In what was another interesting day in the Premier League, Spurs fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Burnley and Leicester took a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Crystal Palace. Elsewhere, Bournemouth were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves at the Vitality Stadium.
The results were unexpected. If not all of them, then two of them. The most surprising one unfolded at the Turf Moor, as despite Harry Kane’s return to the first team, Tottenham lost 2-1 to a hard-working Clarets side.
It is crucial to know that Spurs didn’t lose a single game in the absence of Kane. The English got injured during Spurs’ 1-0 loss to Manchester United back in January.
They lost just one game- to Chelsea in the League Cup, impressively beating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
And Kane’s return was seen as a massive bonus against a Burnley side that was unbeaten in seven games and had emerged out of the relegation.
The result seemed straight-forward on paper, but the first half showed ominous signs for Spurs to be wary about. And Burnley struck in the second half from a corner, that was met by Chris Wood. The ball rattled the underside of the bar and went in.
Minutes later, Kane scored an impressive solo goal and handed Spurs the leveler. This was the England captain’s 15th goal of the season. It seemed as though Spurs would get another late clincher.
But the opposite is what happened. Ashley Barnes tapped the Clarets home in the 83rd minute, as Spurs looked shaky at the back.
This result saw Spurs fail to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City, with the latter playing on Wednesday. And Liverpool to play Manchester United tomorrow.
In the Midlands, Leicester City were the receiving end of a battering. Michy Batshuayi scored his first ever goal in an Eagles shirt before Wilfried Zaha scored twice and Luka Milivojevic scored once. Jonny Evans’ goal in the 64th minute was a mere consolation.
The result brought the future of Claude Puel under further doubt. It brought Roy Hodgson’s men to within just two points of the Foxes, who haven’t won their last six games.
In the other game at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth seemed to be running away with all three points to cut the gap on ninth-placed West Ham United. But Raul Jimenez scored his fourth goal in just as many games to peg the Cherries back.
Josh King had converted from the spot for Eddie Howe’s men in the 14th minute of the game. It was the Norwegian’s 9th goal of the season.
It is tomorrow though when the world will be watching. Liverpool’s trip to Manchester United will have a massive say in the title race and could possibly help both Manchester City and Tottenham too.
At the Emirates, Arsenal will host Southampton, who will hope to climb out of the relegation to stuff Cardiff back into the bottom three. The Gunners will hope to avenge the 2-1 loss that they endured at the hands of the Saints earlier this season.
