Antonio Conte has apologised for his emotional outburst following the defeat to Burnley that left his Tottenham future looking uncertain.

Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday, their fourth defeat in five league matches.

Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in November, was unbeaten in his first nine top-flight matches in charge of Spurs, but that honeymoon period was followed by a frustrating few weeks.

In the wake of the loss to lowly Burnley, Conte suggested Spurs were exhibiting relegation form, that the club needed to make an "assessment about me" and that he was unsure if he was good enough to improve Spurs' fortunes.

But speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Leeds United, Conte appeared to back-track, his comments seemingly just made in the spur of the moment.

"For sure, when I lose a game I am not the person to go and have a dinner. I think that I am not the right person, when I lose a game my mood is very bad and I prefer to stay alone and live the defeat, to stay alone and metabolise the defeat," he said.

"I need one day to recover, at least. This is me. It is me. I don't like to lose. If you ask me what I hate in life, it is to lose games. My mentality is to prepare myself, to prepare the players and to avoid this type of situation.

"There are many coaches that don't suffer [after a defeat]. I wanted to be a little soft but at the same time to be this way makes me a person that in his career I won as a player and then as a coach.

"For sure, when I lose, if you expect that I am happy or to come to a press conference and laugh, I am not this person.

"I am sorry if I show my disappointment because maybe it would be good to keep this inside and not show my emotion. I am an honest person it is difficult for me to lie or hide the truth and for this reason."

Conte also confirmed that he has since spoken to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, and it would seem both men are on the same page.

"Yes, I spoke to Daniel Levy. Our chairman knows very well that I'm here to help the club in every moment. I will do that until the end," Conte continued.

"That's the reality and he knows that we're working hard. He has great consideration about our job and the job of my staff.

"I repeat I want to help the club with every aspect. He shows me great consideration every day and for this reason I'm committed for this club much more because I know the consideration for me is very high.

"The club confirmed to me that they know the reality. The club is very happy about my work and what we're doing with my staff, the change that we made in four months in the environment.

"I think the club is appreciating very much what we're doing in this moment. The problem is that I'm a perfectionist. I'm a person that wants to get to a result quickly."

Spurs head into the weekend in eighth, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have played two games more.

But bitter rivals Arsenal may well be the club they need to focus on catching, given they are just a point behind United and also have two games in hand on Ralf Rangnick's men – Conte, however, stressed the need to concentrate on the immediate future.

"I'm a realistic person and for now the most important thing is the present and not look forward too much," he said.

"We have to finish this season. We are working very hard and we deserve much more. The players at the club, especially our fans, deserve the best and for us to make them happy.

"It's important to be focused now. We're working well and we've started to go in the right direction despite negative or positive results. Also for the future, there is more clarification. To clean the situation and then to continue to build."

Sure, relying on Mohamed Salah every week is a decent fantasy football strategy, it's certainly good enough for most, but what happens when the Egyptian magician isn't in Premier League action?

With Liverpool in EFL Cup final duty against Chelsea, the Reds' fearsome front-line and creative full-backs are suddenly off limits to fantasy football managers across the land, while Arsenal and Chelsea are also out of league action.

However, courtesy of Opta-powered data, Stats Perform has managed to pick out some of gameweek 27's potential stars, featuring the England captain, an in-form Burnley new boy, and one of the Premier League's most lethal defenders.

HARRY KANE (Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur)

Despite Antonio Conte's team lurching to a fourth loss in five Premier League games at Turf Moor in midweek, the England captain remains the perfect pick for managers who need a big-hitter in Salah's absence.

Kane has been involved in seven goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances, registering six goals and an assist in that time. Meanwhile, five of those contributions, including four goals, have come on the road.

If that isn't enough to make managers' minds up, Kane will be facing a Leeds team which has already shipped 56 league goals this term, and has scored 10 goals in his eight Premier League appearances in Yorkshire. 

DAVID DE GEA (Manchester United v Watford)

For those looking for an adequate replacement for the likes of Allison or Edouard Mendy between the sticks, Red Devils stopper De Gea looks to be the perfect choice, ahead of a kind home fixture with Watford.

When looking at Opta's Expected Goals on Target data, no Premier League goalkeeper has prevented more goals than the Spaniard this season, with De Gea conceding 32 Premier League goals from 39.09 xG on target faced.

Although De Gea did ship four times when Watford ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Red Devils reign earlier this season, United have never lost a home league game against Watford, recording 11 wins and two draws against the Hornets at Old Trafford. They have not faced any other side in more home games during their league history without losing (also 13 unbeaten vs Hull City).

