Gareth Bale put in his best performance since returning to Tottenham Hotspur last summer as he stole the show in Sunday's 4-0 win over Burnley.
Spurs were exhilarating in the first half and were ahead after just 68 seconds when Bale tapped home Son Heung-min's cross. Harry Kane profited from a deflection to make it two soon after and Lucas Moura added a third with a tidy finish to give Spurs the big lead they deserved.
Bale added his second in the 54th minute with an excellent curling effort, after which Jose Mourinho's side controlled the game with ease. Kane and Son Heung-min could have added to the carnage, but Burnley managed to escape without conceding any more.
TOTTENHAM RATINGS
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Hugo Lloris (GK) - 6/10 - A quiet afternoon for the Frenchman, who looked a little rusty with a handful of shoddy passes.
Serge Aurier (RB) - 8/10 - Roared forward whenever it was possible, so much so that Bale sometimes had to tell him to cool it. Terrorised Charlie Taylor with his power and creativity.
Toby Alderweireld (CB) - 7/10 - Had very little to do but dealt with pretty much everything that came his way. Comfortable throughout.
Davinson Sanchez (CB) - 8/10 - Looked more comfortable next to Alderweireld than Eric Dier, although this was hardly the biggest test he will ever face.
Sergio Reguilon (LB) - 8/10 - A little more controlled than Aurier. Most of Burnley's attacks came down his side, but he rose to every challenge and even managed to get himself up the other end of the field for an assist as well.
2. Midfielders
Tanguy Ndombele (DM) - 8/10 - Controlled the game with ease. Waltzed through Burnley's midfield time after time, and looked a class above his opponents.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (DM) - 7/10 - Managed to keep Burnley's midfield quiet and even impressed with a handful of tidy passes. Ended the game on a sour note when he picked up an ankle injury.
Gareth Bale (RM) - 9/10 - This guy's pretty good. Bale was a constant terror all game long, spraying passes around the pitch and charging forward to get involved with the goals. Great movement for the opener and real class for his second.
Lucas Moura (AM) - 8/10 - Found space between Burnley's midfield and defence and consistently exploited it. Dribbled his way through every opponent and took his goal incredibly well.
Son Heung-min (LM) - 7/10 - Sent in a dangerous cross for Bale's opener and consistently looked a threat down the right. Probably Spurs' poorest attacker, which speaks volumes of just how good the rest of them were.
3. Forward
Harry Kane (ST) - 8/10 - Dropped deep to create space for his wide players to advance and used his passing ability to find them. Needed a bit of luck with his goal but deserved every bit of it.
4. Substitutes
Dele Alli - 7/10
Eric Lamela - 6/10
Matt Doherty - N/A
BURNLEY RATINGS
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Kane & Bale have got Nick Pope doing a madness today. Feel sorry for him. pic.twitter.com/YwwF4hwOQ3
— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) February 28, 2021
Nick Pope (GK) - 5/10 - Turned into a meme when he landed on his head after Kane's goal. Made some good saves and was generally better than the scoreline suggests.
Matt Lowton (RB) - 4/10 - Caught out of position pretty much all the time, allowing Reguilon to breeze forward far too often. Left his side exposed too much.
James Tarkowski (CB) - 3/10 - Should have done better for all three of Spurs' first-half goals, and while he didn't get the help he needed from those around him, he should be doing a lot more.
Ben Mee (CB) - 4/10 - Could not cope with Spurs' fluid attack. Looked completely overwhelmed for the entire game.
Charlie Taylor (LB) - 3/10 - Bale was unplayable here and Taylor felt the full brunt of that. Could not keep up even slightly, and Aurier's marauding runs only made it worse.
6. Midfielders
Josh Brownhill (RM) - 4/10 - It was strange to see Burnley focus so much of their attack down the right, given Brownhill is not a right winger. Looked a bit uncomfortable throughout and never really tested Reguilon.
Jack Cork (CM) - 3/10 - Left in charge of the entire midfield, Cork struggled tremendously. Far too slow to keep up with Spurs' attack and left his defence exposed.
Ashley Westwood (CM) - 3/10 - Same as Cork, only with a few more failed passes.
Dwight McNeil (LM) - 3/10 - Couldn't make any impact as a winger and ended up playing more as a left-back to try and contain Bale - a job he wasn't any good at anyway.
7. Forwards
Jay Rodriguez (ST) - 2/10 - Rodriguez's biggest contribution was tackling his own man in an attempt to block a shot. A bad day at the office.
Matej Vydra (ST) - 3/10 - Equally as isolated in attack but occasionally got in the right positions. Looked like someone who was up for the fight without ever actually being good enough for it.
8. Substitutes
Chris Wood - 4/10
Dale Stephens - N/A
Lewis Richardson - N/A
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Source: 90min
