Tottenham booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after whimpering to a 1-0 victory over Burnley on Friday night. Ange Postecoglou’s side were far from their best as they struggled to break down their Premier League rivals in north London but were able to thank Pedro Porro for their victory after the right-back scored a screamer from long-range with 12 minutes remaining. And Express Sport takes a look at the biggest talking points from the clash in the capital.
Porro scores screamer
Porro is habitually a key man for Spurs going forward and had contributed seven assists this season before Friday’s clash. And the Spain international showed his eye for goal as he thumped a screamer into the top corner of the net to bag the winner late on.
The Spurs attackers drew a blank against Vincent Kompany’s men as they fluffed their lines time and time again. And it was up to the right-back to get the job done and book his side’s place in the FA Cup fourth round.
Richarlison fails audition
If Richarlison is hoping to become Tottenham’s main man in front of goal in the absence of Son Heung-min, he will need to do better than he did on Friday night. The Brazilian fluffed a couple of decent chances in the first half and didn’t pose anywhere near the threat Son usually does. If Richarlison can’t find his scoring boots over the next couple of weeks, Spurs could plummet down the Premier League table.
Postecoglou desperately needs James Maddison
Tottenham looked bereft of ideas in front of goal for long spells of their clash against the Clarets and are desperately missing chief creator James Maddison. The former Leicester midfielder is a creative genius and was in sensational form before injuring his ankle in the autumn.
The sooner Maddison is fit and ready to return, the sooner Spurs can rediscover the form that helped them storm to the top of the Premier League table.
Van de Ven return can’t come quick enough
Tottenham were cruising at the top of the table until Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury at the start of November. In the defender’s absence, Spurs picked up just 13 points out of a possible 27 and dropped to fifth.
Van de Ven was one of the Premier League’s best players during the early part of the campaign and he dominated the best forwards in England. And Postecoglou will be desperate to get the 22-year-old back on the pitch to transform his backline after naming the player on the bench against the Clarets
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