Tottenham Hotspur beat resolute Burnley 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon to tighten their grip on third place in the Premier League.
The Lilywhites came close through a scuffed Son Heung-min shot and a well-saved effort from Erik Lamela before their eventual breakthrough.
Christian Eriksen was the hero, coming off the bench to blast the ball past Joe Hart in the final stages of the contest.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at Wembley Stadium. The hosts head into this match on the back of a famous 1-1 draw away to Barcelona in midweek that keeps their campaign alive on four fronts, and now they have the chance to tighten their grip on a top-four spot in the English top flight against a team occupying 17th place in the division.
It has been a disappointing first half to the season for the Clarets, meanwhile, as they find themselves just one place above the relegation zone heading into a tricky spell of fixtures. Sean Dyche's men were always going to struggle to match their heroics of last season, but there have been far too many below-par displays from them this term. The 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend did at least bring an end to their two-month winless run.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Davies, Rose; Sissoko, Skipp; Lamela, Moura, Alli; Kane
SUBS: Gazzaniga, Son, Winks, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Eriksen, Eyoma
Starting with a look at the home team, Mauricio Pochettino has made five changes on the back of the 1-1 draw with Barcelona in midweek. The big news is that Oliver Skipp comes in for his first Premier League start, slotting in alongside the ever-improving Moussa Sissoko in the engine room. There is also a return at right-back for Kieran Trippier following his latest injury absence, while Ben Davies is another who is recalled in the backline.
Davies will not play in his usual position of left-back, however, as he is instead required in the heart of defence alongside Toby Alderweireld today. Jan Vertonghen is not in the squad and both Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez are also out injured, so Davies - who is accustomed to playing in this position as part of a five-man defence - will be asked to fill in. Not ideal, but Pochettino does at least have Danny Rose back up to full speed out wide.
Lucas Moura and Eric Lamela are the other two players to return to the starting lineup from the Barcelona match, taking over from Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen, who both drop down to the bench. Dele Alli retains his place through the middle, starting just off in-form striker Harry Kane. The England international has scored eight goals in his last four December starts in the Premier League.
BURNLEY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Hart; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Long, Taylor; Lennon, Westwood, Cork, Brady; Barnes
SUBS: Heaton, Lowton, Vokes, Wood, Hendrick, Gibson, Vydra
Switching focus to the visitors, Dyche has made two changes from the much-needed win over Brighton a week ago. Kevin Long and Aaron Lennon come in for Chris Wood and the injured Johann Berg Gudmundsson, meaning that Burnley will likely go with a five-man backline this afternoon. Should that be the case, Long will slot in alongside James Tarkowski and Ben Mee, with Phil Bardsley and Charlie Taylor providing some width.
With Wood dropping to the bench alongside Sam Vokes and Matej Vydra, it is left to Ashley Barnes - the scorer of two goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season - to lead the visitors' line. As well as being without creative talent Gudmundsson, who was taken off with a hamstring complaint against Brighton, the Clarets are also minus another key man in Steven Defour. The South American midfielder misses the cut due to a calf problem.
Tarkowski is arguably the biggest threat to Tottenham's hopes of keeping another clean sheet today, having found the back of the net three times in 13 league outings this term. Burnley are set out as though they are here to keep the game as tight as possible, which is entirely understandable, but it could be a busy afternoon for the likes of Tarkowski, Long and Mee. Plenty of focus on Aaron Lennon, too, as he faces off against one of his former clubs.
Mauricio Pochettino hands Oliver Skipp his first Premier League start this afternoon in one of five changes from the 1-1 draw with Barcelona. No surprise to see Harry Kane return to the starting lineup from the Lilywhites' most recent league outing at Leicester City, with the Englishman already boasting nine goals in the league this term and four more in the Champions League. Worryingly for upcoming opponents, December is when he tends to hit top form.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in eight meetings with Burnley in all competitions, winning five of those. The Clarets' sole Premier League victory was by a 4-2 scoreline at Turf Moor in May 2010, while their most recent away league win in this fixture came in October 1974. Sean Dyche's side did snatch a 1-1 draw here last season, though, through a late Chris Wood goal.
Tottenham have collected 36 points from their first 16 outings of 2018-19, making this their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign. Nine of their last 11 matches have ended in victory, with defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal over the past few months the only blemish for Pochettino. The Lilywhites' display at the Emirates Stadium was incredibly out of character, as they completely faded away in the second half and lost 4-2 in the end.
