Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Burnley

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Late goal down to us, not Wembley - Mauricio Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says his side's failure to beat Burnley was not down to playing at Wembley.

Chris Wood scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser to deny Tottenham their first Premier League win at the national stadium.

"There's nothing to complain about Wembley, I think it was us," Pochettino told BBC Sport.

"No, it doesn't play on the mind of the players. The way we concede the goal is not Wembley. It's because of us."

Spurs had looked on course for victory after Dele Alli put them ahead with a calm finish after Ben Mee fluffed a clearance from a corner.

Harry Kane twice went close for Tottenham as they looked to make the result safe - only to curl the ball wide from a good position and see a shot well saved by Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal.

However, Wood ensured the Clarets left with a point when he latched on to Robbie Brady's pass and slotted the ball past Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the second minute of added time.

Tottenham's Wembley woes continue

Much has been made of Tottenham's struggles at the new Wembley and they have now won just twice in 12 matches at the rebuilt national stadium.

Pochettino's side again lacked much of the intensity which characterised performances in their final season at White Hart Lane when they went unbeaten.

Perhaps the size of the Wembley pitch - which Tottenham had a request to make smaller turned down by the Premier League, external - is a factor in being unable to reproduce that kind of high-octane approach.

The atmosphere, inevitably, is also noticeably more subdued at their temporary home, compared to the cauldron feel generated inside their old ground.

After taking the lead, Spurs, who lost 2-1 to Chelsea in their opening home game of the season, should really have put the contest to bed.

But as the match reached the latter stages they sat deep, looked nervous against a sustained spell of late pressure, and were duly punished by Wood.

The draw ensured Tottenham's wait for a home victory will be prolonged until at least mid-September.

Dream start for Wood

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Sean Dyche lauds 'sublime' Burnley goal

Burnley paid Leeds United a club record £15m for Wood and the New Zealand striker repaid the first part of that with a goal on his league debut for the Clarets.

The 25-year-old scored 44 goals in 88 appearances for Leeds after joining the Championship side from Leicester City in July 2015.

Wood played previously in the Premier League with Leicester and West Brom but never really convinced he was quite up to the required level.

He had previously scored just once in the top flight before this encounter for Leicester against Everton in August 2014 making this his first Premier League goal for 1107 days.

The clinical manner in which he took his goal at Wembley, after coming on as a 57th-minute substitute, indicated that perhaps he has developed into a player ready to grab his chance this time around.

"The Premier League is a lot different from the Championship," Wood said after the match. "There are more good players who can carve you up. It is nice to be back. It is where my dreams and ambitions lie."

The powerful striker might not be the quickest player in a league where pace is seen as being a key attribute but Wood has plenty of other qualities to become a key figure for Sean Dyche's side following the sale of Andre Gray.

Man of the match - James Tarkowski (Burnley)

Image source, AFP
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Burnley sold Michael Keane to Everton for a fee that could rise to £30m but in James Tarkowski they have a centre-back who can fill the boots of the England international. Tarkowski defended superbly at the heart of the Burnley defence to help his side earn a point.

'We need to stay clam and work hard' - reaction

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said: "The feeling is not so great because of the way we conceded the last goal. That is football. It was a tough game. Difficult for us to play. We had the chance to score a second or third but we missed. Sometimes you pay.

"It is true we concede against Chelsea and the same again today. We need to stay calm and work hard and be more focused to the end.

"This is only the beginning of the season. It is better it happens now. The only way to fix conceding is to work hard during the week. When everyone is back from the international break we will do that."

Burnley manager Sean Dyche said: "There is a lot made of the stadium but they remain a good side.

"They got a goal from a scruffy situation but we rose after that and we were terrific.

"We needed something. Sometimes the game pans out how you want but we thought if we could keep it tight and affect it from the bench that might work for us. The fitness of my players was terrific. They were strong at the end and got the goal."

Kane unable to break August hoodoo - the stats

  • Tottenham's Harry Kane has failed to score in every Premier League match he has played in August (13 games), despite attempting 42 shots in those games.

  • Spurs failed to beat Burnley in a home league game for the first time since October 1974.

  • Tottenham dropped their first points after going ahead in a league game since losing 2-1 to Chelsea in November 2016 - they had won 21 consecutive matches when taking the lead before this match.

  • Dele Alli has never ended on the losing side in a Premier League match in which he has scored.

  • Burnley remain unbeaten away from home in the Premier League this season (W1 D1), the first time since 1973-74 they've avoided defeat in their first two top-flight away matches of a season.

  • Clarets striker Chris Wood has scored 29 league goals since the start of last season - only Sheffield United's Billy Sharp has scored more (34) in English league football in that time.

What's next?

After the international break, Tottenham travel to Merseyside on Saturday, 9 September (15:00 BST) to face Everton. A day later Burnley host struggling Crystal Palace at Turf Moor (13:30 BST).

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