Son Heung-min scored a hat-trick as Tottenham recovered from a goal down to thrash Burnley at Turf Moor and continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Lyle Foster finished a lovely, flowing move to give the Clarets an early lead, but Son’s delicate finish restored parity 12 minutes later and the visitors never looked back.
They dominated the rest of the half and Cristian Romero’s curling effort from the edge of the box completed the turnaround on the stroke of half-time.
James Maddison continued his fine start to the campaign with a peach of a goal nine minutes into the second half, the former Leicester man curling beyond James Trafford after Burnley had gifted the visitors possession inside their own half.
Son side-footed past Trafford for his second of the game before completing his treble with a low strike after latching on to Pedro Porro’s delightful through ball.
Josh Brownhill’s neat finish pulled one back for Burnley in stoppage time, but it was no more than a consolation.
Spurs, who were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Fulham on Tuesday, move to ten points from their opening four games, while Burnley remain without a point this season.
Son the star as Spurs continue to impress
Tottenham were punished for their slow start at Turf Moor, but Son sparked the visitors into life with his first of the game before putting the finishing touches to yet another eye-catching showing from Ange Postecoglou’s team.
After their skipper’s equaliser had steadied their nerves, Spurs took full advantage of the spaces afforded to them by Burnley and could have won by a more handsome margin.
Maddison delivered another influential display in midfield, going close to getting on the scoresheet in the first half before curling home magnificently in the early stages of the second.
But the afternoon belonged to Son, who scored his first hat-trick since a 6-2 victory over Leicester in September last year – and his fourth in the Premier League – to lift Tottenham up to second in the embryonic Premier League table.
“Sonny was outstanding,” Postecoglou said afterwards. “He’s been an outstanding leader, with the way he presents himself every day in training. He led our press today – and then he has the quality to take his chances. I’m really pleased for him.”
The win means Postecoglou joins Harry Redknapp, Tim Sherwood and Antonio Conte in picking up ten points in their opening four matches in charge of Tottenham, who registered their biggest away victory since a 6-1 triumph at Manchester United in October 2020.
Burnley poor at the back
Speaking before the game, Postecoglou was highly complimentary of opposite number Vincent Kompany and the philosophy he has brought to Turf Moor since his appointment last summer.
The Clarets’ opener encapsulated them at their attacking best. After regaining possession deep inside their own half, the home side swept the ball from right to left and Connor Roberts released the lively Luca Koleosho, who outfoxed Porro before picking out Foster.
Koleosho’s pace and trickery could prove a useful weapon as Burnley look to avoid a swift return to the Championship this season, but to stand any chance of avoiding the drop they will need to improve drastically at the other end.
The Clarets conceded early in both their previous Premier League games this season and their lead here lasted just 12 minutes as Son’s effort gave Spurs a foothold.
Kompany brought on Hannes Delcroix and goalscorer Brownhill at half-time but they were far too open after the restart, allowing Tottenham to cut through them at will and emerge with a comfortable victory that seemed unlikely after Foster’s early opener.
Burnley have lost their opening three top-flight games for a fourth time after the 1920-21, 1927-28, and 2020-21 seasons. The good news for Clarets fans is that none of those campaigns ended in relegation.
