Some hope for resilient Burnley, but Eriksen winner poses Spurs’ title question

Christian Eriksen’s injury-time winner gave Tottenham Hotspur a vital 1-0 win at home to Premier League dwellers Burnley at a windy and wet Wembley Stadium.

In a game that saw little action for either side, the game was decided in the 91^st minute when the Dane, who came off the bench, finished off a lovely Tottenham move after Harry Kane laid off the ball for the Scandinavian playmaker inside the area, who then did well to beat Joe Hart at his near post.

A tired Spurs juggling with fixtures

When the teamsheets came in an hour before kick-off it was very clear that Spurs were prioritising Wednesday night’s clash against North London rivals Arsenal. Mauricio Pochettino handed a Premier League debut to 18-year-old midfielder Olivier Skipp and decided to bench key players Eriksen and Heung-Min Son.

The rotation, though, was not enough for Spurs as they looked tired and devoid of any intent to try and score for most of the game. The midweek fixture against Barcelona that saw the Lilywhites secure qualification to the Round of 16 of the Champions League played its part massively in the lack of effort today.

New look Burnley give Dyche hope

Although it was Tottenham who came away with the three points, Burnley boss Sean Dyche would be gutted not to have been the victor in this encounter. The five at the back gave the Clarets a defensive age for the majority of the game and was finally broken when Pochettino threw literally everything at Burnley in the final few minutes.

Burnley have nowhere been as effective as they were last season, but this new look formation could no doubt be something Dyche can buildup on over the festive period of the Premier League.

Have Tottenham entered the title race?

The win today sees Tottenham assert themselves in third place in the league, putting them five points ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal and two points behind Liverpool in second. In the past few seasons Spurs have been considered title challengers, and this season could see the Lilywhites challenge yet again.

Pochettino is confident his side can mount a title bid, saying in his post-match press conference: “We are in a very good position. We are there, that is the reality after 17 games 39 points we are third in the table. That is a massive achievement for us.

“We are there, we are close. In football all is possible. Look what happened in the Champions League after three games only one point are third believed. We believed it was possible and in the end, we believed and nowhere in the next stage of the competition.”

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pocehttino