CRAIG DAWSON (West Ham United v Wolves)

The best fantasy football managers are those that find themselves looking for marginal gains, and what better way to do that than to pick one of the division's most lethal defenders?

Since the 2014-15 season, no Premier League defender can match Dawson's tally of 14 headed goals, and the big centre-back has now netted in successive games, against Leicester City and Newcastle United.

West Ham's next Premier League clash sees them take on Wolves at the London Stadium. For all their good form, the visitors are averaging under a goal per game this season, so Dawson could also be in with a chance of a clean sheet.

WOUT WEGHORST (Crystal Palace v Burnley, Burnley v Leicester City)

Finally, Burnley's towering Dutch striker Wout Weghorst stands out as an appealing under-the-radar selection, ahead of the Clarets facing two games in four days.

Since Weghorst made his move from Wolfsburg to Turf Moor, he has weighed in with a goal and two assists, meaning only Salah (three goals and one assist) has registered more goal involvements amongst Premier League players since his arrival.

Although Burnley's weekend opponents Crystal Palace have been buoyed by a 4-1 win over Watford, they then host a Leicester team which has conceded 40.61 expected goals this season, a tally worse than all but three Premier League teams, so another Weghorst contribution could be on the cards.

Antonio Conte has questioned his future at Tottenham, admitting discussions will have to take place following Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Burnley.

Spurs missed the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four as Ben Mee headed the only goal at Turf Moor.

Defeat was a fourth in five league matches for Conte's side, who are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United.

The Italian, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of November, went unbeaten in his first nine league games in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But the former Chelsea and Inter boss has cast doubt over whether he should remain in charge following Spurs' recent slump.

And the 57-year-old acknowledged that an assessment of the club's situation must be made.

"In the last five games, we are playing like we are in [the] relegation [zone]; this is the reality," he said.

"I came in to improve the situation but at this moment, I'm not so good to improve this situation. We are working hard; we are trying to get the best out of every single player. 

"It means there will be an assessment about the club, about me. The club changes coaches, the players remain the same, but the result doesn't change.

"For me, it's very frustrating to lose four games in the last five games.

"We are doing everything to change situation, but it's not enough. 

"Maybe, I'm not so good. Tottenham called me to change things, but I'm too honest. This is unacceptable.

"For sure, we'll make an assessment with the club. It’s not right; it's not good for everybody to continue to lose. I can't accept this; it's not good for no-one."

Tottenham missed the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four after they were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Burnley.

Ben Mee headed the only goal 19 minutes from time at Turf Moor to boost the hosts' survival hopes, moving them to within two points of safety.

For Spurs, it was a case of being brought back down to earth with a bump following Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win over champions Manchester City.

Antonio Conte's side remain eighth and seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, but still with two games in hand on the Red Devils.

Burnley had only won one of their 12 previous Premier League meetings with Tottenham; a 2-1 success here in February 2019.

Sean Dyche's side went close to breaking the deadlock when Josh Brownhill tested Hugo Lloris from the edge of the penalty area after 14 minutes.

Despite enjoying the greater share of possession, Spurs could only register two off-target shots during the first half, while having another blocked. Cristian Romero dragged an effort wide from inside the box, while Emerson wildly blazed over from distance.

The visitors cranked up the pressure after the break. Harry Kane's header rattled the crossbar from an inviting Son Heung-Min cross, while Nick Pope reacted quickly to deny Ben Davies from close range.

Dejan Kulusevski then curled just wide after Lloris did brilliantly to keep out Jay Rodriguez's header at the other end.

But the France international was helpless as Burnley snatched all three points in the 71st minute, with Mee ghosting in at the far post to nod home Brownhill's free-kick.

Rodriguez somehow shot over from inside the six-yard box later on, while Pope held the onto Steven Bergwijn’s effort as the hosts saw out a vital win.

Antonio Conte has no problem with Harry Kane's "great ambition" yet hopes he can be the man to convince the striker to stay at Tottenham.

Kane pushed for a move away from Spurs ahead of this season, with Manchester City widely considered his most likely destination.

But Tottenham stood firm and Kane was forced to stay in London, toiling for much of the season while City have charged to the top of the Premier League table.

The England captain is still without a major honour for either club or country, explaining his desire to depart his boyhood club.

However, Saturday's match between City and Tottenham provided cause for optimism, as Kane brilliantly led his side to a dramatic 3-2 win at the league leaders.

Kane scored two and had a hand in the visitors' other goal in a performance that was widely praised.

His future plans have therefore returned to the forefront of discussion ahead of Tottenham's trip to Burnley.

Kane's wish to win trophies fits with Conte's own plans, though, having been appointed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having lifted five league titles across his previous three club jobs with Inter, Chelsea and Juventus.

