Ange Postecoglou promised there is still more to come from his Tottenham side after Son Heung-min’s hat-trick helped them demolish Burnley 5-2.
Coming off the disappointment of a midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Fulham, there was more bad news for Spurs when they fell behind to Lyle Foster’s fourth-minute goal but Postecoglou was delighted with the way his side responded.
Son got the equaliser in the 16th minute and Spurs then punished mistakes at the back from Burnley as Cristian Romero and James Maddison put them in charge, before Son scored twice in four minutes just after the hour for his first hat-trick since September 17 last year.
Josh Brownhill’s late consolation goal did nothing to dent a victory which gives Spurs 10 points from their first four league games under Postecoglou, with the mood around the club changed markedly following the Australian’s arrival.
Asked if Son’s performance showed how Spurs can cope without the departed Harry Kane, Postecoglou said: “No, it’s not exactly why but it’s one of the reasons. I’ve got a picture in my head about what I want the team to look like and I keep saying we’re still at the beginning of it.
“We’re still building and there’s a lot to be done. It’s about putting all the pieces together. There are some really good footballers in this club and they have the ability to play in the way this team needs to set up.
“Sonny, whether he’s playing central or right, he’s got all the characteristics to play the way we want to play.”
While Son’s goals took the headlines, Maddison was also integral to their performance as he exploited every gap afforded him by Burnley, with his goal early in the second half heading off any threat of a comeback from the hosts.
“I thought today was a real testament to Sonny, Madders and Romero, the way they embraced that responsibility not just with words but with actions and not just on game day but on a daily basis,” Postecoglou said.
“That’s as encouraging for me as anything because as good as they are individually, they have that team spirit and that’s important for me. Madders is so creative and today he showed how clinical he is in front of goal and his preparedness to work hard for the team is a great example.”
Defeat leaves Burnley without a point after their opening three Premier League games, all at home with a total of 11 goals conceded to Manchester City, Aston Villa and Spurs combined.
But Vincent Kompany said it was not a reality check for him as he insisted he did not need one.
“I spent 11 years of my life in the Premier League and I have a pretty good understanding of what the level is,” he said. “I don’t think anyone is naive going into this division.
“We know it’s a challenge and if you look at the total amount of points the promoted teams have got this season (one, from a combined 10 games) you realise that every game is going to be tough.”
After a bright start, Burnley were guilty of giving the ball away too many times in their own final third, inviting pressure from Tottenham that soon told.
“It’s not something I’m happy about but I always think it’s easier to solve the defensive side than to solve a lack of chance in the team. I think we’re creating chances at a very high level against Villa and City and then today against Tottenham.
“It’s something we have to keep in our game. Obviously we need to become more solid but that’s something you can work on and our team still has a lot of improvement in it.”
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Chelsea and Hayes fall short again in the Champions League
Chelsea and Emma Hayes have once again fallen short of securing a place in the final of the Champions League.
There will be a feeling of déjà vu as Barcelona stopped Chelsea at this stage of the competition last season and seem to be the Blues’ Achilles' heel.
Hayes, who is leaving at the end of season to manage the US Women's National team, was hoping she could complete her last season with Champions League glory, the only trophy to elude her during an illustrious spell at Chelsea, but it was not to be.
Chelsea had pulled off a remarkable result in the first leg and were leading 1-0 at the halfway point of the tie.
With a record crowd of 39,398 roaring them on, it felt like Saturday could be the night on which Chelsea changed their fortunes in this competition.
However, the Catalan holders showed their big-game mentality and Ballon d’or winner Aitana Bonmati had cancelled out Chelsea's lead in the tie within 25 minutes at Stamford Bridge.
The drama ensued from that point on with two huge decisions by referee Iuliana Demetrescu sealing the Blues’ fate.
Kadeisha Buchanan was given her marching orders when she received a somewhat harsh second yellow card just before the hour mark for a foul on Salma Paralluelo, then Fridolina Rolfo scored the all-important goal from the spot when Ashley Lawrence was adjudged to have fouled Bonmati.
Hayes felt aggrieved by the calls made by the Romanian referee and made her feelings known to the officials at the full-time whistle, when she could be seen mouthing the words; ‘we’ve been robbed’.
Hayes could not hide her disappointment when speaking to the media after the tie and had strong words for UEFA.
“I didn’t feel we got the opportunity to lose the game, that was taken away,” said Hayes.
“I was surprised when I saw her [Demetrescu] selected because she’s famous for easy cards and I think that [Buchanan's sending-off] is probably the worst decision in UEFA Women’s Champions League history.
“So when you get such a shocking official decision, there’s nothing you can do about it.
“It’s hard enough when we’ve got 11 against them [Barcelona], but when you’ve got 10 it’s virtually impossible.
“Even Barcelona players said to us they knew the referee was helpful for them. I didn’t think it was a foul [from Buchanan] let alone a yellow card. I’m gutted for the players, we were robbed."
On the red card, Hayes added: “I was stood there and I looked at the fourth official and I said, ‘Surely that will be checked?’ and she said, ‘It can’t on a yellow’.
“But as I said, I think the toughest thing to take is that we didn’t lose it.
“There’s nothing you can do when there’s such a terrible decision and it’s already hard enough. They are a top team. When that’s taken out of your hands, that’s a tough one to take for the players.”
Hayes may have reason to question the appointment of Demetrescu as the data shows she has awarded four penalties in three UEFA Women's Champions League games this season, more than any other referee.
Barcelona have now reached the final for the fourth consecutive year and will face either eight-time champions Lyon or Paris Saint-Germain, the finalists from 2015 and 2017.
Bonmati shared her elation about winning the tie with DAZN after the game, saying: "A little bit lucky but sometimes you have to shoot in the box and you never know."
"It’s amazing, another final," Bonmati added as her team-mates danced and sang in the rain in front of the travelling fans.
"It wasn’t easy because we had a tough team in front of us. We had to sweat our T-shirts to achieve it. I’m proud of my team and let’s go in for another final."
This win saw Barcelona earn their fifth clean sheet from 10 matches in the competition this season, a higher total than any other team has managed.
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