Burnley 1-0 Tottenham: Player ratings as Mee header dents Spurs' top-four hopes
By Tom Gott
Tottenham came crashing back down to earth on Wednesday as they fell to an ugly 1-0 defeat to Burnley at a wet and windy Turf Moor.
Antonio Conte's men came into this one having seen off Man City 3-2 last time out, but they didn't show any of that same fluidity in attack and were eventually undone by a second-half header from Ben Mee.
The game got off to a great tempo, with both sides pressing with energy and going at one another in the opening stages. Harry Kane's deflected effort caused problems inside the opening minute, before Josh Brownhill's ambitious volley was well saved by Hugo Lloris.
Burnley perhaps had the better of the opening stages and definitely had the better sights of goal, although Lloris wasn't particularly busy in the first half. There was a lot of energy in midfield but not a lot going on in the final third.
It seemed as though Conte lit a fire under Spurs at the break as they came out on top. Harry Kane hit the bar after just a few minutes from a header, and the striker's influence on the game continued to grow.
As we hit the 70th minute, Jay Rodriguez had a header well saved and Dejan Kulusevski went down the other end and curled an effort wide, before Mee rose highest from a free-kick to thunder Burnley into the lead.
A number of half-chances came Spurs' way as they searched for an equaliser, but Burnley defended resiliently and did an excellent job of limiting space for Kane, Son and the rest.
The hosts should have even had a second. Mee had a few slices following a corner and the ball found its way to the feet of Rodriguez, who blazed over the bar from close range.
Fortunately for Burnley, they weren't made to pay as they held on to pick up an enormous three points.
Burnley player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Nick Pope (GK) - 6/10 - A quiet first half but a bit more involved after the break. Nothing spectacular but did everything he needed to.
Connor Roberts (RB) - 8/10 - Nice at both ends of the field. Switched on to keep Son and Sessegnon quiet but also pretty involved going forwards.
James Tarkowski (CB) - 7/10 - Typically dominant in the air and did well to stick to Kane.
Ben Mee (CB) - 8/10 - Looks ready to take the leadership role from Tarkowski next season. Really impressive to keep Spurs at bay and shrugged off Romero for his goal.
Erik Pieters (LB) - 6/10 - Kept busy by Kulusesvski but didn't shy away from his battle.
2. Midfielders
Aaron Lennon (RM) - 6/10 - Buzzed around with energy without actually really doing anything.
Jack Cork (CM) - 7/10 - Pressed Spurs really well in the first half. Did well to control the midfield battle.
Josh Brownhill (CM) - 8/10 - Dominance in midfield. Pressed with immense energy and flashed some surprising quality with the ball at his feet as well. Really ran the show.
Dwight McNeil (LM) - 7/10 - A little disappointing in attack apart from one excellent solo run in the second half, but the defensive work he put in was superb. Gave his all for the team.
3. Forwards
Wout Weghorst (ST) - 6/10 - Not involved as much as he would have liked but caused a fair few problems for Spurs' back line. Some excellent hold-up play late on to help Burnley alleviate pressure.
Jay Rodriguez (ST) - 5/10 - Played with energy without really doing much. Saw a nice header saved and missed a real sitter late on which would have killed the game.
4. Substitutes
Ashley Barnes (ST) - N/A
Tottenham player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Hugo Lloris (GK) - 6/10 - Claimed a few crosses and did the routine things well.
Cristian Romero (CB) - 7/10 - An absolute thumping challenge on Tarkowski. Generally really impressive but couldn't contain Mee for the goal.
Eric Dier (CB) - 6/10 - A solid performance in front of onlooking England boss Gareth Southgate.
Ben Davies (CB) - 6/10 - Handed a few weird marking duties given he's the only centre-back who isn't a centre-back, but was otherwise alright.
6. Midfielders
Emerson Royal (RM) - 4/10 - Lacked any composure on the ball and sometimes looked scared to get crunched in a 50/50. Replaced by Lucas with 25 to go.
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) - 5/10 - Slipped on the wet turf early on and looked to have picked up a nasty knee injury. Shook it off but was withdrawn at the break.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (CM) - 5/10 - A little too cautious on the ball. Didn't cope well with the pressure from Burnley's midfield.
Ryan Sessegnon (LM) - 4/10 - Same as Emerson. Gave Burnley's full-backs an easy night.
Dejan Kulusevski (AM) - 5/10 - Put himself about a lot but couldn't find any space against Burnley's defence. Went to wing-back after Emerson went off.
Son Heung-min (AM) - 4/10 - Couldn't get into the game either. Really struggled.
7. Forward
Harry Kane (ST) - 7/10 - When he got going, Kane was absolutely sensational. Some of his passes were otherworldly and he looked like the only Spurs player who was ever going to create a goal.
8. Substitutes
Harry Winks (CM) - 5/10
Lucas Moura (AM) - 6/10
Steven Bergwijn (LM) - 5/10