Burnley Dent Spurs’ Title Challenge

Barnes bundles the ball past Hugo Lloris to give Burnley the victory over Tottenham.

Image Credit: The Star

By Lee Clow

23 February 2019 | Premier League

Ashley Barnes scored a late winner for Burnley to give his side a vital 3 points over Tottenham, who welcomed back Harry Kane from injury.

A must win game for Spurs turned out to be a frustrating defeat which ended with a confrontation between Mauricio Pochettino and referee Mike Dean.

Tottenham were able to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool to just two points but faltered at Turf Moor by the hands of a Burnley. The first half saw no goals, with Burnley defending deep to snuffle out Tottenham’s chances. However, it was not too long after the break that the deadlock was broken. A tangle of legs between Jan Vertonghen and Jeff Hendrick resulted in a debatable corner for Burnley. The corner was whipped into the box and was met by Chris Wood, who out jumped defender Juan Foyth to loop the ball into the back of the net.

Tottenham were quick to respond to the goal and only 7 minutes later found an equaliser through the returning Harry Kane. Some quick thinking from Danny Rose on a throw in allowed Kane to find some space and smartly dispatch the ball home. When the ball hit the back of the net, the Burnley players were furious with the officials for not noticing the extra 10 yards Rose gained from the throw in.

The goal seemed to sparkle Tottenham’s comeback however it was Burnley who got the winning goal. Substitute Johann Berg Gudmundsson made an instant and 7 minutes before time, rolled in a clever cross that was tapped in at the back post by Ashley Barnes.

After the game, there appeared to be a huge flare up between Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and referee Mike Dean. Pochettino had been angered by the number of decisions that went against his team including the award of a corner that led to Burnley’s opener. Pochettino later apologised for his actions stating that he ‘crossed the line’.

The result for Burnley rises them to 14th in the league, six points clear of the relegation places. Otherwise for Tottenham, the defeat leaves them in 3rd 5 points of the top two.

After the game Burnley boss Sean Dyche spoke on the game. "It was a thorough performance and a good win. We know there's a lot of work to be done but they're certainly putting in the work.”

Pochettino in his press conference spoke about the incident with Mike Dean and the result of the game. "I should have gone to the dressing room and got some water. A stupid thing happens, and you react. Maybe I will go and apologise to the referee”

Pochettino continued “We lost because of our mistakes, not to find an excuse or to blame things not in our hands. We should do better and in the end, we need to blame ourselves…It is a massive opportunity lost."

What’s next?

Tottenham will be looking for a response to this a defeat with a midweek game against huge rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. For Burnley, they will be looking to continue with their great run against Newcastle on Tuesday.