Tottenham edge past Burnley to secure spot in FA Cup Fourth Round

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur would have wanted to steam-roll past Vincent Kompany’s Burnley but had to resort to a late goal from Pedro Porro to secure a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Burnley did not let the home side sniff a chance at goal for large parts of the first half as they narrowed the attacking lanes, causing the Lilywhites to tweak their approach to attacking the Clarets’ goal.

The second half was much better from a Tottenham perspective as the players put up a better fight and went into the 50-50 chances they let go of in the first 45. Pedro Porro scored a wondergoal in the 79th minute to ensure that Ange’s side went through to the next round. The player ratings are as follows.

Guglielmo Vicario: 7/10

Did not have a great deal to do through the first half. Blocked and parried away shots one would expect Vicario to. Normal game by his standards, nothing out of the ordinary.

Pedro Porro: 7/10

Porro also put up a strong performance. His attacking prowess from a full-back position is a hallmark of Ange Postecoglou’s style of play. Could have done better defensively on a few occasions, but his top-class strike balances it out.

Emerson Royal: 7/10

Among the best performers for Spurs on the night. Call him Dora the Explorer the way he wandered all over the pitch but stayed true to the defensive side of the game. Massive shift considering he is not a natural centre-back.

Ben Davies: 7/10

Davies held firm at the back, making it tough for Burnley to get chances. He did a better-than-usual job defensively, blocking their attempts and helping our team stay solid.

Destiny Udogie: 7/10

Udogie delivered an average performance. While he has shown better capabilities, there’s an expectation for an improved display in the upcoming weeks. It wasn’t a bad performance, but it fell short of his usual standards.

Oliver Skipp: 7/10

Seemed a bit rough but eased into things as the game went on. Ventured into attacking spaces whenever the opportunity came his way and put up a good defensive performance as well. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replaced him with 15 minutes to go.

Rodrigo Bentancur ©: 7/10

The Uruguayan international captained the side for the first time against the Clarets and put up a performance that Mousa Dembele would be proud of. He has been through a lot in the recent past in terms of injury issues and this game would be a huge confidence booster for the 26-year-old.

Giovanni Lo Celso: 7/10

The Argentine international played behind Richarlison and did well at important times. Looks like he might get more starts in the coming weeks. Played a few accurate long balls and did not give loads of reason to complain. Took a curling attempt on goal early in the second half which would’ve been a great goal if not for the Burnley keeper. Bryan Gil replaced him near the 60th-minute mark.

Dejan Kulusevski: 6/10

Largely uninvolved in the first half. Burnley’s style of defending narrowed down the scope of exploiting the space on the wings, and had Spurs tied up as the first half went on.

Brennan Johnson: 7/10

Cut inside and took an attempt on goal on a number of occasions. Proving game by game how he’s much more effective on the left-wing than the right.

Richarlison: 7/10

Richarlison went under the radar, lacking sufficient service to make an impact. There’s room for improvement in his defensive contributions, but overall, there isn’t much to complain about given the circumstances.

Subs

Bryan Gil: 6/10

Brought so much energy to a game that looked like it wouldn’t go anywhere. Constant runs forward in the few minutes that he played through the left.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6/10

Came on with just close to 15 minutes of action left and the Danish international covered a decent amount of ground and put in commendable levels of work.

Jamie Donley: N/A

Replaced Bentancur in the 83rd minute.

Dane Scarlett: N/A

He didn’t make a notable impact to merit a rating, but he did secure some decent minutes for himself. Had his late late shot deflected away for a corner; had that gone in, the game would’ve been settled much before.

Ryan Sessegnon: N/A

Sess didn’t make a significant impact that justifies a rating, but he secured valuable minutes for himself after returning from a lengthy injury spell, which is a positive step in his recovery. Could have scored on his return, but his late shot was fingertipped away by the Burnley keeper.

More Tottenham Hotspur News

• Ange Postecoglou happy to ‘paying small price” with respect to Tottenham star Son Heung-min
• Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou gives positive update on Micky Van de Ven’s injury
• Borussia Dortmund eye a move for Tottenham left-back Sergio Reguilon

The FA Cup draw for the fourth round will take place on Monday, January 8, 2024. It is scheduled to start at 7:50 PM GMT ahead of the third-round tie between Wigan and Manchester United, which kicks off at 8:15 PM. Games will take place on the weekend of January 27, 2024. Replays will be organised if matches end in a draw.