SPURS WANT MOURA THAT
Brazilian star Lucas earns Nuno much-needed Spurs victory
LUCAS MOURA relieved some of the pressure on boss Nuno Espirito Santo by booking a quarter-final spot for Tottenham at Turf Moor.
A low-quality contest settled by the Brazil forward’s second half header will not blow away all of the dark clouds which have gathered in north London.
And there are still signs of tension within the camp as the Portuguese tries to impose his authority over his new squad.
But the prospect of a run deep into the competition, which last saw the Spurs trophy cabinet unlocked after they won it back in 2008, was a step in the right direction.
Tottenham were far from convincing against a spirited if limited Burnley side who only came alive late in the day.
And Spurs chief Nuno could count himself a touch fortunate given Moura was not in his original plans, replacing the injured Bryan Gil on 25 minutes.
After a double substitution had given Spurs a spark and Moura had headed them in front it also took some excellent last-ditch defending from Davinson Sanchez to keep their noses in front. But a win is a win.
Nuno made six changes from the side which lost to West Ham at the weekend and named five first-team regulars, including Harry Kane, yet he left plenty of firepower out.
There was no place in the squad for Dele Alli, whose Spurs career appears to be in decline once more, or Harry Winks, who questioned selection processes earlier this month.
Tottenham fans travelled in decent numbers, but neither they nor the Clarets support had much to cheer about in a desperately poor first half.
Kane had another half to forget bookended by two misses, one left-foot shot hooked wide of Nick Pope’s left-hand post, and a miscued volley from Giovani Lo Celso’s corner in the shadow of half-time. In between there was plenty of effort, but precious little quality.
The game improved after the break, but Spurs, beaten in the final last year by Manchester City, continued to struggle to create anything of note until Nuno shook things up.
With the Tottenham fans urging their manager to “make a sub”, the Londoners nearly made the breakthrough, Kane slipping through Lo Celso only for keeper Pope to pull off a great block.
Nuno granted the travelling supporters their wish on 65 minutes, bringing on Heung-Min Son and Tanguy Ndombele, and it was a jolt which brought instant dividends.
Powering forward in numbers the ball found its way out to Emerson on the right flank, Moura stretching to head low past Pope after 68 minutes.
It was as if the substitutions had flicked a switch and Moura nearly added a second Tottenham goal, his long-range bullet kept out of the net by an athletic dive and save from Pope.
For Burnley there was just frustration.
The Clarets built up some late steam, brought on new star Maxwel Cornet and saw Spurs’ Sanchez forced to hook away, but they could not find a leveller.