REAL PICK MEE UP
Clarets boost bid to stay up as erratic Spurs are beaten
BLOW away Manchester City, flop to lowly Burnley four days later.
The flaky nature of Antonio Conte’s side was on display as they were out-muscled by Sean Dyche’s men, who are fighting for their Premier League lives.
At the Etihad on Saturday, Spurs were inspired to a brilliant display by Harry Kane.
But 44 miles further north at Turf Moor, it was gritty defender Ben Mee who was the star of the show.
Mee forced home a 71st minute headed winner from Josh Brownhill’s free-kick, and snatched a valuable lifeline for Burnley.
They are now just two points behind fourth-bottom Newcastle United with a game in hand, so tight is the battle at the bottom.
It is tight at the top for Spurs too, but not tight enough, with this wretched, toothless performance damaging their hopes of a top-four Champions League finish, or even European football. It was a sparky secondhalf display from Burnley, whose crowd erupted at the final whistle, anticipating another great escape.
It looked like Spurs just didn’t fancy the battle.
Just one shot on target in the first half made for a tame spectacle played out in increasingly atrocious weather.
Brownhill fired a volley on goal, which was a comfortable save for Hugo Lloris. Apart from that, defences were on top, as Turf Moor was battered by wind and heavy rain.
The absence of Maxwel Cornet was a major blow for Burnley but Dyche’s relegation-threatened side battled well to frustrate Kane. They had good territory and set pieces without opening Spurs up, with new signing Wout Weghorst a handful.
Spurs, unchanged from their win at City, were a shadow of that side until livening up immediately after the break.
Conte’s side couldn’t get going for 45 minutes, and were more hampered by the storm – with the ball starting to stick in the water – than Burnley.
Kane hit the bar from HeungMin Son’s free-kick, and tested Nick Pope with a long-range drive. Summing up the sort of game it was, Mee blocked a blockbuster shot from Dejan Kulusevski with a diving header. Kulusevski then curled a great chance around the post. Jay Rodriguez headed straight at Lloris when either side would have resulted in a goal, just before Mee forced home.
Burnley should have had a second with seven minutes to go. Mee twice slashed across goal and Rodriguez touched over the bar from six yards out.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 7, Roberts 7, Tarkowski 7, Mee 8, Pieters 7; Lennon 6, Cork 7, Brownhill 7, McNeil 7; Rodriguez 6, Weghorst 6 (Barnes 89). Goal: Mee 71. TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris 6, Romero 6, Dier 5, Davies 5; Emerson 5 (Lucas Moura 66, 6), Hojbjerg 6, Bentancur 5 (Winks 46, 6), Sessegnon 5 (Bergwijn 79); Kulusevski 6, Son 6, Kane 5.