Burnley have Premier League relegation confirmed after Tottenham comeback win
Tottenham 2-1 Burnley: Micky van de Ven’s late winner confirmed Burnley’s fate as they immediately return to the Championship
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Burnley fc were relegated from the Premier League after Micky van de Ven’s 82nd-minute winner earned Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 comeback victory.
Vincent Kompany’s Clarets had to claim all three points to keep alive their faint hopes of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s 25th-minute opener gave them hope in north London, but Pedro Porro equalised seven minutes later.
While Burnley were anticipated to finish strongly in pursuit of taking their Premier League survival bid to the final day, the opposite occurred. After Ange Postecoglou watched his Spurs side squander a number of chances, a tactical switch-up with Van de Ven moved out to left-back paid off when the Netherlands defender curled home with eight minutes left.
It sent Burnley back to the second tier but also keeps Tottenham in the hunt for Champions League qualification after they closed the gap to fourth-placed Villa to four points.
The equation was simple for Burnley with only a win able to stave off relegation and it could have been 1-1 after five minutes.
First, Charlie Taylor blocked a James Maddison effort after a slick Spurs move before a combination of Guglielmo Vicario and Cristian Romero denied the Clarets an opener. Vicario produced a fine save to thwart Vitinho’s close-range header, after a Wilson Odobert cross, and Romero made a timely clearance on the line to prevent a simple goal for Lyle Foster.
Two minutes later and Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric kept the score 0-0 when Dejan Kulusevski chipped in for Brennan Johnson, but his low effort was tipped wide.
After the frantic nature of the contest had eased off, the visitors took a shock 25th-minute lead. Sander Berge was the architect after he was too strong for Porro and played through to Bruun Larsen, who ran into the space vacated by Oliver Skipp and fired in for his seventh goal of the campaign.
It was another poor goal for Tottenham to give away, but they levelled seven minutes later through right-back Porro. He had struck a wonder goal to beat Burnley in January and produced another special strike as he blasted in from 14 yards after being given a free run into the penalty area.
It proved the catalyst for another action-packed period as Bruun Larsen dragged wide before Johnson hit into the side netting from a tight angle.
There was still time before the break for Bruun Larsen to fire straight at Vicario to keep it 1-1 at half-time.
After Son Heung-min and Porro both failed to hit the target at the start of the second half, Burnley squandered an excellent chance in the 57th minute when Taylor won back possession and Odobert raced into the area, only to see his shot deflected over by Romero.
It was followed up by Maxime Esteve sending a header onto the roof of the net as the end-to-end feel returned with Maddison moments later thwarted by Muric after he got away from Dara O’Shea.
Kompany’s team knew they needed a second, but it was Tottenham who went up a level with Johnson unable to finish Son’s cross at the back post before Muric saved a powerful strike by Pape Sarr.
Spurs’ second and the goal to relegate Burnley did arrive with eight minutes left though. Postecoglou had switched Van de Ven to left-back by this point and it worked spectacularly as he cut inside before curling a fine effort into the bottom corner.
No late rally from Burnley was forthcoming and instead Lorenz Assignon had a moment to forget in stoppage time after he tripped himself up in the area, but was booked for remonstrating for a penalty as the Clarets lost their Premier League status.
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