Clarets clinch late draw with Spurs
Written By: Robert Halter
In late August, Tottenham Hotspur returned to Wembley stadium for a Premier League fixture against Burnley. On six minutes, Robbie Brady cut in from the left past Christian Eriksen, before launching an in swinging delivery that was turned away by Hugo Lloris. Two minutes later from a Brady corner, a cushioned header from James Tarkowski, went over the crossbar. In the tenth minute, after build up play with Harry Kane and then Heung-Min Son, a low drive by Eriksen was put behind through a deflection off Tarkowski. On seventeen minutes, after Johann Berg Gudmundsson brought down Dele Alli, a free kick from Ben Davies, was ballooned over by a header from Kane. Midway through the first half, after inter play between Eriksen and Eric Dier, the ball was threaded through to Kane, whose strike ricocheted off Ben Mee and over the target. In the twenty third minute, an over the top delivery from Eriksen, was skied above the upright from a header by Dier. On twenty six minutes, from a Brady corner, Tarkowski powered a header over at an acute angle. Ten minutes later, as Eriksen’s delivery was knocked back from Son, a fierce strike by Alli, was intercepted by Mee, whose block put the ball out of play. On thirty eight minutes, Alli combined with Davies down the left, whose cross was met with a stinging strike by Kane but an interception from Tarkowski, averted the danger out of play. Before the half time interval, Cork teed the ball up for Gudmundsson, but he thrashed his strike high and wide. But Spurs got the breakthrough four minutes into the second half, when Eriksen’s corner was miss placed by Mee into the path of Alli, whose first strike could net get past Mousa Dembele in a tangle with Matthew Lowton, but as the rebound went back to Alli, he prodded a right footed shot at close range into the bottom right corner. On fifty three minutes, Spurs were back on the ascendancy as Alli combined with Eriksen, before the ball was caressed past the right post by Kane. Soon afterwards, Burnley replaced Gudmundsson with Chris Wood and took off Sam Vokes for Ashley Barnes. On the hour mark, from a through ball by Dier, like a march hare Kane charged forward but his strike cannoned off Stephen Ward and back to Tom Heaton in the Clarets goal. On sixty five minutes, a Brady delivery was unable to find the outstretched leg of Wood at the far post. Spurs later changed Son with Moussa Sissoko. In the seventy first minute, Lloris pulled off a vital save to block a curling strike by Brady towards the top right corner, who had been found in space by Scott Arfield. But two minutes later, Heaton was at full stretch to keep out a low drive by Kane, from a cross on the left by Davies. But there was more work to do for the Clarets as from an Eriksen corner, a header by Kane was hooked away from Steven Defour, but in the passage of play, Sissoko lofted the ball over to Eriksen, whose strike was pushed over by Heaton. But on seventy six minutes from a miss placed header by Lowton, it put Kane through on goal, but Heaton stood tall and blocked Kane’s right footed strike from the centre of the box. Two minutes later, an Eriksen pass fell to an unmarked Alli but he fired his shot directly at Heaton. The Clarets later made a final change as Ashley Westwood replaced Defour. Then on eighty three minutes, Lloris charged out of goal to make a strong challenge on the advancing Wood. Further chances went to Wood on eighty seven minutes, as he glanced a header at Lloris from a cross by Westwood and then from a ball over by Ward, a lunging right foot by Wood, went wide to the right. In a second switch by the Lilywhites, Harry Winks appeared for Eriksen. But in the second minute of stoppage time, Brady’s threaded through ball found Wood, who drilled the ball into the bottom right corner to bring the scores level at 1-1, just as Spurs prepared to bring on new signing Davinson Sanchez for Demeble but it was the Clarets left celebrating as Spurs were unable to hold out for a victory which cost them two valuable points.