise, Dier was largely solid, although his output on the ball was a tad bit disappointing.
Ben Davies: 7/10
Burnley did not test Davies much, allowing the Welshman to charge up the field to support Ryan Sessegnon and Son Heung-min. But Davies was a professional customer when he had to put in the hard yards off the ball, winning four duels.
Emerson Royal: 6/10
Emerson came close to scoring in the first half with a rasping effort, but that was as good as it got for him in the offensive phases. The Brazilian showed some potential with his link-up with compatriot Lucas Moura, but he carried little threat on the right flank. He will be a nervous man in the summer transfer window.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6.5/10
?? Rodrigo Bentancur completed/attempted more attacking third passes (23/27) and won more defensive aerial duels (5/6) than any other Tottenham player against Burnley.
?.#TOTBUR #TOT #Tottenham #Spurs pic.twitter.com/E3qkjEylrT
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) May 15, 2022
Bentancur was a solid customer in the middle of the park, as he barely lost a duel while competing directly with Jack Cork. But the Uruguayan international took too many speculative shots, which frustrated Conte to no end, and understandably so, considering it was a game of fine margins. Otherwise, there was very little to fault Bentancur’s display in the midfield.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8/10
Hojbjerg was easily the standout performer for Tottenham, as he paved the way for Tottenham to control the proceedings for much of the game. The Dane completed 92 per cent of his attempted passes while opening up play nicely with several long balls. He hardly lost a duel while winning two tackles. It was a job well done.
Ryan Sessegnon: 6.5/10
Sessegnon played a joint-game-high four key passes on Sunday. But while he did carve out some openings from the left flank, several of his attempted crosses failed to clear the first man, leaving Conte frustrated. It is hardly surprising that Spurs are linked with several wing-backs, including Joakim Maehle, and the performance on Sunday might not have done Sessegnon any favours.
Lucas Moura: 7/10
Lucas Moura was the liveliest player for Tottenham on Sunday, with the Brazilian creating a joint-game-high four chances. The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker had the measure of Charlie Taylor and barely misplaced a pass against Burnley. So he can count himself unlucky that he was the first Tottenham played to go off, as Conte could not afford to take off Kane or Son.
Harry Kane: 7/10
23 – Including shoot-outs, Harry Kane has converted each of his last 23 penalty attempts in all competitions for Spurs since having an attempt saved against Liverpool in February 2018 (Loris Karius). Mastered. pic.twitter.com/3dNWVauhiE
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 15, 2022
Kane came the closest to scoring for Tottenham before he finally broke the deadlock, but Nathan Collins denied him superbly with a block. However, the England captain made no error in finding the back of the net with a penalty. On another day, Kane could have grabbed a brace, but he inexplicably missed a chance from close range. Nonetheless, he made all the difference with his strike.
Son Heung-min: 6.5/10
Son came into the game knowing a goal was going to take him level with Mohamed Salah on top of the scoring charts in the Premier League. But the South Korean forward endured a frustrating afternoon, as chances did not fall his way in the first half. Son produced two smashing efforts in the second period, but Nick Pope stood in his way. He now has just one game to win the Golden Boot.
SUBSTITUTES
Dejan Kulusevski: N/A
Conte gave Kulusevski around 15 minutes after the Swede missed out on a starting berth due to the aftereffects of a viral infection. The 22-year-old barely saw the ball late on and even picked up a booking for a cynical foul.
Joe Rodon: N/A
A late introduction, Rodon helped see the game out.
