Tottenham remain battling for the Premier League title despite missing out on the opportunity of moving to within two points of the top two with Saturday’s defeat by Burnley.
Ashley Barnes netted an 83rd minute winner for Burnley after Harry Kane had earlier cancelled out Chris Wood’s opener to end Spurs’ run of four successive Premier League wins.
A victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side would have moved them to within two points of Manchester City and Liverpool, but they remain five off the former and now six behind the latter who returned to the top of the table on Sunday with their draw against Manchester United.
The north Londoners were widely criticised in the wake of the match, with many claiming Spurs had ‘bottled’ the title race, though some believe Tottenham were never actually battling for silverware given they’ve spent the majority of the season behind both Liverpool and Manchester City.
Harry Kane, however, insists Tottenham remain in the race to win their first top flight championship since 1960/61.
“Obviously it was a big chance for us to get the three points and get that little bit closer,” Kane, who returned from injury to score against Burnley, said. “It’s a shame because, when we needed to find another gear, we didn’t have it in the locker.
“We’ve got to be real with ourselves, we’ve got a tough week coming up so we’ve got to dust it off and be ready for that. It was a big opportunity and it’s a shame we couldn’t take it.
“People will probably say now it’s a two-horse race but that’s not our problem. All we can do is take care of ourselves. Today was disappointing but we’ll look to bounce back as quickly as possible.
“We’re a team who don’t like to make excuses but we’ve been playing away from home for the last two years, we’ve had a tough time, but it is what it is.
“We’re in the hunt for the Premier League, we’re still in the Champions League so we’re in a good place. We’ve been there for a few years, we’ve got to see whether we can take it up another level.”
Kane made his return after seven matches out through injury, with the England captain recovering from his ankle issue well before he was expected to; initial reports had him sidelined until the middle of March.
“It’s a lifestyle,” Kane continued. “It’s not that you get injured and then what can I do to get better, it’s what you do throughout the whole year that, when you do get injured, your body already knows what to do.
“I’m hungry, I always want to get back as quick as possible. But I’ve got to make sure it’s right as well.
“We got the balance right and it felt good out there today. Hopefully I can catch a bit of luck and it won’t happen again.”