By Sean Walsh
FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM - Burnley were relegated from the Premier League after losing 2-1 at Tottenham on Saturday.
The Clarets, who needed a win to stand any chance of survival, went ahead in the first half but surrendered their lead before the break and were unable to withstand mounting Spurs pressure as the game went on.
Ange Postecoglou's side ended a run of four successive defeats to keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive, but they were made to work for the win after another rough performance.
How the game unfolded
Tottenham started brightly and went close to an opening goal when they built from the back and Son Heung-min sent James Maddison racing clear, only for Charlie Taylor to block behind his resulting shot.
Burnley themselves went closer seconds later when Wilson Odobert's cross was nodded on by Vitinho, forcing Guglielmo Vicario into a stretching save.
Arijanet Muric kept the Clarets on level terms when Dejan Kulusevski's deep cross found Brennan Johnson, and the Kosovan goalkeeper scampered across his line to deny him a goal at the near post.
Midway through the first half, Burnley went in front. Sander Berge wriggled away from three Spurs bodies in midfield before sitting through Jacob Bruun Larsen, who made no mistake when one-on-one with Vicario.
But Spurs soon found an equaliser, much to the delight of the frustrated home crowd. After working the ball nicely through midfield, Pedro Porro was afforded a free run to the Burnley box, and he didn't need a second invitation to fire in at Muric's near post.
Tottenham should have gone in front with their next chance. Another poor Muric pass from the back was pounced upon in the 18-yard box by Johnson. The Welsh winger spotted that the Burnley goalkeeper kept vacating space at his near post to anticipate crosses and tried to sneak a shot in, but his effort found the side-netting.
After the break, Burnley's fight for survival saw them attack Spurs more. Odobert saw a shot deflected narrowly over after nicking the ball off Kulusevski, before Maxime Esteve's header from a cross after the following corner landed on top of the net.
Maddison sought to create a moment of magic down the other end when he weaved away from a couple of Burnley bodies before being kept out by Muric.
Another glorious opportunity came and went when Son's low cross was turned wide by Johnson from only a couple of yards out.
Muric then came up with a stunning save to thwart Pape Matar Sarr, but the Burnley resistance would soon be breached. Maddison again picked up the ball in a pocket of space and found the run of the marauding Micky van de Ven, who ghosted past Dara O'Shea and then found the bottom corner with an excellent finish.
Yet another fine stop from Muric kept Burnley within touching distance of Spurs, punching away a goal-bound Cristian Romero header.
Tottenham looked more likely to add a third than Burnley to mount a late comeback and their relegation back to the Championship was confirmed after six added minutes.
Tottenham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10 - Added another show-stopping save to his highlight reel with a throw of the hand upwards to keep out Vitinho.
RB: Pedro Porro - 8/10 - Hauled Spurs level with his second belter against Burnley this season. A useful attacking outlet and defended well.
CB: Cristian Romero - 6/10 - Felt empowered to carry the ball into high areas and Burnley didn't really know how to defend against such a tactic.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 8/10 - Caught too high up the pitch for the opening goal but was flawless aside from that. Saved Spurs' blushes with another excellent goal for his collection. Ended the game at left-back after Dragusin was brought on.
LB: Oliver Skipp - 5/10 - Was never going to win any races and Burnley looked to take advantage of this. Not a horrendous first start in this position and offered some bright moments on the ball.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 5/10 - Another sloppy outing when in possession but worked harder to win it back.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 6/10 - Often found himself crowded out by Burnley defenders in the first half but adjusted his positioning in the second, crashing the box to greater impact.
RW: Brennan Johnson - 5/10 - Chalked up an assist but will not be in a hurry to watch this game back. Scarcely used his searing pace and fluffed his line from a couple of yards out.
AM: James Maddison - 8/10 - Rightly criticised in recent weeks for an alarming dip in performances but stepped up here. Took control of the game in the second half to see Spurs to victory.
LW: Dejan Kulusevski - 4/10 - Completely blunted on either flank. Didn't even bring his usual physicality to help Spurs hold the ball up. Replaced by Scarlett in what felt like a key message to both him and the club's recruitment team.
CF: Son Heung-min - 5/10 - Like Sarr got little out of the Clarets' defenders in central areas and was a lot more effective when back out on the wing.
Substitutes
SUB: Dane Scarlett (75' for Kulusevski) - 5/10
SUB: Radu Dragusin (75' for Skipp) - 6/10
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (75' for Bissouma) - 5/10
SUB: Giovani Lo Celso (88' for Maddison) - N/A
SUB: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (88' for Sarr) - N/A
Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil, Mikey Moore
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 6/10 - Tottenham again needed a second-half rally to come from behind and secure the win. Changes will be needed this summer.
Burnley player ratings (4-4-2)
GK: Arijanet Muric - 6/10 - A mixed bag. Gifted Tottenham possession far too often with slack passes from the back and was nearly punished for going early with his positioning on crosses, but produced several great saves to keep them within reach of a win.
RB: Lorenz Assignon - 5/10 - Had Kulusevski and Johnson's number for a lot of the afternoon but lost his cool late on as Burnley lost their way.
CB: Dara O'Shea - 6/10 - The Spurs pressure proved just a little too much to handle for Burnley and O'Shea, who performed admirably.
CB: Maxime Esteve - 6/10 - Likewise was solid throughout but it wasn't his or the Clarets' day.
LB: Charlie Taylor - 4/10 - Kulusevski and Johnson were poor but Taylor endeavoured to make them look like world-beaters regardless.
RM: Jacob Bruun Larsen - 7/10 - Troubled Tottenham all afternoon with his pace in behind and took his goal extremely well.
CM: Josh Cullen - 5/10 - Guilty of some stray passes but no one on his side was particularly perfect at that aspect of their game.
CM: Sander Berge - 7/10 - A class above in midfield. A booking for a cynical foul on Sarr the only blemish on his individual performance.
LM: Vitinho - 5/10 - Shrugged out of the game with little bother. Got little out of Porro at either end.
CF: Wilson Odobert - 6/10 - Pulled out wide to get at Skipp, an avenue that Burnley should have explored a bit more frequently.
CF: Lyle Foster - 5/10 - Didn't really get a sniff. Ran the channels but didn't trouble Romero and Van de Ven enough.
Substitutes
SUB: Manuel Benson (72' for Vitinho) - 5/10
SUB: Mike Tresor (81' for Larsen) - 5/10
SUB: David Datro Fofana (88' for Foster) - N/A
SUB: Zeki Amdouni (88' for Cullen) - N/A
Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Hjalmar Ekdal, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Josh Brownhill, Jay Rodriguez
Manager
Vincent Kompany - 6/10 - Burnley weren't fazed by the challenge at hand and though they were a tad naive at times, they still posed a threat to Spurs.
Player of the match - James Maddison (Tottenham)
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Tottenham 2-1 Burnley: Player ratings as Spurs relegate Clarets to Championship.