The North London outfit have responded to that derby setback in the best way possible, overcoming Southampton 3-1 at Wembley Stadium and Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium to move back up to third place, six points off top spot and two above Arsenal in fifth. The title is surely out of the question due to the incredible form of both Man City and Liverpool, but Spurs are on course to finish best of the rest - that in itself deserve plenty of praise, even if some will use it to ridicule the club's supporters.
That is essentially because Tottenham have built up a reputation as being a 'nearly' club; one that puts pressure on the eventual champions without actually winning anything - as was famously the case when Leicester City came out on top a couple of years ago. Pochettino did question the media stance on his side earlier this week, though, rightly pointing out that his side have made their best top-flight start since 1960.
Tottenham did not bring in any players in the summer, becoming the first Premier League side to do so since the transfer window was introduced, and Pochettino does not seem confident of bringing in any new faces next month, either. The Argentinian coach is unsure whether that would be such a bad thing, though, as Tottenham appear to have a perfect blend of players in their squad already, as well as a team spirit that money cannot buy.
Despite their lack of activity on the transfer front, Spurs are third in the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Champions League, as well as the last eight of the EFL Cup. It is fair to say that they did things the hard way in Europe, collecting just one point from their first three matches before then beating Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven, prior to their famous result in Camp Nou four days ago. Still, finishing second in the toughest group of the lot is a massive achievement.
It is just the two defeats in 14 matches for Tottenham, who can now focus solely on domestic matters until the Champions League resumes in February. There are six more games to come over the next 17 days, starting with this home match against Burnley and culminating in a trip to Cardiff City on New Year's Day. Sandwiched between those fixtures are games against Arsenal in the EFL Cup quarter-finals and Everton at Goodison Park, plus home matches with Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tottenham's home form is still not all that impressive, having lost two of their last five league matches here - against top-two sides Liverpool and Man City - to match their tally from the whole of the past two campaigns combined. There is therefore little room for any sort of slip-up in the home games against Burnley, Bournemouth and Wolves here over the next few weeks if they are to remain outside title contenders.
DID YOU KNOW? Victory today will make it 100 Premier League wins for Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham Hotspur manager, making him the seventh person to achieve that at a single club. Spurs, meanwhile, have not drawn a league match since a 1-1 tie at Brighton & Hove Albion in April - a run spanning 20 matches.
Tottenham Hotspur have won nine of their last 11 Premier League matches and remain on course for silverware on four fronts as we approach the midway stage of the season. Despite the lack of financial backing he has received, and yet more delays with regards to their new stadium, Mauricio Pochettino has once again made the Lilywhites one of the strongest teams anywhere on the continent. The challenge now is to maintain this good run of form ahead of the January transfer window.
RESULT! Manchester City have beaten Everton 3-1 in the day's early kickoff. Gabriel Jesus scored twice at the Etihad Stadium, both coming via Leroy Sane assists, and Raheem Sterling also bagged a goal from the bench after Dominic Calvert-Lewin had pulled one back for the out-of-form visitors. The Citizens are now top of the table, two points ahead of Liverpool and eight in front of Tottenham, who have this game in hand to play.
Burnley ended an eight-game winless run with victory over Brighton last weekend, earning the slender victory through a Tarkowski goal late in the first half. The Clarets had lost three matches in a row prior to that, going down to Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Liverpool, and had collected just two points from a possible 24 since the end of August. Whichever way you look at it, it was very much relegation form.
Beating Brighton was therefore imperative, and the Clarets did exactly that when the pressure was on. It also marked just a second clean sheet since the opening month of the season, but still Burnley are allowing shot on their own goal at an alarming speed. Dyche, effectively using a five-man defence today, will now be keen to build on last week's shutout, with his side shipping 32 goals so far this term - only Fulham have let in more.
The 15 goals Burnley have scored in the Premier League is a tally bettered by 14 other sides, meanwhile, so improvement is needed at both ends of the field. The Brighton win was a huge boost, but it comes ahead of trips to Tottenham and Arsenal over the next week, meaning that momentum could be hard to come by ahead of the post-Christmas matches. Then comes home games against Everton and West Ham United in quick succession.
Burnley are one place and two points above the relegation zone, though a surprise victory at Wembley today could lift them as high as 14th place. The Clarets have taken just six points from their last 10 away matches, with half of those points coming against Cardiff City at the end of August - a match that saw them somehow scrape a 2-1 victory in South Wales. Dyche knows the importance of getting some more points on the board, though doing so from games against Spurs and Arsenal is a daunting task.
