Goalscoring chances were at a premium during the opening 45 minutes of this afternoon's Premier League clash between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor.
The three points are vital to both sides, with Burnley looking to move out of the relegation zone, while only a victory will do if Spurs are to keep their slim hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League alive.
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The hosting Clarets started much the brighter of the two teams and it was their relentless work rate off the ball that was almost rewarded as early as the fifth minute.
The lively George Boyd forced Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason to surrender possession to Danny Ings, who cut across Nabil Bentaleb to open up a shooting chance for himself 12 yards from goal. However, the striker could not get the ball out of his feet quickly enough and consequently fired straight at stand-in goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
Up the other end, while the visitors were finding clear openings hard to come by, they did call home keeper Tom Heaton into action twice in quick succession.
Both times it was Nacer Chadli who had the shot, the second of which forced the former Manchester United stopper into a smart save down low to his left.
As the half wore on, Tottenham's new England internationals Mason and Harry Kane, who was given the captain's armband by head coach Mauricio Pochettino, tried their luck from distance, but neither could work Heaton.
Christian Eriksen was more accurate following a short corner routine six minutes before the break, but the Dane's strike from 20 yards took a slight deflection, which presented Heaton with a routine save.
Moments later, the ball broke kindly for Boyd on the edge of the Spurs area, but his bouncing effort trickled well wide of Vorm's goal. As the half drew to a close, the Dutchman was required to tip Ings's curling effort over the bar.
Liam Apicella