"Harry is a player with great ambition and it must be this way because a player like him, I repeat, we are talking about a world-class striker," Conte said.

"He has to be ambitious. For sure, for a player and for a striker, it's very important to improve, to beat records.

"Records are important but, at the same time, it's also important at the end of your career to lift trophies, because only if you win and lift trophies can you go into the story of the club.

"My task in this moment is to try to improve him. But in the same way, with the other players, to become more complete.

"For sure, to improve a player to stay in this level is not easy because the space [to improve] is not so much. But I still think he's improving a lot and Harry is another player who gives me great availability."

Suggesting he could have a hand in any decision Kane makes on his next move, Conte added: "There is only one way to convince this sort of player.

"It is to work, it is to convince of your football knowledge and to improve them. Only in this way you have the respect of your players.

"I have only this way to show to my players – I am here because we are trying to start to build something important together.

"It won't be easy but now I think it will be very good to continue this way and I think that Harry, like the other players, understood the situation.

"They also understood that the club wanted to give an input by appointing a coach that in the past won things. We have to train for these three or four months to try to improve and then continue to build something important.

"But I understand then that every single player has to make the best decision at the end of the season."

Antonio Conte has confirmed Harry Kane will be fit to face Burnley on Wednesday despite suffering a minor knock against Manchester City on Saturday.

Kane starred at the Etihad Stadium, scoring a brace that included a 95th-minute winner in a dramatic 3-2 triumph over the Premier League leaders.

Victory in Manchester meant Spurs' last three top-flight wins have come courtesy of 90th-minute goals (1-0 v Watford, 3-2 v Leicester City, 3-2 v Man City), as Conte's side continue their top-four pursuit.

But there were suggestions that Kane's heroics came at a cost, with the forward reportedly nursing a back problem.

However, ahead of the trip to Burnley, Conte insisted his talisman will be available for selection at Turf Moor.

When asked on Tuesday if Kane was a doubt, the Spurs head coach responded: "No. He had a hit in his back, but he has to play! If he has one leg he has to play. 

"Harry knows very well the importance he has on the squad with his personality, with his experience. But he is good. 

"I am joking, I don't force a player if he is injured to play. I only say to tell you the importance of the player. He is good, he is ready."

Kane, who has won the Premier League's Golden Boot award on three occasions, has seven goals to his name after 22 top-flight appearances this season.

By his own high standards, those returns may be lower than expected, but Conte once again heaped praise on his striker, while also hailing the importance of Hugo Lloris.

"There is a sporting director in Italy that is my friend, Pantaleo Corvino, he says: 'You can make mistake about your wife but not about the striker'," Conte added.

"For me that is the best quote that I understand in football, no? You can make a mistake about your wife but not mistakes about your striker. 

"To build a team. We are talking about two good players, two important players for us [Lloris and Kane], also the players with more experience.

"I continue to say that to have a competitive team it's important also to match experienced players with young players because when you have players with experience, the young players learn a lot. 

"We are lucky because in our team we have these two players that for sure are top, top players."

Spurs are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who are in the final Champions League qualification spot, but Conte's side do boast three games in hand.

They will look to cut that gap to four at Burnley, though the former Inter head boss is expecting a difficult task.

"My point of view maybe it's the worst period to play against them because in the last period they have had fantastic results and played a good game," he added.

"They drew with Manchester United, and away at Arsenal, and they beat Brighton 3-0.

"They lost only 1-0 against Liverpool, but the game was in the balance. For sure, for us they will be a really tough team, we have to know this. 

"It's never easy to play against Burnley and they have a good manager [Sean Dyche] that is showing in these years that his managing is very, very good and maybe he could deserve something more.

"I appreciate his job and what he's doing with Burnley. Remember one month ago many people said Burnley were relegated, but I'm sure they can save this season and I think Burnley are doing a fantastic job."

Saturday was quite a day in the Premier League, with shock results impacting both ends of the table, and the middle.

Liverpool appear to live challengers again in the title race after their 3-1 victory against Norwich City was followed by Tottenham's dramatic 3-2 win away to leaders Manchester City.

Mohamed Salah scored his 150th goal for Liverpool and Luis Diaz bagged his first in English football, while former City target Harry Kane insisted on shoving narrative into everyone's faces with a sensational performance for Spurs at the Etihad Stadium.

Elsewhere, a late Hakim Ziyech goal secured Chelsea a win at Crystal Palace, Arsenal's youngsters earned them a 2-1 win against Brentford, while West Ham were held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle in the early game.

Burnley produced a surprising performance to win 3-0 at Brighton, with Wout Weghorst getting off the mark for his new club, while Watford also threw a spanner in the works of the relegation fight with a 1-0 win at Aston Villa.

