A midweek win saw Spurs travel north in buoyant fashion, and they started on the offensive at Turf Moor.
Djed Spence, occupying an unfamiliar role on the wing today, tested Martin Dubravka in the early stages, but it was actually Burnley who managed to find the back of the net first.
A small goalmouth scramble ended with Lucas Pires prodding the ball over the line, but he’d strayed well offside prior to doing so, and Spurs were handed a reprieve.
It was a set piece which yielded Spurs' best opening of the first half-hour, as Pedro Porro’s free-kick rippled the side netting to the relief of a portion of Turf Moor who thought it had gone the other side of the post.
Porro was proving to be the best route to goal for Thomas Frank’s men, and another free kick tested Dubravka once more, but the Portuguese full-back’s strike was easily gathered by the Slovakian stopper.
From there, pressure started to build on the Clarets' goal in the final 10 minutes of the half, with Dubravka keeping out former Burnley man Wilson Odobert and then producing a fine double save to prevent Conor Gallagher from netting.
But his resistance was eventually broken from the resulting corner, as a loose ball fell favourably for Micky van de Ven, whose left-footed strike arrived in the bottom corner to put Spurs ahead.
Burnley weren’t in the game for almost the entire first half, but incredibly, they drew level in first-half stoppage time.
It was through an unlikely source, too, as with his first goal in two years, Axel Tuanzebe popped up to turn home Kyle Walker’s teasing delivery.
The visitors were spurred back into life by that leveller and ought to have retaken the lead within five minutes of the restart, but a third fine Dubravka save of the afternoon denied Dominic Solanke from inside the six-yard box.
Aside from that, though, Frank’s men offered precious little in an attacking sense, which made his decision to stick with his back five heading into the final 20 minutes all the more puzzling.
Their lack of endeavour was eventually punished 15 minutes from time when a sweeping Burnley move culminated when Jaidon Anthony slipped Lyle Foster in behind, and at the second time of asking, the South African fired the Clarets into a surprise lead.
Spurs were relatively timid in the closing stages, but salvation arrived in the final moments, when Cristian Romero popped up to head home Odobert’s delivery and break Burnley hearts.
Despite clawing back something in East Lancashire, Frank knows that his job remains firmly in the balance, while Burnley’s survival hopes continue to fade by the week.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kyle Walker (Burnley)
