Chris Wood grabbed a dramatic late equaliser as Tottenham suffered more Wembley wobbles.
The striker, signed from Leeds for £15million last week, stunned Spurs in stoppage time with his first Burnley goal to secure a 1-1 draw.
FULL-TIME: Spurs 1-1 Burnley. pic.twitter.com/PAeLg531Vg
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 27, 2017
Tottenham’s sorry record at their new temporary home now reads just one win from their last 11 matches despite Dele Alli’s strike early in the second half putting them ahead.
Pochettino refuses to blame Wembley
Faced with mounting evidence that the new stadium is to primarily blame for Spur’s early home struggles, manager Mauricio Pochettino was adamant that it was a poor excuse:
“We cannot complain. If some people are thinking about that, they need to stop” – Mauricio Pochettino
Regardless, Spurs next opponents at Wembley will hardly provide an easy task: Borussia Dortmund in Champions League action on September 13th.
Tale of two strikers
Burnley’s £15m record signing Chris Wood has had a crack at Premier League football twice before with both Leicester and West Brom, but failed to make an impact, despite being only 25 years old, you would have to imagine this is his final chance to make a name for himself at the top level. Prolific in the Championship for Leeds, the striker bagged 27 goals last season and had a fantastic conversion rate of 54%
Coming on for his Burnley debut in the 57th minute, the powerful New Zealander proved to be a nuisance to the Spurs defence, and took his chance with a carefully placed goal in the closing minutes of the game.
Spurs on the other hand, have been in need of a striker for the past two years, Harry Kane’s consistent form has masked the lack of depth the club has in the position, and at times like this, when Kane is not firing, the vulnerability becomes exposed. Vincent Janssen was an unused substitute in this game, a reflection of how little faith the management has in him to make an impact.
Burnley fight off relegation talk
Having sold their main striker Andre Gray to Watford this summer and been relatively quiet in the transfer market, many had written off Sean Dyche’s men as relegation certainties. However, an opening day away victory against Champions Chelsea and now this draw at Wembley have highlighted the team’s resilience. Sticking to a tight plan, Burnley let Spurs dominate possession and patiently relied on counter-attacks to make a move. Their defensive line was consistent and rigid, they were hard to break down, and the Spurs forward line was left frustrated throughout the game. Dyche’s men play like they are here to stay in the Premier League.