The other game of a busy day in England's top flight saw Southampton beat Frank Lampard's Everton 2-0 at St Mary's thanks to goals from Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long.

Manchester City 2-3 Tottenham: City Kane-d by ruthless Spurs

Pep Guardiola's City team had looked imperious since losing at home to Crystal Palace in October, until today.

City were dominant but wasteful against Spurs, finding the target with only four of their 21 shots, while the visitors made Ederson work with five of their six efforts, beating him three times to take the points.

Kane’s winner, timed at 94:25, was the latest winning goal scored against City in the Premier League since Michael Owen for Manchester United in September 2009 (95:27).

Tottenham duo Kane and Son Heung-min have now assisted one another for 36 Premier League goals, the joint-most of any pairing in the competition's history, moving level with Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

Son has been directly involved in 10 goals in 15 appearances against City (seven goals, three assists); only against Southampton (15) and West Ham (11) has he had a hand in more goals for Spurs.

Meanwhile, Guardiola has lost twice to Tottenham this season, and has only lost more games to Chelsea (eight) than Spurs (six) in his entire managerial career.

Liverpool 3-1 Norwich: Reds come back thanks to usual suspects, and a new one

Early in the second half at Anfield, it did not look like Liverpool would be cutting Manchester City's lead on Saturday, finding themselves 1-0 down to the Canaries after Milot Rashica's first Premier League goal.

However, a marvellous overhead kick from Sadio Mane was soon followed by a historic moment for Salah, who scored his 150th goal for Liverpool in just his 233rd appearance. Only Roger Hunt (226) has reached that total faster in the club's history.

Luis Díaz became the 16th different Colombian player to score a Premier League goal, producing a nice finish after a Jordan Henderson throughball. He was also Liverpool’s 16th different goalscorer in the competition this season (excluding own goals), the joint-most of any side in 2021-22 (Chelsea and City both also 16).

Henderson was a standout performer on the day as well, drastically improving from his showing at Burnley last weekend.

He completed just 50 per cent of passes (18 out of 36) in the 1-0 win at Turf Moor, but on Saturday produced his second-best pass success rate in the Premier League for Liverpool in a game where he made at least 100 passes, with 97.2 per cent (104 of 107), only bettering that against Hull City in 2016-17 (97.3 per cent, 108 of 111).

Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea: Late Ziyech strike saves Blues

Chelsea returned to Premier League action after winning the FIFA Club World Cup last week to eventually secure three points against Palace thanks to an 89th-minute Ziyech strike. The Moroccan has scored in three consecutive league matches for the first time since September 2019 in the Eredivisie with Ajax.

The Blues have now won back-to-back league games for the first time since October, when they won four in a row, and could also be looking up the table after City's wobble.

It was another clean sheet for Chelsea, who have kept 37 in 70 matches in all competitions under Thomas Tuchel, more than any other Premier League side since the German’s first match in charge in January last year.

It was not all good from Tuchel's men though, with struggling striker Romelu Lukaku managing just seven touches, one of which was at the kick-off, the fewest in a single top-flight game for a player to feature for at least 90 minutes since Opta started collecting the data in 2003-04.

Arsenal 2-1 Brentford: Young guns fire Arteta's side to victory

Goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka earned Arsenal a hard-fought win against Brentford, despite Christian Norgaard's late strike for the Bees.

Smith Rowe bagged his ninth league goal this season; the only player to score more in a single campaign for Arsenal when aged 21 or younger was Nicolas Anelka in 1998-99 (17).

Saka registered his 11th goal involvement in the Premier League this season (seven goals, four assists), the most of any under-21 player and a haul bettered only by Jarrod Bowen (16), Mason Mount (13) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (12) among English players.

The Gunners netted their 600th (and 601st) Premier League goals at the Emirates Stadium, reaching the milestone in their 297th game there, with only United at Old Trafford (283) and City at the Etihad (290) doing so at a single stadium in fewer games in the competition.

Brentford are winless in their last seven league games, last having a longer run between September and October 2018 (eight games). Thomas Frank's side have also lost their last five away league games, their longest such run since February 2011 (also five).

West Ham 1-1 Newcastle: Magpies continue to rise under Howe

Eddie Howe's 500th league game as a manager (410 with Bournemouth, 77 with Burnley and 13 with Newcastle) ended with a well-earned point from the London Stadium in the day's early kick-off.

Craig Dawson gave West Ham the lead before Joe Willock's equaliser came just before half-time.

Newcastle have now taken 12 points from their last six Premier League games, two more than they managed in their previous 18 this season (10 points).

