Under the laws of the game, the penalty that won this crucial game for Tottenham was correctly awarded.
As Davinson Sanchez hacked at the ball in the Burnley 18-yard-box, it flew up gainst the outstretched arm of Ashley Barnes. It took a VAR check to spot it but the contact of ball against upper arm was there. Harry Kane slid in the penalty expertly and Tottenham were able to win this match.
But the handball law is fundamentally flawed and has been for a long time. Barnes would argue with some justification that his arm was stretched out for balance. He may also say he was being pulled about by Sanchez as the ball dropped from the sky.
Tottenham made up vital ground in the Champions League race with a narrow, hard-fought win 1-0 against Burnley on Sunday
Burnley were often on the back foot but nearly scored when Dwight McNeil (bottom) was inches away from meeting a cross
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte (pictured) was frustrated with much of his side’s lethargic attacking play in the first half
But none of that counts in this strange, mechanical game we now call football and Burnley must live with that as they continue with a battle against relegation that is being bravely and methodically fought.
For Tottenham this was a huge victory. At full-time, after his team had survived a late Burnley onslaught, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was straight on to the field to embrace his players. They are two points ahead of Arsenal in the scrap for fourth place and will remain in pole position for the Champions League spot if Mikel Arteta’s team don’t win at Newcastle on Monday.
Tottenham probably deserved this win on balance. Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope made some very good saves. But they needed that penalty when it arrived deep in first half added time and that only added to the sense of controversy.
Had this been a penalty awarded in, say, a 3-0 win then it would not have meant so much. But this was ultimately the fundamental difference between the teams in what developed in to a very tight and hard fought game.
Pope made the game’s best saves, for sure. No wonder Tottenham have him on their long list a long term replacement for their own Hugo Lloris. One save with his right hand from Heung-Min Son in the second half was world class.
But Lloris was no spectator here. He saved well from Maxwell Cornet with the score at 0-0 and also saw a Barnes strike crash against his post as Burnley endeavoured to regain a foothold later in the contest.
Spurs striker Harry Kane (second left) headed towards goal, but away defender Nathan Collins (centre) made a fine clearance
Early on the traffic flowed only one way. Burnley, playing with an unfamiliar back five, were dogged and determined but even so it was a tough opening period as Tottenham swept forwards.
Kane, as usual, was front and centre. Pope clutched one header from the England captain while central defender Nathan Collins hooked another from the goal line.
There was also a cross shot from Son that Pope gathered low at his near post and a drive from Ben Davies from 20 yards that landed straight in his midriff.
At this stage, Burnley needed all hands to the pump and they sustained some casualties. Right wing-back Connor Roberts ducked his headed in to Ryan Sessegnon’s while forward Cornet needed a bandage after a clash with Sanchez.
Clarets forward Maxwel Cornet (centre), who earlier missed a one-on-one with Hugo Lloris, was treated for a cut to his head
The breakthrough for the hosts came deep into first-half stoppage time when referee Kevin Friend gave a penalty for handball
Captain Fantastic Kane converted it coolly to give his side the lead right before the interval and soothe the crowd’s nerves
Over the course of the first half, though, the Tottenham threat did wane and Burnley managed to take a foothold. Cornet was provided with a super chance by a lovely ball threaded through by Collins only for Lloris to deny him and Burnley continued to play a fuller part in the game from that point on.
The penalty call deep in first half stoppage time – mostly added for time wasted by Pope – changed the mood. Tottenham supporters, who had grown slightly fretful as their team’s early progress had withered, were animated while, on the touchline, managers Conte and Mike Jackson exchanged views in a rudimentary manner.
But what mattered was that Tottenham had the lead and that was always going to shape the way the rest of this game looked. Immediately in the second half, Burnley were more ambitious and two set piece headed chances arrived, one to Kevin Long and one to Barnes. The first was directed down and wide while the second travelled up and over.
The England skipper stroked the ball confidently into the bottom-left corner of the net, with Nick Pope rooted to the spot
Clarets striker Ashley Barnes (right) was inches away to his first goal in 15 months when he struck the post from distance
Opposition midfielders Jack Cork (right) and Rodrigo Bentancur (centre) squared up as the game became a little tetchy
Just after the hour, meanwhile, Burnley came even closer. A sharp pass from the back found Barnes able to turn and run at the Tottenham backline and the shot unleashed from 25 yards seemed destined for the corner only to smash against Lloris’s right hand post.
That served to rouse Tottenham, who had been passive up until that moment in the second half. A header from Rodrigo Bentancur was held by Pope and the Burnley goalkeeper thrust out a strong hand to deny Son at his near post. That was a terrific piece of goalkeeping and served to keep Burnley in the game. With less than ten minutes again, Pope did it again and once again it was Son who was denied.
Burnley changed personnel and formation late on as they chased something but that one clear chance they needed didn’t arrive. Their next stop is Aston Villa on Thursday where they will play their game in hand on rivals Leeds. If they play with this togetherness, organisation and courage then they will have a fair chance. They will also hope for better luck.
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