Tottenham Hotspur Take Their Chances to Secure Pre-Christmas Boost over Burnley

WHITE HART LANE, LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur beat Burnley 2-1 in their final Premier League home match before Christmas two years ago too.

Back then, in manager Mauricio Pochettino's first year with the club, Harry Kane and Erik Lamela struck either side of Ashley Barnes to ensure plenty of festive cheer on the Lilywhite side of north London (coincidentally neighbours Arsenal also dropped points on that corresponding weekend as well).

On Sunday, Barnes was the Clarets' man on the scoresheet again, this time giving his team the lead. Dele Alli and Danny Rose cancelled out the strike for Tottenham.

Spurs have had difficulty putting sides away at points this season—think the blown lead at home to Leicester City or missed opportunities away at West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth. Yet this, like in the recent home wins over Swansea City and Hull City, felt like a game in which they took their chances.

It may not seem like it when you look at Spurs' statistics. Of their 30 shots, just nine hit the target.

But amid the bombardment of crosses and the ambitious long shots that challenged but did not trouble Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, they found ways to score at crucial junctures in the contest.

Alli's run for a Christian Eriksen pass down the left gave impetus to the move that preceded his goal, four minutes after Barnes' opener. He stayed alert even as the ball switched to the right, allowing him to make an untracked run inside and convert Kyle Walker's low centre.

Like Walker did on the right flank, fellow full-back Rose got up and down the left side all afternoon, this despite not playing the out-and-out wing-back roles they did versus Hull.

When substitute Moussa Sissoko burst through the middle in the 71st minute after recovering Kane's intercepted pass, Rose was there with him. He took the pass in his stride and finished superbly, blasting his shot past Heaton.

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"You know, I feel very pleased for our performance because we fight—and we needed to fight—and we played when we needed to play and created a lot of chances," Pochettino said afterward in his post-match press conference.

"In the first 15 minutes, I think [there] was a moment to kill the game because we created a lot of chances, but in the end, you've conceded a goal that was a little bit unlucky, and they believe they can get some positive things here in White Hart Lane. But if we analyse the game, I think we fully deserved the three points."

Burnley boss Sean Dyche naturally had a different take. Perhaps rueful of not hurting Spurs—Andre Gray could have given them the lead sooner but fired straight at Hugo Lloris, and other attacks threatened—and definitely annoyed Sissoko did not get sent off for a late challenge on Stephen Ward, he thought his team did not get the rub of the green.

"It's not easy coming to these places," Dyche said. "These are a fine side, I think. They can change it in many ways. They can change their shape. They can change it from the bench, and I thought we handled it a lot.

"Not everything, because they are still a good side, and they created some chances, but a lot of what they threw at us today, I thought we handled it very well and played our own game. I was really, really pleased. It's just a shame that we got nothing from it because I thought we deserved something from it."

Recently promoted Burnley remain in 16th place, three points off the relegation zone after the weekend's action. Tottenham are in fifth and 10 points behind leaders Chelsea, but they have closed the gap on Arsenal and kept themselves ahead of Manchester United.

In keeping with the theme of taking chances, this was certainly a big win for Spurs.

They responded well to their defeat to Man United on Dec. 11 by dispatching Hull City. With this victory, they will hope to have established momentum that takes them through the Christmas period toward the big clash with Chelsea on January 4.

Date	Opponent	Venue
December 28	Southampton	St Mary's
January 1	Watford	Vicarage Road
January 4	Chelsea	White Hart Lane

They can afford few off days if they are to seriously compete with Antonio Conte's rampant Blues and the other title hopefuls.

This performance was also informed by players who are grabbing their chances at Spurs, with those to have done so in the preceding two-and-a-half years under Pochettino setting the standard for which newer faces must strive.

Take the goalscorers, Alli and Rose.

Alli was just a twinkle in Tottenham's eye when they dispatched Burnley in the pre-Christmas clash two years ago. He would sign in the soon-to-open transfer window before returning to Milton Keynes Dons on loan for the rest of the season, successfully helping them to promotion to the Championship.

Since then, Alli has established himself as one of the brightest young midfielders in the country, earning international recognition in the process.

A more known quantity these days, 2016-17 has not been easy for the 20-year-old. As previously mentioned, Spurs have been neutralised well and have had issues with consistency in the creative department.

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When he fluffed a golden look at goal early on here after Kane sent him through, he might have wondered whether this was going to be one of his drier afternoons. He also hit the post later in the half from an angle that never quite opened up.

Alli kept at it, though, performing with the vibrancy and persistence that has made him so big for Tottenham.

He frequently dropped back to help regain possession. Either side of his goal, he was intrinsic to several of Spurs' better moves, with some imaginative finishing proving just a little wide of the mark.

Rose is one of eight players still at Tottenham to have featured in the win over Burnley two years ago (Dembele was an unused substitute).

He was a 93rd-minute replacement for Eriksen then. Ben Davies was in the middle of a run at left-back that had kept Rose out of the side after getting injured in a 2-1 loss to Stoke City just over six weeks previously.

Rose started 2014-15 decently but not quite performing with the zeal Pochettino asks of his players. The manager's dropping him for the Wales international was a reminder anything much less than maximum effort would prove costly.

Within weeks, Rose was restored for a New Year's Day 5-3 win over eventual champions Chelsea. His determined and invigorating scoring effort established a template he has followed ever since.

In the present, it was Davies who was grateful for the minutes after he replaced Rose following a late knock.

Like Alli, he has also established himself in the England squad. Owning the left wing like he did against Burnley, battling to defend it and take Tottenham forward, he is undoubtedly one of the Premier League's best full-backs of any nationality.

"I am happy with them in the last few games," Pochettino said of Rose and Walker, praising their adaptability to different tweaks of his philosophy. "They are showing their quality, and they are showing how they can play." Asked whether this was the best the left-back has ever played for him, he said that might well be the case.

Alli and Rose are not alone in having such stories that have shaped this team.

Kane's rise to prominence has been one of English football's great tales in recent times. After a patchy first year with Pochettino, Dembele responded last season with one of the best years seen by a Spurs midfielder for some time.

These established players showing that last season's title challenge was no fluke will be pivotal. But others too are energising the team by taking their own chances.

Young midfielder Harry Winks got his latest start here.

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It was his losing the ball that led to Burnley's goal, with a lax pass to Walker undoing his previous good work in keeping possession—though a few more errors followed from team-mates before the ball hit the net. In midfield with Dembele and Victor Wanyama, things did not quite jell as naturally as would have been liked from an attacking perspective, either—what initially looked a 4-2-3-1 formation became a somewhat misshapen 4-3-3.

Yet there was still plenty to like about Winks' showing. He spread play efficiently, and it was pleasing to see him get forward, both with the ball at his feet and in occupying pockets of space.

Winks has enhanced the competition for places in central midfield. Sissoko is looking like doing similar in attacking midfield too.

It was a surprise he did not start after a good game against Hull followed a positive substitute shift against Manchester United. But the summer signing made up for lost time after replacing Dembele in the 63rd minute.

Given similar freedom as against the Tigers, the Frenchman powered past Burnley in central and wide areas, puncturing their previous resistance. While his crossing could improve, Sissoko demonstrated his greater composure and quality in closer confines in teeing up Rose's goal.

As for his foul on Ward, the booking sufficed.

It was not malicious, just a byproduct of a competitive game in a contact sport. Even Dyche admitted he only thought it was a sending off because of "modern" officiating standards.

Whatever you thought, Sissoko made the most of his reprieve. If he and his Tottenham team-mates continue to take chances of all different varieties, they should head in the right direction.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.