Gallery: Player Ratings – Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Burnley

Subs

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Christian Eriksen came on and gave the midfield some authority and the game a vital goal. Sonny missed the best chance prior to the goal but we needed these two by the end to provide some sort of impact.

Match Summary

For ninety minutes this game was dead in the water that fell persistently from the wintery skies. Yes, Burnley came to kill the game – their bookings were for time wasting – but we could hardly claim the game had a pulse when Spurs had the ball.

Then, in extra time, Christian Eriksen put several thousand lightning volts of electricity through it and it came alive. And it had all been worth it, the tedium and the rain.

Everything Pochettino had warned us about the reaction game following an exceptional performance, the workaday fixture against unglamorous opponents, threatened to come true.

Had we really described the second half thrust in the week as Barcelonesque? Today, every ball was measured, unadventurous, easy to defend. It was dull and our season’s destiny seemed to rock uncertainly on its perch. You can’t win every game but we kinda needed to win this one. And, hey, goddam it, we did!