Dawson's goal was the 11th scored from a set-piece by the Hammers in the league this season (not including penalties), a figure only Liverpool (14) and City (12) can better.

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-3 Burnley: Weghorst gets off the mark in big Clarets win

A quite remarkable performance from Sean Dyche's side in his 250th Premier League game in charge of Burnley saw them ease to a 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium, with Weghorst, Josh Brownhill and Aaron Lennon all finding the net.

Brighton suffered the heaviest defeat by a team hosting the English top flight's bottom side since Crystal Palace lost 4-0 at home to Sunderland in February 2017.

This was Burnley's first away win in the league since May 2021 (v Fulham), ending a run of 12 games without a win on the road. They also scored more goals in this game than they had in their previous five Premier League away games combined (two).

Weghorst scored his first goal for Burnley, becoming the first Dutchman to score for the Clarets in the competition. This ended a run of seven league games without scoring for Weghorst, with his previous goal coming in December for previous club Wolfsburg against Cologne.

Aston Villa 0-1 Watford: Dennis a menace to Villa

Another relegation-threatened side stepped up to secure an impressive away win as Roy Hodgson earned his first victory in charge of Watford thanks to a goal from Emmanuel Dennis.

This was the Hornets' first Premier League away win since October (5-2 v Everton), and their first away win in the competition while also keeping a clean sheet since January 2020 (3-0 v Bournemouth).

After winning two of their first three home games under Steven Gerrard (L1), Villa are now winless in their last four games at Villa Park (D2 L2). This was the first Premier League home game they have failed to score in since May 2021 (v Everton), ending a run of 12 in a row in which they had found the net.

Watford have now kept as many clean sheets in four Premier League games under Hodgson (two) as they had in their previous 36 games in the competition.

Southampton 2-0 Everton: Another free-kick continues Toon revival

The revival of Everton under Lampard was nowhere to be seen at St Mary's as Ralph Hasenhuttl's side continued their good run of form.

Southampton have now won four of their last eight Premier League games (D3 L1), as many victories as they managed in their previous 20 games in the competition (D8 L8).

Everton's total of 22 points from their first 23 games in the league this season is their worst at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1950-51 (three points for a win), when they also had 22 and were relegated at the end of the season.

Long's goal was his first in the league since February 2020 (v Aston Villa), ending a run of 799 minutes without the Irishman scoring in the league.

By now, you probably all get it: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah are pretty good at kicking a football.

So, for this week's fantasy picks, Stats Perform has looked at the Opta numbers behind some players who may not offer quite the same points guarantee as the superstars, but are cheaper and nowhere near as popular.

If everyone picks the exact same players, fantasy football managers will pick up similar points – why not take a punt on some of these?

NICK POPE (Brighton and Hove Albion v Burnley)

Burnley may be mired in a relegation battle, but goalkeeper Nick Pope has looked sharp so far in 2022.

The England international has kept two clean sheets, bettered only by Alisson and Ederson, and prevented more goals than anyone else (3.6).

He may represent something of a risk, but his form suggests Pope could be a shrewd buy.

RICARDO PEREIRA (Wolves v Leicester City)

Granted, Pereira has only scored in consecutive games once before, way back in September 2019. However, his strike against West Ham was a timely reminder of his talents following injury troubles.

Up next is a trip to Wolves. While Bruno Lage's men are solid, they do not scored masses, and Pereira has done damage to them before.

With two assists, he has only claimed more goal involvements against Everton (three) and West Ham (four) in his Premier League career.

JACOB RAMSEY (Aston Villa v Watford)

Ramsey has been a standout breakthrough youngster in the Premier League this term, with his form in recent weeks in particular causing people to sit up and take note.

The 20-year-old has six goal involvements this season, a figure only Bukayo Saka (10) can better among under-21 players.

Five of Ramsey's have been in his past seven matches, and this weekend sees Villa host struggling Watford – he might just fancy his chances of adding to his tally, and he is still a fairly cheap option.

MICHAEL OLISE (Crystal Palace v Chelsea)

Olise is another young player having a solid season – he has also tallied six Premier League goal involvements this term.

Those have come in just 568 minutes on the pitch, meaning he is involved in 0.95 goals per 90 minutes.

Only Mohamed Salah (1.19), Patson Daka (1.05), Riyad Mahrez (1.0) and Paul Pogba (0.98) boast a better record than Olise among players with at least 500 minutes played.

Again, he remains a low-cost option.

Liverpool responded to Manchester City's thrashing of Norwich by recording a hard-fought 1-0 win at Burnley.

