A scrappy but decisive three points. Tottenham vs Burnley: Player ratings

A controversial penalty from Harry Kane in first-half stoppage time saw Tottenham take a massive step towards Champions League football next season and force Burnley to continue looking over their shoulder at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were poor for most of the first half, unable to find the creativity required to break down a defiant Burnley, helped out by some big clearances from Nathan Collins. However, on the stroke of half-time, a deflection off the shin of Davinson Sanchez hit Ashley Barnes’ arm and, on VAR review, a penalty was awarded.

Harry Kane makes no mistake from the spot! 💥

The Englishman scores his 16th Premier League goal of the season following Ashley Barnes’ handball. pic.twitter.com/OubgIa2egb

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 15, 2022

Kane duly converted, and it was expected that Tottenham would press home their advantage in the second half. However, it was Burnley who dominated much of the second 45 minutes, hitting the post through Ashley Barnes and leaving Spurs nervously holding on as the Lilywhites were unable to find the second key.

They saw it through, however, and have taken a massive step towards Champions League football next season, putting the pressure on Arsenal for their trip to St James Park on Monday night.

Player Ratings

Tottenham

Hugo Lloris – 6

Made one key save from Maxwel Cornet in the first half, but had little else to do.

Emerson Royal – 5

Was poor going forwards but coped competently in defence.

Davinson Sanchez – 5

It was the deflection off his shin that inadvertently led to the Tottenham penalty. Lacks Romero’s ability on the ball and that was telling.

Eric Dier – 7

Often found himself bringing the ball forward, and didn’t put a foot wrong for his side.

Ben Davies – 6

Had little to do defensively and couldn’t really get into the game going forwards.

Ryan Sessegnon – 5

Struggled to make the difference going forwards with Burnley marshalling him well.

Rodrigo Bentancur – 6

Tidy in possession and worked hard.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6

Another strong performance for the Dane, who snuffed out Burnley danger at source regularly.

Lucas Moura – 5

A poor showing from the Brazilian, who continues to underline the importance of Kulusevski to the Tottenham side.

Harry Kane – 6

Quiet aside from the penalty, which he dispatched with precision.

Heung Min-Son – 5

Chasing the golden boot, Son forced a couple of saves from Pope but could not get into the game whatsoever.

Substitutes

Dejan Kulusevski – 5

Was only deemed well enough for 15 minutes, and could not make a difference when he did enter the fray.

Joe Rodon- N/A

Only on for the final few minutes.

Burnley

Nick Pope – 8

Made a string of vital saves throughout the game and kept his side in the clash. Could do nothing for the penalty.

Connor Roberts – 6

Asked to play out of position and performed well defensively. Could not really get into the game going forwards.

Nathan Collins – 8

A rock at the heart of Burnley’s defence, the ball appeared to be a magnet to him in the opening stages.

Kevin Long – 7

The absence of Mee and Tarkowski was hardly felt as Long put in a strong performance at the heart of Burnley’s defence.

Matthew Lowton – 6

A solid but unspectacular showing from the fullback.

Charlie Taylor – 8

Always a threat down the left flank and defended against Lucas Moura well. Can be proud of his efforts.

Josh Brownhill – 6

His usual industrious self as he limited the Tottenham space in the first half.

Jack Cork – 5

A quiet day for the Englishman, who got through a lot of work with little to show for it.

Dwight McNeil – 4

Was anonymous for large patches of the game.

Maxwel Cornet – 5

Guilty of missing a golden chance in the first half when he shot straight at Lloris. Was forever a threat running in behind.

Ashley Barnes – 4

Offered very little in the Burnley frontline, and was guilty of having his arm in a position deemed unnatural as he gave away a penalty in first-half stoppage time.

Substitutes

Aaron Lennon – 5

Hardly touched the ball upon coming on.

Wout Weghorst – 6

Was a nuisance when he came on.

What the experts said

Spurs are badly missing Kulusevski’s guile and craft so far. Burnley coping with Lucas pretty comfortably.

— Oliver Young-Myles (@OMyles90) May 15, 2022

Rubbish law https://t.co/OzEuN4Icry

— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) May 15, 2022

Unnatural position!!!! What a load of bol****s Spurs v Burnley

— Chris Kamara (@chris_kammy) May 15, 2022

What the fans said

Not saying the Spurs v Burnley atmosphere is flat but I’ve tried to activate ‘crowd noise’ twice in the last 5 minutes

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) May 15, 2022

Stomach bug issues in the Spurs camp. I’ve seen this film before. 🇮🇹 #THFC

— Michael Bridge (@MichaelBridge_) May 15, 2022

So was it a pen for Spurs? Looked pretty nailed on to me. But then again the handball rule is literally based on how that particular VAR person is feeling on the day

— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) May 15, 2022

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