Dyche's side have conceded a joint-high seven goals in the final 10 minutes of Premier League games this season, putting them equal with bottom side Fulham in that regard. Interestingly, it has now been 59 matches since the Clarets were last awarded a penalty in the top flight - a run that will surely come to an end soon. Lennon and Brady are the widemen tasked with getting the ball into the middle this afternoon.
MANAGERS' COMMENTS!
Mauricio Pochettino: "It's such an important game, it's going to be a tough game because every three days to play is always tough but we need to try to find the way to approach the game in the best condition and be sure we're going to fight to be ready to win. We have a very tough opponent in front of us, but the most important thing is the way we approach the game."
Sean Dyche: "Tottenham are having a fine start to the season and they had a great result the other night. I really like the way they go about their business. Their manager plays direct football but in a passing style, if they can get out quickly then they do. They're effective. They don't keep the ball for the sake of it. We go down there with a bit more freedom, the expectation changes. Last week against Brighton, there was really heavy expectation for us to get a result."
Pochettino describes this game as a 'tough but important' one for Tottenham, who are aiming to close the gap on second-placed Liverpool to just three points with victory here. The Lilywhites have suffered defeats to Man City and Liverpool here in recent months, while also going down 4-2 to neighbours Arsenal more recently, but they have fared well against the division's lesser sides. Anything less than three points today would be a real surprise.
Burnley boss Dyche admits to being a big fan of Pochettino's style of play, which he describes as "effective". The Clarets will arrive at Wembley with a "bit more freedom" in the words of their manager, having lifted some pressure off their shoulders with a massive 1-0 win over Brighton seven days ago. A point will be considered a positive return from away games against Spurs and Arsenal over the next week.
KICKOFF: Burnley, who were level on points with Tottenham Hotspur at this stage last season, get us underway at Wembley Stadium. Just the 24 points between the two sides 12 months on, if you were wondering!
The visitors are going with five players across the back, as expected, so Spurs will be keen to get the likes of Dele, Lamela and Lucas on the ball as often as possible. Plenty of creative talents in this Tottenham side, not least Kane up top.
Burnley are looking comfortable in the early stages of the match, and it is currently the visitors who are knocking the ball around at the back. Tottenham have to remain patient - they will certainly get chances over the next 85 minutes.
Trippier, formerly of Burnley, sends in a decent delivery towards the back post that none of his teammates gambled on. Hart, who used to play at this ground regularly for England, watches the ball sail behind and will now take the goal-kick.
Good play from Trippier and Lamela, leading to a Burnley corner. Lamela sent it towards the back post but Kane was beaten to it by a couple of opposition players. The hosts are now starting to stamp their authority on the match.
Tottenham's play is just a little too slow at the moment. It is a case of attack vs. defence, but Burnley have not really been stretched or looked under threat. The visitors are happy for their opponents to dominate possession.
Tottenham have had 75% of the ball in the opening 13 minutes of the game. Still no shots of any note at Wembley, with the home side's best moments coming via crosses into the box from wide areas.
Burnley win a corner kick, which is a pretty disappointing one as Lloris punches it clear. Spurs wanted to counter but the Clarets keep hold of the ball, earning a second corner in the space of a minute through Davies's header behind.
This latest Burnley corner was more dangerous than the first. Plenty of pushing and shoving in the middle, but Taylor was left completely unmarked at the back post, only being denied a shot at goal by a disappointing first touch.
CLOSE! Lamela sends a 50-yard ball over the top for Lucas, who volleys wide of Hart's goal. Great pass and nearly a world-class finish - inches wide. That is the first sight of goal the Lilywhites have had this afternoon, with Burnley doing well to restrict them.
Bardsley appeared to win some of the ball, but he followed through a little and caught Rose on the shin. The Tottenham left-back, who has had a number of injury issues over the past year, is OK to continue. Twenty-one minutes played and we remain goalless at Wembley.
Rose overhits his cross so Trippier nods it back into the middle. Kane's back was to goal so he wanted to lay it off for a teammate, but the ball just would not sit to be struck. Tottenham dominating possession but are creating very little.
PENALTY APPEAL! Kane goes down inside the area under contact from Tarkowski, but referee Graham Scott waves play on. The Burnley centre-back appeared to have too much strength for the Tottenham striker. Sustained pressure from the home side now.