Fabinho struck the only goal in the first half, as the Reds continued their fine set-piece record on a day when set-plays proved decisive across the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Raul Jimenez starred as Wolves leapfrogged Tottenham with a shock 2-0 win, and Newcastle continued their revival with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, thanks to Kieran Tripper's free-kick.

The final game of the day saw West Ham rescue a dramatic 2-2 draw at Leicester City, with Craig Dawson netting a stoppage-time equaliser.

Burnley 0-1 Liverpool: Reds reap rewards of set-piece focus

Liverpool did not produce a vintage performance, but Jurgen Klopp's men kept leaders Manchester City on their toes by earning a vital away win.

The Reds had to work hard for the three points against Burnley at Turf Moor. After managing 27 shots, nine attempts on target and 50 touches in Burnley's penalty area in the reverse fixture at Anfield last August, Liverpool had just over half as many touches in Burnley's 18-yard box this time (26), managing 12 shots in total and just four on target.

However, Klopp's men dug deep to find a winning goal, and did so courtesy of their fantastic set-piece record. Excluding penalties, 14 of Liverpool’s 61 Premier League goals this season have come via set-pieces, more than any other team and more than the tally they recorded in the top-flight last term (13).

Fabinho's winning goal also means he has scored more goals in his last seven matches (five) than he managed in his first 142 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions (four).

Meanwhile, the Anfield outfit also maintained their record of having won each of their games in which the Brazilian has netted for the club, with that run now reaching eight matches.

Tottenham 0-2 Wolves: Jimenez proves decisive at Spurs once again

It was Wolves, rather than Tottenham, who asserted their top-four credentials by recording a huge win in north London, with Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker firing the visitors to a 2-0 win.

Mexican striker Jimenez has now scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances away at Spurs (three goals), with Wolves winning each of those contests.

Indeed, Jimenez has now scored four times in six appearances against Tottenham, and has only scored more Premier League goals against Southampton and Everton (five).

For Antonio Conte's Spurs, the defeat was their third Premier League reverse in succession, and they also lost three consecutive league games under Nuno Espirito Santo in September 2021. This marks the first time they have had multiple three-match losing games in a Premier League campaign since 2004-05 (also two).

Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa: Another free-kick continues Toon revival

Newcastle's clash with Aston Villa was not exactly one for the purists, featuring the third-lowest expected goals tally of the entire Premier League season so far, but Tripper ensured that it was a memorable day for the Magpies.

Trippier's 35th-minute free-kick was enough to see off Steven Gerrard's men in a contest where both teams created just 0.5 xG apiece.

Remarkably, Newcastle have now scored a direct free-kick goal in each of their last three Premier League games (Jonjo Shelvey at Leeds, followed by Trippier against Everton and Aston Villa), becoming the first side to do so since Liverpool in December 2013.

In a game of fine margins, the England right-back showed the quality that he brings to the Magpies' relegation fight, and he is now the first Newcastle player to score direct free-kick goals in consecutive Premier League games since Hugo Viana did so in May 2003.

Jurgen Klopp appeared thrilled – and a little relieved – that Liverpool avoided slipping up away to Burnley on Sunday as they won 1-0 at Turf Moor.

Fabinho got Liverpool's decisive goal just before half-time, bundling in at the second time of asking after Sadio Mane flicked on a corner delivery.

But it was by no means a straightforward victory, as Burnley had their fair share of opportunities in the first half.

In total, Alisson had to make five saves – only once in his Premier League career has the Brazilian been forced into more in a single game (six, against Southampton in May 2021).

Although Burnley sit rooted to the bottom of the table, Klopp was under no illusions that the Clarets represented a potential "banana skin".

As such, he was in a good mood as the Reds ensured they can still trim Manchester City's lead at the summit to six points if they win their game in hand.

Klopp told Sky Sports: "A perfect afternoon – raining and windy. We scored from a set-piece and it was a brilliant goal, to be honest.

"Everything today was set up to be a banana skin for us. The balls in the air were so tricky to defend because the wind came from all directions. We played the circumstances rather than suffered from them.

"Most of their chances were offside but of course they had their moments, that is clear. They have quality, but we dealt with it pretty well.

"We had to work incredibly hard and that is what the boys did. We made our shirts dirty. I am really happy because I know how difficult it is to come here. Absolutely satisfied."

Defeat leaves Burnley with just one win from their first 21 Premier League games this season – they are the first club to have so few victories at this stage of a campaign since Derby County (also one win) in 2007-08.

As for Liverpool, they have now won each of their last six league games without conceding against sides who have started the day bottom of the table.

Liverpool continue to keep Premier League leaders Manchester City on their toes after claiming a slender 1-0 win at rock-bottom Burnley on Sunday.

