Burnley 2-2 Tottenham Match Report as fans sing for Thomas Frank’s sacking
Cristian Romero’s last-minute header to rescue a 2-2 draw against 19th-placed Burnley may just have bought Thomas Frank another week at Tottenham, but the fans have spoken.
The pressure on Thomas Frank has quickly ramped back up after briefly easing following Wednesday night’s impressive 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund, with Spurs failing yet again to collect three points against a side battling relegation.
Despite Micky van de Ven opening the scoring, it was his centre-back partner Cristian Romero who once more stepped up late on, scoring for the third consecutive match as Tottenham clawed their way back into the contest.
Frank made several tactical adjustments on the day, switching to a back three and handing Yves Bissouma his first start of the season, though the decision to leave Mathys Tel out of the starting XI did not sit well with the majority of the Spurs supporters.
First half: Burnley 1-1 Tottenham
Tottenham almost made the perfect start when, within 15 seconds of kick-off, Djed Spence pounced on a loose ball inside the Burnley box and squared it across goal, only for Dominic Solanke to arrive a fraction too late to apply the finish.
After Martin Dubravka was forced into a couple of early saves to keep the hosts level, Spurs eventually made their pressure count from a corner, as Burnley failed to clear their lines. The ball dropped to Van de Ven inside the area, and the Dutch defender volleyed a powerful effort past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
However, Tottenham’s advantage was short-lived, with Burnley drawing level on their first meaningful counter-attack just before the interval. Kyle Walker delivered an inviting cross from the right, and with Spurs’ defence caught off guard, an unmarked Axel Tuanzebe was left with a simple finish to make it 1-1 heading into the break.
Second half: Burnley 2-2 Tottenham
Pedro Porro, who was at fault in the build-up to Burnley’s equaliser, was withdrawn at half-time, with Destiny Udogie introduced and Spence shifting across to the right-hand side.
Burnley continued to find space in transition, with Armando Broja twice getting in behind the defence, first being denied by a well-timed sliding challenge from Van de Ven and then by a decent save from Guglielmo Vicario.
The hosts’ pressure eventually told, as Burnley took the lead. After Van de Ven was dispossessed on the edge of the box, the ball was worked to Lyle Foster, whose initial effort was saved by Vicario, only for the striker to bundle the rebound over the line on his second attempt, with Udogie unable to prevent it from crossing.
Tottenham pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, with Dubravka producing a fine save to tip away Mathys Tel’s curling effort before Xavi Simons rattled the crossbar in what was Spurs’ clearest chance of the second half.
With barely a minute of normal time remaining, captain Cristian Romero came to the rescue once again, powering home a diving header from Wilson Odobert’s cross to salvage a point and spare Spurs another damaging defeat.
FT: BURNLEY 2-2 TOTTENHAM
Spurs Web man of the match: Cristian Romero
What’s next for Spurs?
With this draw, Tottenham have now taken just three points from a possible 15 in their last five Premier League matches, a run that continues to raise serious questions over Frank’s long-term future.
While the late equaliser may have earned him a temporary reprieve, it is difficult to see the head coach surviving much longer given the fixture list ahead, with daunting league meetings against the Manchester clubs followed by the North London Derby.
Tottenham fans were singing: ‘we want Frank out’ and ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’, both during and after the match today.
There is, however, some respite on the European front, where Spurs have impressed in the Champions League and currently sit 5th, with their final group-stage fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt up next on Wednesday.
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