Tottenham player ratings in 5-2 drubbing of Burnley
By Gary Pearson
Tottenham was superb in every facet of the away visit to Turf Moor, highlighted by Sonny’s hat trick, Pedro Porro’s sublime passing, and James Maddison’s overall brilliance.
Ange’s first 11 is remarkable. They play an unforgiving brand of football, relentless on the press and exuding confidence going forward.
Each member of the starting 11 knows their role and executes exceedingly well. It was a pleasure to watch, and Ange deserves all the plaudits for how quickly he’s transformed ongoings at the club.
Defence
Guglielmo Vicario 8/10
Venom made an outstanding reaction save in the 55th minute, reaching out a hand to stymie Foster after a Romero deflection.
He was also excellent in possession, showcasing his quarterback skills. Another solid performance.
Destiny Udogie 9/10
As good going forward as he is defending, Destiny Udogie is effervescent and relentless. He defended exceedingly well in the first half, making two excellent tackles in the opening 15 minutes. He closes space in a flash and offers so much going forward.
Udogie created the turnover which led to Maddison’s strike and Tottenham’s third. Again, it was thanks to Spurs’ relentless press. Udogie’s pass to Solomon led to Tottenham’s fourth.
Cristian Romero 9/10
Spurs’ assistant captain put forth a leader’s effort. He was solid at the back and scored a blistering goal in the cusp of halftime to give his side a timely and deserved lead going into the break. So aggressive, he’s imperious in the air.
Both van de Ven and Romero struggled a bit on Burnley’s second, but that didn’t tarnish otherwise brilliant performance.
Micky van de Ven 8/10
Micky van de Ven looked a bit shaky to start, especially in possession. He conceded possession twice in the opening 29 minutes and couldn’t get close enough to Lyle Foster on Burnley’s opener.
He definitely wasn’t at fault for Burnley’s opener, though.
The Dutchman settled in and made a few superb first-half tackles, showcasing his guile, speed, and defensive wherewithal. He’s a gem. He also intercepted to spur Tottenham forward on the fourth goal.
Pedro Porro 9.5/10
Luca Koleosho burst past Pedro Porro on Burnley’s opening goal. The Portuguese couldn’t deal with Koleosho. He played brilliantly otherwise, the best of his first-half contributions a quality long ball to Sonny, eventually leading to the captain’s opener.
His long aerial passes and on-the-ground through balls are incredibly accurate. He found Sonny with two sweet long passes in the second half, one of which for the captain’s hat trick.
Midfield
Yves Bissouma 8/10
Aside from a couple of early giveaways (somewhat expected when steadfast on playing out of the back), Yves Bissouma dominated every facet, showing his physical prowess, match intelligence, and well-rounded skill set.
James Maddison 10/10
The man with unreal vision and the quality to execute it. He is remarkable, not only with his skill but his ability to take control of a match. He made several key passes, many of which to Kulu. It was his brilliance that led to Tottenham’s second. Maddison drove to the byline and flung in a left-footed cross that found Kulu.
It eventually fell to Romero, who pulverized it into the top corner.
Maddison capped off his brilliance with an outstanding goal in the second half, firing it home from long range.
Pape Sarr 8/10
Pape Sarr was busy, very busy.
He had a great interception early on, but was bypassed too easy on one occasion, leading to a dangerous long-range burnley effort.
He settled into the match well after about 23 minutes and started dominating. His nice layoff to Maddison led to a cracking effort from our No. 10.
He’s a relentless presser and tracks back expertly. He’s also comfortable as the final man, cutting out a dangerous cross with a first-time left-footed clearance. Sarr is an immeasurably important part of Spurs’ starting team.
Forwards and Subs
Son Heung-min 10/10
Sonny’s first goal was pure class. He showed composure and patience to dink it over the on-rushing James Trafford. Sonny started the move as well, taking it down and playing it smartly to Solomon. He was effective most of the time in possession, showing his exquisite ability.
Sonny’s second goal was lethal and ruthless, an extremely promising sight for Spurs’ supporters. And his third; a perfect touch and what a finish. What an afternoon for our captain.
Dejan Kulusevski 8.5/10
Dejan caused Burnley’s backline all sorts of trouble in the first half. His final touch let him down a bit, but that will come. His work rate is off the charts. He’s so crucial to Tottenham’s three up front.
Manor Solomon 9/10
The Israel was lively in his first Premier League start. He assisted brilliantly on Sonny’s opener and looked dangerous flying down the left byline. He had a few errant passes and a couple of blocked shots. But he was dangerous and energetic, the two most components of his outing.
He assisted on Sonny’s second, too, with a beautiful layback.
Ivan Perisic 6/10
Perisic didn’t impact the match on either side of the ball too much after being introduced.
Pierre Hojbjerg 7/10
The Dane looked good after not being shipped out on transfer deadline day. He can be an important member of the squad off the bench.