City beat Norwich City 4-0 on Saturday to open up a 12-point gap at the top, but the Reds responded at Turf Moor by trimming that lead again, meaning they can still reduce the deficit to six if they win their game in hand.

It was by no means straightforward for Jurgen Klopp's men, however. Alisson was forced into several important saves in the first half as Burnley wasted numerous opportunities.

Liverpool had threatened as well and finally took the lead just before the break through Fabinho, and that ultimately proved decisive as the Reds did a far better job of controlling the contest after half-time.

In an entertaining opening 45, Alisson was the first of the two goalkeepers to be called into meaningful action by Josh Brownhill's 30-yard strike, before also denying Maxwel Cornet from close range.

Nick Pope then brilliantly got down to keep Naby Keita's effort out – Burnley countered from the resulting corner and should have scored, but Wout Weghorst's finish was poor.

Jay Rodriguez was the next to be thwarted by Alisson at point-blank range, with Sadio Mane then blasting at Pope from Trent Alexander-Arnold's delivery into the six-yard box a minute later.

Weghorst subsequently squandered another chance soon after and the Reds capitalised, Fabinho bundling over the line after Mane flicked on a corner.

Aside from a Ben Mee header, chances dried up drastically after the interval with the two teams' combined xG for the second half up to the 80th minute sitting at just 0.15.

Mee nearly turned a Salah pass into his own net late on and Diogo Jota saw an effort deflected wide when he looked destined to score, but it mattered not for the Reds.

You wait nearly three weeks for a Premier League matchday and then two arrive at once…

Reigning champions and leaders Manchester City head to strugglers Norwich City, while Liverpool visit the lowly Burnley after the Clarets earned a valuable point against Manchester United in midweek.

Ralf Rangnick's Red Devils face Southampton, who impressed with a comeback victory over Tottenham on Wednesday. Antonio Conte's side will hope to bounce back at home to Wolves.

Ahead of the action, Stats Perform uses Opta data to aid your fantasy football selection dilemmas.

JOSE SA (Tottenham v Wolves)

Wolves have become specialists in securing slender wins to propel them towards an unlikely qualification for European football.

Jose Sa has been central to the success of Bruno Lage's backline, saving 69 of the 86 shots on target he has faced – the best save percentage (80 per cent) in the Premier League of any goalkeeper to play at least five games.

While he will be tasked with keeping Son Heung-min and Harry Kane out, the Portugal goalkeeper could be good shout for some important save bonus points.

ANDREW ROBERTSON (Burnley v Liverpool)

Robertson is hardly a new phenomenon for the veteran fantasy football players, but the Scotland international has been sensational on the road for Liverpool.

The left-back has provided five assists in his last four top-flight away games and has six overall for the Reds on the road this season – the last player to assist more away from Anfield in the league was Danny Murphy (seven) in 2002-03.

With Burnley struggling at the top end of the pitch as well, the former Hull City man could be a likely source of clean-sheet points as well.

PHILIPPE COUTINHO (Newcastle United v Aston Villa)

Philippe Coutinho has starred under Steven Gerrard in his limited time as a loanee at Aston Villa, registering a goal and two assists against Leeds United on Wednesday.

That took the Brazil international's tally to four goal involvements (two goals, two assists) in his opening three league games for Villa, averaging a goal or an assist every 44 minutes.

Eddie Howe's Newcastle United are down in the relegation mix, so Coutinho remains a smart pick with many expecting goals galore at St. James' Park.

PATSON DAKA (Leicester City v West Ham)

Leicester City have endured a tough period under Brendan Rodgers, but Patson Daka has still been a standout performer for the Foxes.

The Zambian striker has found the net in four of his five home top-flight appearances and is providing previous fantasy favourite Jamie Vardy with some stiff competition.

Daka has scored on all three of his home league starts and could be the seventh Premier League player in history to do so in his first four if he can breach the West Ham defence on Sunday.

Ralf Rangnick criticised his Manchester United stars for playing "tiki-taka" football and lacking urgency at crucial times in the draw at Burnley.

The 1-1 outcome at Turf Moor allowed West Ham to jump above United into fourth place in the Premier League, with Arsenal and Tottenham in pursuit of both.

Burnley sit bottom of the league and rode their luck as United had two first-half goals disallowed, leading only by a Paul Pogba strike as the interval arrived.

But the Clarets started the first half positively and were level inside two minutes as Jay Rodriguez fired past David de Gea.

Interim manager Rangnick said he warned his players to be on guard for a fired-up Burnley at the start of the second half; therefore, to concede so early was an annoyance to the German boss.

He told BBC Sport: "We knew they would come out of the locker room in a more aggressive way. This is the only thing I can blame the team for; in the first 20 minutes of the second half we were not as aggressive as in the first half.

