Match Report: Tottenham Hotspurs brush aside home woes to defeat Burnley

Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur is closed down by Michael Keane of Burnley

Before Saturday's meeting at White Hart Lane, the last 6 competitive meetings between Tottenham and Burnley had yielded 27 goals, so this fixture promised action at either end. Each of those 6 games saw at least 3 goals scored and both teams played their part in maintaining that impressive return as Spurs secured a 2-1 win.

After a slow start to the encounter, the hosts took the initiative after 21 minutes. Harry Kane took an early free kick which saw Nacer Chadli exploit Burnley's loss of concentration. The Belgian held up possession just long enough for Kane to ghost into the box unmarked and head past Tom Heaton to opening the scoring.

However, Spurs' lead lasted just 6 minutes after Erik Lamela was robbed of possession in the midfield as Spurs tried to clear their ranks. George Boyd received the ball in space and picked out Ashley Barnes, who cut onto his right foot to rifle past Hugo Lloris from 20-yards to draw Burnley level.

35 minutes in and Spurs moved back in front through Lamela. The Argentine had been tormenting Ben Mee for much of the opening 45 minutes and his goal was the sort of goal you would expect from a £30m player. Lamela cut inside onto his left and sent a sumptuous curling effort into the far corner. The goal was the 22-year-old's first in England's top tier since his arrival from Roma 18 months ago and regaining the lead heading into the interval was nothing less than a dominant Spurs side deserved.

Danny Ings was Burnley's best attacking outlet in the second half and was in action three times in the 15 minutes after the restart. One forced Hugo Lloris into a save at his near post and while Ross Wallace came close to drawing Burnley level late on, Spurs held on for all 3 points.

Lamela deserves his share of the plaudits after turning out a performance that the supporters would have expected of him following a big money move. The attacker, who was unlucky not to register an assist in the first half had Kane connected with his teasing low ball into the 6-yard box prior to his exquisite finish, earned a WhoScored rating of 8.87 and the man of the match award.

No player completed more successful dribbles than Lamela (3) in the encounter, while only teammate Christian Eriksen (8) played more key passes of all players than Spurs' record signing (4) in the win.

However, while Lamela impressed, Spurs were somewhat fortuitous to come away with all 3 points. While they were the better side in the first half, the hosts gave the Clarets enough chances to get back into the game after the interval - 5 of Burnley's 9 shots came in the second half, 4 of which came between the 46th and 60th minute. The change in midfield for the hosts - Benjamin Stambouli replaced the injured Ryan Mason 2 minutes before half time - clearly unsettled Spurs.

Without Mason alongside Nabil Bentaleb, Spurs lacked drive from deep, with Burnley coming close to exploiting the extra space in the middle of the park before the hosts regained their composure to see out the win. Defeat to Spurs, though, dragged Burnley back into the bottom three. Worryingly, their 15-minute spell of pressure at the beginning of the second half aside, Burnley did not look like a team that boasts the much-needed quality to haul themselves to safety this season.

Travelling to any stadium in the Premier League is easier said than done, but Spurs have underwhelmed in front of their own fans this term - coming into this fixture, the north London side had taken 10 points from a possible 24 at White Hart Lane. However, bar glimmers of hope from Ings at the beginning of the second half, Burnley lacked the know-how that teams around them have shown when they have travelled to White Hart Lane and secured a positive result, like West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace.

Burnley's WhoScored rating at White Hart Lane (6.61) fell way below their average on the road in the Premier League this season (6.81) prior to Saturday's defeat and they must improve their showings away from home to give themselves a fighting chance of staving off relegation.

For Spurs, victory over Burnley means they have now won each of their last 3 in all competitions as they gear up for the busy festive period. "We are very happy with how we are arriving at this period. All our players are fit and at a good level," Pochettino said following the win, and he will be hoping the victory over Burnley will provide a springboard for success in upcoming meetings with Leicester, Manchester United and Chelsea.