3 days ago
11
Thomas Frank was brought to Tottenham as the pragmatic choice so will know that when his own supporters are demanding his sacking, he is in trouble. An underserved draw here, thanks to a last-minute Cristian Romero goal, leaves Spurs with two victories in 14 Premier League matches and chants from the away end of “We want Frank out”.
If the loss to West Ham resulted in crisis talks last Sunday, Frank must have feared what the next stage after that is, especially with the fans turning. Micky van de Ven gave them hope of a much-needed win, but Spurs did not capitalise on the opener, allowing Burnley back into the match, with Axel Tuanzebe and Lyle Foster making the pressure almost unbearable for Frank until Romero offered respite.
Tottenham could have been in the lead within 15 seconds, but Djed Spence could not find a teammate in the area to tap home after a miss from Kyle Walker. It was a moment to set pulses racing for both sets of supporters and offered hope of an entertaining episode between two out of form sides, but things quickly settled into a scrappy affair.
It stayed this way until the half-hour mark when Tottenham enjoyed a brief spell of domination. Pedro Porro had gone close twice with free-kicks but there was very little to excite in open play. They spent plenty of time on the edge of the Burnley area, forcing Martin Dubravka into smart saves three times in quick succession; twice from former Claret Wilson Odobert and at point blank range from Conor Gallagher.
The resulting corner was not cleared and an unmarked Van de Ven swept home with a striker’s conviction. “We are staying up” was the droll line from the away end, but the jokes soon subsided.
Burnley had enjoyed positive moments, but no one in their side had the confidence or conviction when it mattered. Apart from Lucas Pires heading home when five yards offside, there was little to concern Tottenham, especially with three centre-backs against a team that had scored 23 goals in 22 games and not won in their past 13 Premier League matches. Spurs have only been victorious twice over the same period.
Yves Bissouma made his first start – and second appearance – of the season in central midfield. Kevin Danso or Van de Ven would push up to provide an extra man in midfield when Spurs had possession in the opposition half, allowing the visitors to outnumber their opponents in critical areas, but without being able to open up the defence.
It came as a surprise when the equaliser arrived. Walker provided a superb cross and Tuanzebe was at the back post in space to continue the theme of centre-backs masquerading as strikers, while the Spurs defensive trio impersonated statues. It was Burnley’s first shot on target at a crucial time just before the break.
Smart movement in the early stages of the second half earned chances for Armando Broja and Dominic Solanke. They should have done better with their finishes, but it gave hope of a more dynamic game.
Burnley had the greater urgency about them, but still lacked the touch of class that would provide an opening. Tottenham were lethargic, unable to get up the pitch while Burnley played with an increased tempo. The aggression shown by the home side brought an increased noise inside Turf Moor, while Spurs pondered the worst.
As Spurs’ season has been, the second Burnley goal had a little comedy about it. Jaidon Anthony jinked and thought about getting a shot away, slipping the pass through to Foster instead, finally proving he can make the difference. The first shot was saved by Guglielmo Vicario, but the South African reacted first to jab home, even with Danso’s best attempts to stop it, as the ball trickled over the line.
Xavi Simons rattled the crossbar late on as Spurs pushed Burnley as far back as possible. With seconds ticking down, Frank could rely on his captain to provide the backbone missing. The Odobert cross came from the right and Romero provided the magic bullet for Frank and one to the heart for Burnley.
