Burnley were given a brutal reminder of the huge challenge that lies ahead in the Premier League with a chastening opening day defeat to Tottenham.
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'Obviously active': Scott Parker discusses how Burnley will look to utilise the ...](https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/obviously-active-scott-parker-discusses-how-burnley-will-look-to-utilise-the-loan-market-5272900 "'Obviously active': Scott Parker discusses how Burnley will look to utilise the loan market")
There was actually plenty to like about the Clarets’ performance, as they frustrated the Europa League winners for much of the encounter.
But three clinical finishes, two from Richarlison and the other from Brennan Johnson, condemned Scott Parker’s side to an opening day defeat.
Spurs put on a clinic of ruthless finishing to claim the three points in ultimately comfortable fashion, but for the first hour or so the Clarets were more than a match for the North London outfit.
The key moment came on the hour mark when, trailing by just the one goal, Hannibal squandered a huge chance to level. Spurs took full advantage, scoring twice in seven minutes to put the game beyond Parker’s men.
As if the scale of Burnley’s challenge wasn’t stark enough, the Clarets – who failed to concede more than once in a single league game last season – shipped three in their first 90 minutes back in the Premier League.
While Parker will be encouraged about elements of Burnley’s display, he’ll also know his side need more quality in the final third - having missed key opportunities to make this a nervy afternoon for the home side.
Brennan Johnson slips the ball past Martin Dubravka for Tottenham's third (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)placeholder image
Brennan Johnson slips the ball past Martin Dubravka for Tottenham's third (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Parker handed out debuts to three summer signings, as Martin Dubravka, Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman all started.
While Dubravka came in for Vaclav Hladky in goal, the team was otherwise unchanged from last week’s final pre-season friendly against Lazio.
Fellow summer recruits Max Weiss, Lesley Ugochukwu, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Loum Tchouana were all named on the bench, but Armando Broja was not involved.
The Clarets also stuck with the back three that they’ve worked on during pre-season, with Hartman and Oliver Sonne taking the wing-back roles and Walker, Hjalmar Ekdal and Maxime Esteve in the back three.
Josh Laurent partnered Josh Cullen in midfield, while Hannibal and Jaidon Anthony played off Lyle Foster in attack.
Last season’s 14-goal scorer Zian Flemming was fit enough to be named among the substitutes, but the likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Bashir Humphreys, Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and the aforementioned Broja all missed out, as well as long-term absentee Zeki Amdouni.
The likes of Hannes Delcroix, Joe Worrall, Manuel Benson, Luca Koleosho, Mike Tresor and Ashley Barnes weren’t picked either.
As for Spurs, Thomas Frank made three changes to the side that were beaten on penalties by PSG in the Super Cup on Wednesday night, as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Brennan Johnson all came in.
Spurs piled on the pressure right from the off, as Thomas Frank’s side almost took the lead within 30 seconds as Lucas Bergvall was denied by Dubravka at his near post.
We witnessed one of the season’s new rules in action after just four minutes when Dubravka was penalised for holding onto the ball for longer than eight seconds, resulting in a Spurs corner. Fortunately the Clarets dealt with it fine.
The visitors threatened for the first time through Hartman, who swung a dangerous-looking ball across the face of the Spurs goal that went untouched.
Just as Burnley were beginning to settle, they switched off defensively for a split-second and were instantly punished.
Maxime Esteve’s uncharacteristic wayward clearance fell straight to the opposition, who quickly worked the ball into the centre for Richarlison to turn home on the spin. It was evidence, if Burnley ever needed it, of the ruthless nature of the Premier League.
Despite the setback, Burnley were still applying themselves pretty well, as Josh Laurent tested Vicario with a 25-yard curling effort, which the Spurs man handled fairly comfortably.
The Clarets caught another glimpse of goal when a stray pass fell to Josh Cullen, who immediately set Lyle Foster free down the middle - but Christian Romero recovered to deflect his rising shot behind for a corner.
Despite his side trailing, Parker will have been encouraged by what he was witnessing as Jaidon Anthony set up a good chance for Esteve of all people - but the Frenchman couldn’t quite twist his neck in time to get enough power on his header, otherwise Vicario would have been in trouble. Laurent then had the Spurs keeper scampering across his goal as his side-footed effort skipped a yard or two wide.
Foster looked to have found himself through on goal for a second time, but on this occasion it was Micky van de Ven who strolled over, seemingly out of nowhere, to shut the door on the Burnley striker.
The Clarets felt they could have had a penalty at the end of the half when Antony appeared to be barged to the ground inside the box as he looked to latch onto Kyle Walker’s pullback, but referee Michael Oliver waved away the appeals and VAR didn’t intervene.
Spurs, just as they did in the first-half, got off to a quick start on the game’s resumption as van de Ven rose above Dubravka to glance a header just over.
Richarlison then came close twice in quick succession, first seeing his initial shot blocked by the midriff of Esteve, before his follow-up was well saved by the legs of Dubravka.
Burnley quickly hit back with not one, but two huge chances to equalise. The first fell to Hannibal, who was played clean through on goal but delayed and delayed and the chance soon went begging. Anthony, the provider of that chance, was then denied by Vicario from all of six yards out as panic set in among the Spurs defenders.
Burnley were made to pay for those misses within barely a couple of minutes, and in some style too as Richarlison grabbed his second.
Kudus was again the creator, whipping in a cross from the right that the Brazilian dispatched acrobatically and ruthlessly past Dubravka, who had no chance.
Having failed to concede more than once in a league game for all of last season, the Clarets - despite doing very little wrong - had shipped twice in the first 60 minutes of their Premier League campaign, highlighting the challenge that lies ahead of them.
Things got worse though, as Brennan Johnson swiftly added a third with a deft chip beyond the onrushing Dubravka.
At this point, the game largely fizzled out as Spurs made a string of late changes, while Burnley were content to keep it at three.
TEAMS
Spurs: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Gray (Bentancur), Sarr, Bergvall (Palhinha), Johnson (Odobert), Kudus (Tel), Richarlison (Solanke)
Subs not used: Kinsky, Danso, Davies, Vuskovic
Burnley: Dubravka, Sonne (Tchouana), Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman, Cullen, Laurent (Ugochukwu), Hannibal (Bruun Larsen), Anthony (Edwards), Foster (Flemming)
Subs not used: Weiss, Worrall, Pires, Ramsey
Referee: Michael Oliver
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