Burnley 1-0 Tottenham: Ben Mee's header boosts Clarets' survival bid as Spurs stumble in top-four race

Match report and highlights as Burnley make it back-to-back league wins for the first time in over a year with 1-0 defeat of Tottenham at Turf Moor; Ben Mee's towering second-half header enough for victory that moves them within two points of safety; Spurs remain seven points off top four

Declan Olley

@declanolley

Thursday 24 February 2022 09:52, UK

Burnley boosted their survival hopes as they made it back-to-back Premier League wins with a 1-0 home victory over Tottenham that severely dents the visitors' top-four ambitions.

Ben Mee's towering header (71) made it consecutive league wins for the first time since January 2021 after they had won 3-0 at Brighton on Saturday.

Burnley's captain scored the winner at a very wet and windy Turf Moor as he climbed above Cristian Romero to nod home Josh Brownhill's free-kick.

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Harry Kane came closest to scoring for Spurs as he headed Heung-Min Son's free-kick against the bar two minutes into the second-half.

But Burnley comfortably held on after Mee's goal to move up to 18th and within two points of safety. Sean Dyche's side also have a game in hand over 17th-place Newcastle.

Meanwhile, Spurs remain seven points off the top four after a frustrating defeat for Antonio Conte's side, who failed to follow up on Saturday's stunning 3-2 win at Manchester City.

Both teams had come into the match full of confidence from their impressive results at the weekend.

Spurs came close to taking the lead within seconds of kick-off as Kane's cross-come-shot, that left Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope completely wrong-footed, deflected off the returning James Tarkowski and hit the side-netting.

But that was as troubled as Pope would be in the first 45 minutes as Tottenham rarely threatened.

The home side were the team on the front foot as they pressed and harried Spurs, but despite their pressure Burnley could only test Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris through Brownhill's speculative volley from outside the box.

Just two minutes into the second half, Kane rattled the bar with a header as Spurs upped their intensity.

But it was Burnley who took the lead in the 71st minute thanks to Mee's powerful header that gave Lloris no chance.

The home side then should have doubled their lead 12 minutes later, but Jay Rodriguez, who was in the starting line-up for the injured Maxwel Cornet, fired over from close-range after being set up by goalscorer Mee.

Tottenham's last three league wins had come courtesy of 90th-minute winning goals, but there was no such late show here for Conte's side, as they failed to create any real chances after Mee's header.

Conte: Club will have to assess my position

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Antonio Conte has hinted that his Tottenham future may be in doubt after the 1-0 defeat to Burnley - the club's fourth Premier League loss in five games. Watch his post match interview in full.

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte:

"It was a difficult night. It's not only tonight, in the last five games we lost four games. It means there will be [an] assessment about the club, about me, because I think for me it is very frustrating to lose four out of five.

"For sure the situation speaks clear. I am really sorry for the fans, I am really sorry because I think they don't deserve this. But when you lose four out of five it means the club have to make an assessment, also to speak together, and to understand which is the best solution.

"In this situation the players are always the same in this club, the club change coaches, but the players are the same, but the result doesn't change.

"I repeat, I am too honest to accept this type of situation, and for sure we will make an assessment with the club, because I repeat, it is not right, it is not right, it is not good for everybody to continue to lose and I can't accept this. It's not good for nobody."

Dyche: We're showing belief and work ethic

Burnley manager Sean Dyche:

"We continued the belief, the work ethic, the shape - all the things you need to play well against these sort of sides to get a result.

"All the details I've been talking about all season are beginning to show from the work ethic of the players, and they deserve a lot of credit."

Opta stats - Pope keeps first PL clean sheet against Spurs

Tottenham suffered just their third Premier League defeat in 15 meetings with Burnley. All three have come at Turf Moor, and all with a different manager in the dugout (Harry Redknapp, Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte).
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has lost four of his last five Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 21 games in the competition with Chelsea and Spurs combined.
Burnley's Josh Brownhill has scored (1) or assisted (1) a goal in each of his last two Premier League games, having scored none and provided one assist in his first 61 appearances in the competition.
Burnley keeper Nick Pope kept his first Premier League clean sheet against Spurs, having conceded 14 goals in his previous five appearances against them in the competition.

Man of the Match - Ben Mee

The Burnley skipper put in a real captain's performance. He marshalled the backline superbly all game as Tottenham rarely threatened, and any time they did he was there to put his body on the line.

Mee then popped up with the crucial winner that was just reward for his battling display.

It was also Mee's third Premier League goal of the season - his best return in a single campaign in the competition. Only Maxwel Cornet (6) has more for the Clarets this season.