Tottenham vs Burnley: Spurs look like a different side, win 5-0

Son celebrating fourth Tottenham goal against Burnley
Son celebrating fourth Tottenham goal against Burnley

Tottenham Hotspur look like a totally different team than that faces Manchester United at Old Trafford as it beat Burnley 5-0.

Harry Kane opens the account very early and then scored in the second half.

Son Heung-min scored one of the goals of the Premier League season as Tottenham returned to winning streak under Jose Mourinho by brushing aside Burnley. Son picked up the ball on the edge of his area before sprinting the length of the pitch – leaving a trail of Burnley players in his wake – and slotting in to give Spurs a 3-0 half-time lead.

That all but sealed victory after Harry Kane had thumped the home team ahead and Lucas Moura converted a second from close range.

Burnley had chances of their own in the first half, hitting the woodwork through Robbie Brady, but paid dearly for their defensive vulnerability. 

Spurs skipper Kane took advantage of more slack defending to fire in the fourth, then combined with Moussa Sissoko – again allowed to waltz through unchallenged – for the fifth.

Mourinho’s side moved up to sixth – for the time being at least with Wolves having the chance to go back above them on Sunday – while Burnley drop to 13th, three points above the relegation zone after their third defeat in a row.

‘The best goal of my life’

While Spurs produced what Mourinho called a “complete performance”, it is Son’s stunning solo goal that will capture the headlines, be lauded on social media and endlessly replayed in the coming months.

Collecting the ball on the edge of his area when Spurs were already 2-0 up, the South Korean used his blistering pace to drive forward with the visiting players struggling to get back.

Those Clarets shirts that were in front of Son were too afraid of diving in and letting him skip through, yet he did that anyway by gliding past Matthew Lowton and Erik Pieters.

That presented him with only Burnley keeper Nick Pope to beat and, perhaps most impressively, he maintained his composure to slot in.

“I think it is the best goal in my life,” Son, 27, said.

“I don’t know what happened until the end! When I got the ball l tried to pass to Dele Alli and waited for his movement.

“But I couldn’t find him so I just went and went. I’m happy to score this goal.”

Spurs chased the ball and kept clean sheet

Mourinho’s standing as one of the world’s leading managers, having delivered trophies at a host of top clubs, has been built on the defensive organisation and stability of his teams.

But it was the attacking new Spurs which caught the eye, with Spurs producing their most devastating display under the Portuguese to date. Looking to make amends from the previous loss to Manchester United – their first loss under Mourinho – Spurs tried to chase the ball.

Spurs’ position was strengthened by Moura and once Son added that stunning third, their focus primarily came on keeping a first clean sheet under Mourinho.

In the build-up Mourinho again called for his side to stop conceding “cheap goals” and, despite allowing Burnley chances which they could not take, finally got his wish.

And it was a clear sign of Mourinho’s pleasure that the first thing he mentioned in his post-match interview in the tunnel was the clean sheet.

“There are still a few holes and chances to opponents but we were much, much, much more solid,” he said.

Head to Head: Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley

Statistics

  • Jose Mourinho has seen his side score five goals in the Premier League for the first time since January 2015 (Chelsea beat Swansea 5-0 ) – as Manchester United manager, his team never scored more than four goals in his 93 league games with the club.
  • Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has been directly involved in 15 goals in his 15 appearances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all competitions, more than any other player (nine goals, six assists).
  • Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been directly involved in seven goals in five games under Jose Mourinho in all competitions (four goals, three assists). Alli has provided two assists in a Premier League game for just the third time and the first since December 2017