Pedro Porro’s 25-yard special helped Tottenham stumble into the FA Cup fourth round with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Burnley.
Spurs were far from vintage and a replay at Turf Moor appeared on the cards until Ange Postecoglou watched full-back Porro make the breakthrough with a superb strike in the 78th minute.
It earned Tottenham a deserved fourth win from five matches, but Clarets boss Vincent Kompany could take positives after a solid display and they will now concentrate fully on staying in the Premier League.
Spurs had already beaten Burnley 5-2 this season, but they were missing their hat-trick hero from that sunny September day with Son Heung-min away for the Asian Cup and the visitors started brightly in north London.
Fully COYS. pic.twitter.com/etHxbnFZsH
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 5, 2024
Anass Zaroury blazed over early on before Wilson Odobert tested Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario with a long-range effort.
Postecoglou had only made two changes for this third-round tie and arguably his strongest available team soon started to click into gear.
Richarlison scuffed wide after a slick move before Brennan Johnson’s curler forced Arijanet Muric into action.
The stadium was united in applause soon after when the clock struck 16 minutes as a tribute took place for Tottenham fan Harry Pitman, who was killed on New Year’s Eve.
Giovani Lo Celso hooked over at the end of a touching minute’s applause before VAR checked Rodrigo Bentancur’s tackle on Zaroury, but Spurs’ stand-in skipper avoided punishment.
Weathering an early storm ⚽ pic.twitter.com/YVcK5GL9lw
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) January 5, 2024
Kompany’s side created their best chance with 27 minutes gone when Zaroury’s scooped pass
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