Tarkowski was taking a little risk with his shove on Kane, but the referee did appear to make the correct call. Spurs have enjoyed a three-or-four-minute spell on the ball high up the pitch, with Burnley unable to get a foot on it.
STAT! None of Tottenham's 16 top-flight games this season have ended in a draw - only Bolton Wanderers in 2011-12 (18) and Manchester United in 2012-13 (17) have had a longer run without a draw from the start of a Premier League campaign.
More than a third of the match played and we have still yet to see a shot on target from Tottenham. Pochettino will not be too concerned just yet, but his side do perhaps needs to think outside the box if they are to find a breakthrough.
SAVE! Tottenham hit Burnley on the counter and Sissoko slides is through for Lamela, who is denied by the outrushing Hart down low with his poked shot. Undoubtedly the home side's best opportunity so far, which Lamela probably should have been burying.
The Lilywhites continue to knock on the door and look as though they have a goal in them before half time. Burnley have stood firm, but Lucas and Lamela have both come close to finding a way through over the last 15 minutes or so.
CHANCE! This has to go down as another opportunity for the home side, as Kane's cross from deep is crying out for Dele to strike goalwards. The former MK Dons ace could not make any connection with the ball, though, with the ball going straight out of play.
Hugely disappointing from Rose, who had plenty of space to run into thanks to the decoy run of Lucas. Rose cuts inside on his right but bends the ball out of play, neither shooting nor crossing from the promising position.
Skipp sends a good pass into the feet of Lamela, who is unable to keep his shot down from 20 yards. Hart takes his time with the goal kick, which the home supporters are unhappy about. Half time is now fast approaching at Wembley.
Dyche will no doubt want more of the same from his side in the second half. Tottenham have had chances, but Hart has ultimately had just the one save to make so far. Could we see creative talents Son or Eriksen at the midway point?
CHANCE! The ball is sent back into the box by Trippier and Skipp gets a touch to it. The touch took the ball away from Lucas behind him, though, and Burnley survive another scare. Up the other end, Barnes heads over the bar following an error from Lloris.
HALF TIME: TOTTENHAM 0-0 BURNLEY
Referee Graham Scott brings the first half to a close. Tottenham had the better of things, coming close through attempts from Lucas and Lamela, but they did have a scare of sorts at the end of the half as Barnes headed over when picked out in the middle by Bardsley.
After ending their eight-game winless run with victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, Burnley were happy to sit back at Wembley in an attempt to add another point to their tally. The Clarets' switch to a five-man backline largely paid off, with Spurs restricted to just a couple of clear-cut opportunities in the first half.
Lucas Moura guided a first-time shot wide of Joe Hart's goal after watching Erik Lamela's 50-yard pass all the way, while Lamela was himself denied by an outrushing Hart once slotted through by Moussa Sissoko on the counter. A penalty shout for James Tarkowski's shoulder-barge on Harry Kane was also rejected by referee Graham Scott, but that aside it was a first half of few talking points.
Burnley could have taken advantage at the end of a low-key opening period, with lone striker Ashley Barnes guiding Phil Bardsley's cross over the bar following a weak clearance from Hugo Lloris. Pochettino may well turn to his bench before the second half, with Son and Eriksen among his back-up options.
BENCH WATCH!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Gazzaniga, Son, Winks, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Eriksen, Eyoma
BURNLEY SUBS: Heaton, Lowton, Vokes, Wood, Hendrick, Gibson, Vydra
KICKOFF: Tottenham, who had 70% of the ball in the first half, get us back up and running for the second half. Neither manager has made any changes at the interval, so it is as you were for the time being.
Close the voting for the worst cross of the season - Rose has just won it with this terrible attempt, hitting the ball with his standing right foot and then scuffing it out of play with his left. Will it be one of those days for Spurs?
SHOT! Tottenham look shaky at the back as a deep cross is helped back into the middle by former Spurs winger Lennon. Barnes met it and fired the ball goalwards, hitting Kane with this attempt in front of goal. The Clarets' best chance yet!
The early signs in this second half are not good for Pochettino, who will surely be tempted to turn to one of - or perhaps both - Eriksen or Son in the next 10 minutes. The best chance of the second period so far fell Burnley's way.