"The way that we conceded the goal was completely unnecessary. We had our own counter-attack 30 seconds before and in that moment we were two or three players more in our own half, took wrong decisions in the defensive behaviour and in a way gave the goal away to them.

"If you look into the whole game we dominated most of the game, 70 minutes, and winning only one point is just not enough: a very frustrating night again."

Rangnick added: "In the first two minutes [of the second half] we won the ball three times and gave it away too easily because we were playing tiki-taka football in our own half, and we were not direct enough and stringent enough in the way we try to play forward.

"Then we had the counter-attack with Jadon [Sancho] and with Marcus [Rashford] and again gave the ball away too easily in their box. The first 20 minutes of the second half we were not as aggressive and not as controlled as we were in the first half, and that's why we gave them the chance to score."

United have home games coming up against Southampton and Brighton, on Saturday and Tuesday.

Rangnick told MUTV the Burnley result made it "even more important to get six points out of those two games".

Ralf Rangnick was frustrated by a "very, very soft" decision leading to Manchester United having a goal ruled out in their 1-1 draw against Burnley on Tuesday. 

United appeared to have gone 2-0 up when Josh Brownhill turned Marcus Rashford's cross into his own net, but a foul was belatedly given for Paul Pogba's challenge on Erik Pieters in the build-up. 

Pogba had given the Red Devils the lead in the 18th minute with his first Premier League goal in 384 days after Raphael Varane had one disallowed for an offside against Harry Maguire. 

Nick Pope kept Burnley in it for the rest of the first half and following Jay Rodriguez's equaliser two minutes after the restart, United were unable to test the hosts' keeper again. 

Rangnick felt the game ought to have been over by half-time and that his team were hindered significantly by the own goal being chalked off. 

"I think we played a fantastic first half, couldn't have played any better. We scored three goals, the second that was disallowed I cannot understand," Rangnick told the BBC. 

"It was a very, very soft decision by the linesman. He flagged the foul five or six seconds after it took place. 

"It really surprised me he flagged when the ball was in the net. Had he really seen the foul? The first I can understand why it was disallowed, it was a hard one, but the second I cannot understand. 

"If you look into the whole game, we dominated for most of it. Winning one point is not enough and another frustrating game." 

Only Premier League leaders Manchester City (11) are on a longer unbeaten away run in the top flight than United, who have avoided defeat in each of their past six outings. However, Rangnick's side have won just two of those matches. 

Rodriguez's goal came with Burnley's first shot on target of the game and that frustrated United captain Harry Maguire, who allowed Wout Weghorst to turn and slide his strike partner in with an excellent assist. 

 "I think you saw the first half. We had control. We have got to win the game with the amount of chances we created. We had to get that second goal. It's two points dropped," Maguire told BT Sport. 

"We wanted to dominate the game but when you come to Burnley away you are not going to dominate for 90 minutes. We had to see it out better. We conceded like against Middlesbrough [in the FA Cup on Friday] when they had that spell of pressure. We have got to be that bit more clinical. 

"It was a disappointing goal on our behalf to concede. We came out in the second half a bit sloppy. We had long enough in the game to come back from that and try and find the winner. 

"We demand of ourselves to win the football match, so it is disappointing."  

Manchester United slipped out of the Premier League's top four after being held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday. 

An immediate recovery from their shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough appeared to be on the cards for United when Paul Pogba rifled home early on.

The Red Devils were kept at bay for the rest of the first half by the officiating and the exploits of Nick Pope, setting the stage for Jay Rodriguez's equaliser.

United were unable to find a winner in the closing stages, meaning they fell to fifth with West Ham replacing them in the Champions League qualification places.

After Raphael Varane saw what would have been his first United goal disallowed for Harry Maguire straying offside, Pogba fired Luke Shaw's cutback into the top-right corner to give the visitors the lead in the 18th minute.  

Ralf Rangnick's side thought they had a second when Josh Brownhill put Marcus Rashford's delivery into his own net, but Pogba was deemed to have fouled Erik Pieters in the build-up.  

Burnley would have been out of the game by half-time had it not been for Nick Pope, who brilliantly denied Edinson Cavani and Rashford.

Rodriguez made the most of Pope's good work two minutes after the restart by slotting home Burnley's first shot on target.

Wout Weghorst set up the equaliser and saw an ambitious 25-yard effort parried by David de Gea, while Maxwel Cornet hobbled off for Burnley.

Cristiano Ronaldo came on from the bench but was unable to inspire United, who failed to register a single shot on target in the second half as bottom side Burnley held on for a valuable point.