Kane spot on to sink stubborn Clarets - report and reaction

Harry Kane’s penalty was enough to give us all three points in a battling win against Burnley on Sunday afternoon, a victory which saw us climb into fourth place in the Premier League, two points above Arsenal.

It means attention now turns to Monday evening, when the Gunners travel to face Newcastle United and any dropped points means victory at Norwich City next Sunday would see us clinch Champions League football next season.

This was a hard-fought win though as Burnley – just one place above the relegation places and fighting for their own survival – battled all the way, putting plenty of men behind the ball while it was goalless and then throwing plenty of long balls into our box late on as they searched for an equaliser.

The only goal came eight minutes into stoppage time at the end of a frustrating first half in which we dominated possession but couldn’t find a way through Burnley’s defence. We finally did from the penalty spot, awarded for handball by Ashley Barnes but only after a lengthy VAR check. Referee Kevin Friend checked the incident on the pitchside monitor and confirmed the decision, with Kane stepping up for the second game running to slot home from 12 yards.

Barnes hit the post in the second half, but we remained defensively solid and ensured our final home game of the season ended with what could be a huge three points.

Job done after tricky test

After the euphoria of beating Arsenal on Thursday evening, this always felt like it was going to be a tough afternoon against a Burnley side battling for their life and in good recent form as well. We knew they would be putting men behind the ball and trying to frustrate and that’s certainly how it proved in the first half.

With about 25 minutes gone, the stats were showing Burnley as having just 15 per cent possession as we totally dominated the opening quarter. Heung-Min Son almost caught out Nick Pope at his near post with a low cross from a short corner, while the Clarets’ keeper also kept out a Kane header and a 20-yard drive from Ben Davies. On 17 minutes, Kane’s back post header across goal looked to be going in but Nathan Collins stuck out a boot to send it wide.

Burnley grew into the game though after weathering the early storm and it needed an important clearance from Ryan Sessegnon to thwart Dwight McNeil with a free header in front of goal on 25 minutes. Moments later, a golden chance for Burnley when Collins played in Maxwel Cornet down the inside left channel but Hugo Lloris was out quick to block the shot, a big save.

Time was virtually up at the end of the half when we won a corner which Son delivered into the box, it fell to Davinson Sanchez who flicked the ball back into the danger zone, Burnley cleared but Lucas Moura won it back and broke into the area, cutting back for Kane who fired wide. That seemed to be it, but then it transpired that VAR were checking for handball, Barnes’ arm out-stretched away from his body when Sanchez’s flick glanced off it. Kevin Friend went across to check the pitchside monitor and confirmed the decision, awarding the penalty and Kane fired low into the bottom corner to give us the lead.

The visitors had a couple of chances early in the second period, Kevin Long heading just wide from a free-kick out on the right on 48 minutes and Collins heading over from a set-piece on the opposite flank two minutes later. Our goal meant Burnley had to come out more which obviously increased their threat going forwards but also gave us more space to attack and on a quick break on 57 minutes, Sessegnon played the ball into the edge of the area but Kane fired over. At the other end, Barnes demonstrated just how much of a knife-edge the game was on when he smacked a 25-yard shot against the post with Lloris beaten, but we almost added a second on 65 minutes. A lovely move from right to left saw Lucas, Son and Kane combine to find Sessegnon, whose cut back into the area was hit first time by Son but Pope stuck out a big hand to divert it wide.

And the Burnley keeper produced a similar save on 81 minutes, Sessegnon again picking out Son who this time turned and let fly from 10 yards out, the ball bouncing off Pope’s forearm and away from danger. The final 10 minutes were a bit frantic as the visitors tried to push us back as much as possible and our defence had to win its fair share of headers to keep the ball away from danger. There was an enormous roar of celebration on and off the pitch when the final whistle blew as it was such an important win. How big just remains to be seen.

Kane leaves Clarets blue

Kane has now been involved in 12 goals in 12 Premier League games against Burnley (nine goals, three assists), scoring eight in his last eight against them in the competition. He also became the first player in Premier League history to score 70+ goals on two different days of the week, Saturday and Sunday!

Our team news saw one change from the win over Arsenal, with Lucas Moura coming in for Dejan Kulusevski. Former Spur Aaron Lennon was on the Burnley bench and came on to a warm reception in the second period.

Reaction on Spurs TV

'Burnley tested our nerves'

Antonio Conte said afterwards: "It’s a massive win, another must-win game for us, only one result – to get three points, to put pressure onto Arsenal. Now, in this moment, we’re two points up. For sure, the situation is still in their hands because they have two games to play, but you know very well in England it’s not simple to win. Today, you have seen that Burnley tested our nerves. They came here to play a defensive game, well-organised, no spaces for us. Despite this, I have seen the maturity of my team today. I’m delighted to see the improvement of these players."

Highlights on Spurs TV

Match data

Goal: Spurs – Kane 45+8 (pen).

Yellow cards: Spurs – Lucas, Lloris, Kulusevski; Burnley – Roberts, Pope.

Referee: Kevin Friend.

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Weather: Light rain, moderate breeze, 21 degrees.

Attendance: 61,729.