SAVE! Kane appeared to be shooting from a wide position, nearly catching out Hart at his front post. Lucas was waiting in the box, but Kane gave his international teammate something to think about at his near post.
Tarkowski with some good defending at the near post to prevent the cross from coming in. Spurs have a corner, which is cleared as far as Lamela. The Belgian's shot is blocked by Tarkowski, who is having to work overtime now.
Home supporters and players are unhappy as Tarkowski blasts the ball high into the stands, a good couple of seconds after the whistle was blown for a Sissoko offside. Westwood was then late on Skipp but also avoids a booking.
Some good pressure from Tottenham over the past couple of minutes. Again, though, the intensity is not quite there and Pochettino really could do with having Eriksen on the field for his creativity. Son is the other obvious option.
YELLOW CARD! Burnley have been guilty of time-wasting since the second-half restart, and they have finally been punished for it as Brady is cautioned for delaying a Tottenham free kick. The home supporters were happy with that decision from Graham Scott.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Here comes the change that Tottenham could have done with making 10 minutes ago, as Eriksen replaces Lucas. The Lilywhites have been pretty poor in this second half, creating next to nothing.
Burnley are dealing with every cross that comes into the box and look good value to see through the remaining 25 minutes. Tottenham switch play from one flank to the other but are no closer to finding that elusive breakthrough goal.
YELLOW CARD! A second yellow card shown to a Burnley player for time-wasting, with Bardsley the guilty party on this occasion. Bardsley took an age to take a throw-in after Lamela produced a strong challenge on the full-back.
Still just the one shot on target for Tottenham this afternoon, coming via Lamela in the first half, and there are now just 20 minutes left to play. Time for Pochettino to turn to Son? There is very little going on at the moment.
Tottenham's players are looking incredibly frustrated. There was late drama in this fixture last season when Chris Wood scored in stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw. Will we see a late goal in the Lilywhites' favour 16 months on?
Trippier is again frustrated by Taylor down the Tottenham right, which has been the case for Rose against Bardsley down the other side. Shocked that Pochettino has held off from introducing Son, as Dele and Lamela are offering little.
SAVE! Some goalmouth action at long last! Hart gets down well to somehow keep out Lamela's close-range shot at the end of a Rose cross, before Bee cleared the loose ball ahead of Kane. Son is introduced in place of full Premier League debutant Skipp.
Tottenham are now starting to build some momentum at Wembley - it has been a long time coming! From their eighth corner of the match, Eriksen picks out Lamela 13 yards from goal, but the attacking midfielder's shot is blocked.
BURNLEY SUB! Dyche makes his first change of the match, bringing on Wood for Barnes up top in a like-for-like change. Barnes deliberately walked to the far side of the pitch when he saw the sub being readied, eating up more valuable seconds.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Tottenham are unable sustain their momentum as play keeps stopping. On comes Llorente for the home side's final change of the afternoon, taking over from Lamela. A final roll of the dice!
The fresh legs of Wood come in handy as the striker is left all alone with Davies. The Welsh defender did well to hold off Wood, and when the shot did eventually arrive from the angle is was well blocked. Spurs could just as easily concede a goal now as they are lining up in a 4-2-4 formation.
CHANCE! Brady sends in a corner which is headed well clear by Kane. A tense finale on our hands now at Wembley as Spurs are throwing all they have at this, knowing it would be two points dropped. Son drags the ball wide from five yards after getting onto Llorente's knockdown.
That was the chance Tottenham were desperate for, but Son - only on the field for 10 minutes - could not take advantage of it. Good play from Llorente to knock the ball down for his teammate. Just two minutes of normal time to play.
CLOSE! Dele fires the ball into the side-netting at the back post under pressure from Bardsley. Brilliant defending from the Burnley man because that would have been a tap-in at the end of Son's delivery.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-0 BURNLEY (CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN)
A first Premier League goal of the season for Eriksen to surely win the game for Tottenham. Talk about leaving it late! Kane laid the ball off for Eriksen, who was somehow given enough time and space to fire into the top corner from inside the box.
FULL TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 BURNLEY
Tottenham were far from their best this afternoon, but they salvaged all three points right at the death through Christian Eriksen's strike. The Lilywhites did have the better of things over the 90 minutes, with Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min also coming close, but that is a tough one for Sean Dyche to take as his side were seconds away from claiming a big point.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Wembley Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and you can follow updates from Real Madrid's meeting with Rayo Vallecano right here. Thanks for joining!
