Premier League: Tottenham beats Burnley to move fifth

Son Heung-min scored a goal in the 76th minute to hand the Spurs a 1-0 win against Burnley.

Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring against Burnley. - AP

Son Heung-min’s prolific start to the season continued with his 76th minute header giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win at winless Burnley in the Premier League on Monday and moving Jose Mourinho’s side up to fifth.

The South Korean was left unmarked at the back post to nod home his eighth league goal of the season after Harry Kane flicked on an Erik Lamela corner to give Mourinho’s side a third win in six games.

MATCH CENTRE

Kane had saved Spurs minutes earlier with a fine piece of defending as he cleared a goal-bound James Tarkowski header off the line.

Although Spurs always looked more comfortable on the ball it was Sean Dyche’s side which had come the closest to scoring. Ashley Barnes had a 20th minute drive ruled out for offside and then Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris got down well to stop a low drive from Ashley Westwood.

Son is now the top scorer in the Premier League and Kane is becoming a leading creator with the assist his eighth of the campaign so far.

Mourinho’s approach of asking Kane to play in a deeper role, often operating just behind Son and Lucas Moura, has produced the most potent attack in the league with 16 goals in six games.

'Nice partnership'

“It is great, we need everyone to be scoring and assisting at the top end of the pitch. Me and Sonny have had a nice little partnership going recently and hopefully it continues,” said Kane.

“Even today it was not an amazing assist but it fell well for Sonny and 1-0 away to Burnley is a fantastic result,” he added.

Kane said the win, at a venue where it failed to win in the past two seasons, was a sign of real progress for Tottenham. “It was a massive game today, it is not an easy place to come. It is going to be a tough game, a big battle and these are the games you need three points if you are going to be up there at the end of the season. Massive fight from the lads,” he said.

'Thorough performance'

Burnley looks set for a long season but Dyche saw some encouraging signs in its display.

 

“It was a very good performance, very thorough performance. There has to be belief in what we are doing and the last two games in particularly we have gone back to being what we can be like. We got done a little bit by a soft goal tonight but we quelled a lot of good attacks tonight,” he said.

“Tough start to the season in all different ways. I thought the last two games it is beginning to show things coming back together. We have to keep that going.”