Burnley 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points from a grinding win for Spurs | Premier League 2020-21
It wasn’t pretty by any means, but Tottenham Hotspur were able to grind out a 0-1 win over Burnley at Turf Moor tonight.
The game appeared to be petering out into a 0-0 draw as the second half ticked away, but with just under 15 minutes to go, Son Heung-min was able to head home following another assist from Harry Kane to win the game for Tottenham.
The win moves Jose Mourinho’s side up into fifth place, while Burnley remain down in the relegation area, currently sitting in 18th. Sean Dyche’s men remain winless in 2020-21 and will need to change things around soon.
Here are 5 talking points from Tottenham’s 0-1 win over Burnley.
#1 Tottenham’s magical combination strikes again
Despite dominating possession tonight, it appeared that Tottenham were going to draw a blank. Burnley’s deep, tight defensive style was frustrating Spurs, who were unable to create many proper chances – and when they did, their shots were usually blocked before testing Nick Pope.
However, when you have Harry Kane and Son Heung-min on the pitch, as Tottenham do, it seems like a goal is never far away. Prior to this game, the duo had already combined for a total of seven goals during the 2020-21 campaign. And somehow, they found a way through Burnley’s defensive wall to find a winner tonight.
Unlike their usual quicksilver passing style, tonight’s goal actually came from a set-piece. Kane reacted quickest to Erik Lamela’s corner by heading the ball through the packed penalty box, and Son then reacted quickest to that to head home.
The goal was only what Tottenham deserved tonight, and it was hardly a surprise that Kane and Son had once again produced the goods when they were needed. The two have now combined for 29 Premier League goals – the second-most in the competition’s history. And it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see them overtake Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba in the near future.
#2 If Burnley vanish, will anyone miss them?
If you were to judge tonight’s game purely by statistics, it’d be easy to assume that Burnley dominated proceedings. Sure, they only had 38% possession, but they had 13 shots on goal – four more than Tottenham – and had more attempts on target, too.
However, the truth is a little different. Tottenham came to attempt to win tonight’s game by playing their usual free-flowing football, while Burnley came to stifle, frustrate and perhaps sneak a goal on the counter.
There’s nothing wrong with counter-attacking football. At times it can be unbelievably entertaining, as Tottenham showed when they sliced Southampton open earlier in the season. However, Burnley’s hyper-physical style is about as far from entertaining as it gets.
Prior to 2020-21, Sean Dyche’s side have always been able to find a way to grind results out with this style. And so their existence in the Premier League has never really been questioned. At times, in fact, they’ve been able to thrive.
But the current campaign has seen them pick up a single point in a dour 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion. Their other four games have ended in defeat, and worryingly, they’ve shipped a total of nine goals in the process.
All of this begs the question: if Burnley do end up being relegated, would anyone but their own fans miss them? Due to the brand of football they play – and judging by games like tonight’s – the answer is probably no. Looking to stifle and spoil will only ever take a side so far, and the Clarets may have reached the end of the road.