There was drama at Turf Moor as Mauricio Pochettino strode to the centre of the pitch to confront Mike Dean after Tottenham 2-1 loss to host Burnley.
Pochettino’s unhappiness may have been the result of some borderline decisions going against his team. It could just as easily have been caused by the sight of a Premier League title challenge slipping away.
Yet it had all looked set up for Tottenham to win the game when, 20 minutes into the second half, Harry Kane marked his return from ankle ligament damage by striding through to score his 21st goal of the season.
There was an element of controversy in this goal; Danny Rose had taken a quick throw-in down the left, five yards further forward from where the ball went out of play, allowing him to clear Burnley centre-back Ben Mee’s head.
The coolness of the finish will have impressed England manager Gareth Southgate, watching from the stand, but he was not the only international head coach who left with something to think about.
Austria’s Franco Foda, also in attendance, saw Ashley Barnes touch in Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s cross seven minutes from the end to win the game. Barnes, who scored for the fourth match in a row, qualifies for Austria through his grandmother.
Southgate, with a squad to pick for Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro next month, would have been impressed too by Tom Heaton, who made a flying save early in the second half to tip away Kane’s fierce, bending 25-yard shot.
Heaton, who has been outstanding since displacing Joe Hart at the end of December, must fancy his chances of an international call-up.
It proved a crucial save, because seven minutes later, Burnley opened the scoring, courtesy of one of the decisions that caused Pochettino to fume.
It came from a corner that Tottenham felt should not have been awarded, with the officials having judged that Hendrick’s attempted cross had touched Jan Vertonghen last before going out of play.
With that argument still bubbling, Dwight McNeil delivered the set-piece, and Wood rose above Foyth to head in off the underside of the bar.
Up until that point, the spotlight had been on Kane’s comeback. The first half suggested, by and large, that the World Cup’s Golden Boot winner was shaking off his rustiness.
Burnley had not built a seven-match unbeaten league run by wilting under pressure. As Tottenham probed for an opening, Sean Dyche’s side stood up to the challenge, sometimes going up to the boundary of legitimate force.
The two goals brought a fascinating match to life. To Burnley’s credit, they did not falter after losing their lead.
Instead, they continued to create chances. Hendrick steered just wide after being played in by Ashley Westwood, and McNeil saw a shot shovelled out by Lloris.
Then came the late twist courtesy of Barnes: a shattering blow to Pochettino’s season.
