Spurs miss chance to close gap on Manchester City and Liverpool
Saturday 23 February 2019 16:34, UK
Tottenham suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Saturday - and the Sky Sports pundits discussed whether that loss spells the end of a title push.
With star striker Harry Kane back fit, Spurs were aiming to put the pressure on top two Manchester City and Liverpool by moving to within two points of the summit, but goals from Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes dealt Mauricio Pochettino's men a blow.
Kane did find the net and will be a key asset over the coming week, when Spurs face Chelsea and then Arsenal in the Premier League. But do they now have too much ground to make up on City and Liverpool?
"They know they've missed the opportunity," said Sky Sports' Alex Scott. "They could be looking back on this game and this was the moment they could be challenging and they could be up there and that's the frustration.
"Coming into this game, they knew it was going to be a huge game and could be the banana skin, and it was."
Jamie Redknapp agreed, and says Spurs may now have to win all of their games to make up the difference. But warned there could yet be more surprise results to come, with stakes high at both ends of the table.
"Their goal difference is poorer and they have to somehow go on a run and win every game now," he told Sky Sports. "It's as simple as that.
"I've heard people say Liverpool have got to win every game, that's not going to happen. This is the time now where you're playing against teams like Burnley, who are fighting for their lives, they aren't just going to roll over and let you win. Are City capable of winning every game? Of course they are. But they lost two weeks ago to Newcastle. This is such a tough period to go through."
Injured Burnley striker Jonathan Walters was also in the Sky Sports studio and says Tottenham will now be pinning their hopes on Manchester United doing them a favour - and know they will have to perform when they travel to Liverpool and City before the end of the season.
"They have Liverpool and City both to play. United have got to play Liverpool, United have got to play City. There are massive games coming up and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season," said Walters.
"It's not going to be how you think it's going to be. Liverpool aren't going to win every game, City aren't going to win every game, there will be twists and turns. That's why the Premier League is so good."
