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Tottenham Hotspur kept their Champions League qualification hopes alive as they secured a 1-0 win against Burnley on Sunday, May 15. Harry Kane's penalty deep into added time in the first half proved to be the difference in a slow game.
The hosts were the dominant side in the game and successfully limited Burnley's goalscoring opportunities. The 17th-placed visitors recorded just one shot on target.
Spurs should've scored more goals here in all honesty, as Burnley were missing their first-choice centre-half pair of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski in this game. Nevertheless, a win is a win and with just one game left to play, Antonio Conte will already be thinking about the game against Norwich City.
As Tottenham picked up a crucial win in the race for a top-four finish, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Both sides had some good chances to score but their finishing lacked quality
As the scoreline indicates, the game between the two sides was a slow affair. But the game was not devoid of goalscoring chances. The first half saw Spurs getting close to opening the scoring in the 17th minute as Harry Kane's header was cleared off the line by Nathan Collins.
Just 10 minutes later, Burnley caught the hosts out on the break and Collins picked out Maxwell Cornet with a through ball. Cornet, the top scorer for the club this term, had to shoot from a difficult angle and his shot was parried away by Hugo Lloris.
Ashley Barnes, whose handball led to the penalty from which Kane scored, almost redeemed himself when his long-range strike hit the crossbar in the second half. The only goal of the game came from the penalty spot, but if the final touch was there, there could've been at least a couple more goals for either side.
#4 Resilient Burnley unlucky to have conceded from a controversial penalty
Burnley found themselves on the back foot for the majority of the game but held their own quite well as they prevented Spurs from scoring from open play. Without their two key center halves, they started with a five-man defense that worked out well in containing the tricky Spurs attackers.
Nick Pope deserves his fair share of applause for standing tall between the sticks for always being on alert. The Englishman made a series of great saves in the second half, including a point-blank save in the 81st minute with an outstretched hand to deny Ryan Sessegnon's effort.
#3 Spurs extend their unbeaten streak at home against Burnley to 11 games
Tottenham's 1-0 win on Sunday was the fourth occasion in last five games that a Premier League meeting between the two sides ended with a 1-0 scoreline. The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for Burnley, so the home side were able to avenge that loss here.
Across all competitions, the Lilywhites have been without a loss against the Clarets in their last 11 home fixtures since 1983. As a matter of fact, they have played just one draw in that period.
Tottenham were the better side in the fixture, leading in terms of possession (69%) and shots on target (eight) but were made to work hard for the three points by the visitors.
#2 VAR awards yet another controversial penalty
Tottenham ended up being the beneficiaries of a VAR intervention in the game. This was a crucial decision in the game, as the ensuing penalty led to the only goal of the game.
Following a corner for the hosts in stoppage time in the first half, the ball hit the outstretched arm of Ashley Barnes. Initially, not even the Spurs players appealed for a handball but VAR intervened to alert the on-field referee.
Kevin Friend was called up to the pitchside monitor and after a lengthy check, he awarded Spurs the penalty. Barnes was very close to the ball and it can be argued that he didn't have time to react and get his arm out of the way.
Nonetheless, the current rules regarding handball in the Premier League dictate that a stretched arm or arm in an unnatural position is liable to be considered a hindrance to play.
The visitors will feel slightly undone by the call and Nick Pope was even given a yellow card after protesting the decision.
#1 Harry Kane delivers for Tottenham yet again
It was a close game and the hosts were under pressure to secure a win as they intended to keep their Champions League hopes alive. VAR provided them with a golden opportunity with a penalty being awarded following Barnes' handball.
The pressure was high but Kane kept his calm and found the back of the net as Pope did not even move a muscle. Kane has now converted 23 of his last 23 penalties including shootouts.
While Kane scored the only goal of the game, he also missed a few chances throughout. He will be hoping to be sharper when they travel to Norwich next week.
