IT was the third time Hugo Lloris saved from Danny Ings in the space of 10 second half minutes that you sensed this wasn’t going to be Burnley’s day.

The England Under 21 striker had a trio of good chances to level the scores at the start of the second period, but every time he was denied in impressive fashion by one of the Premier League’s finest goalkeepers.

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Had Ings taken one of those chances then it could have been a very different story.

But Lloris is surpassed only by David De Gea in terms of quality between the posts in the top flight, and his second half stops were enough to earn his side the victory.

When the chances began to arrive for Ings the Clarets were 2-1 down after a first half that brought quality and controversy in equal measure.

Mike Jones’ decision to penalise Michael Keane for handball in the build-up to Spurs’ opening goal was harsh in the extreme, while the quickly taken free kick only added to the confusion, with a ball intended for the offside Christian Eriksen picked up instead by Nacer Chadli, while Burnley’s defence stood with their arms up in unison.

Sean Dyche’s side levelled quickly in stunning fashion, Ashley Barnes bending a sublime shot into the top corner from outside the area.

But parity didn’t last long, and while Erik Lamela’s first Premier League goal was another delightful curling strike, life was made easy for him by some slack defending.

The game could have been turned on its head early in the second half though.

Sean Dyche revealed afterwards that he had instructed his players to eschew their usual passing game and go forward quickly and directly, spotting something in the Spurs defence he thought he could exploit.

Despite defeat there were positives to take for the Clarets, in the quality of chances created and the way they rediscovered their poise in the second half after a first 45 minutes in which they were posed defensive problems by Spurs attacking quartet of Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela and Kane.

Dyche was disappointed with the decision to award the handball for the first goal, and then had sympathy with his players for appealing for offside when the set piece was taken quickly.

But Eriksen stepped aside and allowed Chadli a run down the right. Burnley’s defence finally caught on to the danger, but it was too late, as the Belgian’s cross found an unmarked Kane, who nodded home from six yards.

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The Clarets were level within five minutes in stunning fashion. Jones’ tenacity in midfield to dispossess Lamela saw the ball roll to Boyd. His pass into Barnes allowed the former Brighton man to take a touch to open the goal up before finding the top corner from 22 yards with a curling effort.

It should have been advantage Spurs again on the half hour. Lamela turned Ben Mee inside out and ghosted along the deadball line, but Kane failed to connect with the low cross three yards out with the goal gaping.

Moments later it was 2-1 though. There looked to be little danger with Lamela in possession on the right, but he was given time and space by Mee and Boyd to run infield and he curled a lovely finish inches inside the far post.

It was Lamela’s first Premier League goal since his £30million arrival from Roma 18 months ago, and it was a sublime effort, but from a defensive point of view more could have been done to prevent it.

Spurs’ three creative players behind Kane were giving the Clarets all manner of headaches. Next the magnificent Eriksen fed Ryan Mason, who clipped his shot over the bar.

The hosts looked dangerous every time they went forward, with Kane and Fazio seeing shots go close, before Burnley had a chance to level right at the end of the half. Trippier’s ball down the right freed Ings, who turned inside and squared to Marney and his low shot was rolled narrowly past the near post.

The second half saw Lloris twice thwart Ings inside the first two minutes. First the striker dribbled past Fazio and saw his shot squirm behind off Lloris at the near post.

From the corner Jones kept the ball alive and Ings turned away in the area, but this time Lloris smothered the shot from the left.

The half was turning into a personal duel between those two when on 54 minutes Barnes’ perfectly weighted ball got Ings behind Fazio again. He took the ball to the right and fired a near post shot in, but the Frenchman now produced a superb one-handed save to come out on top once again.

It was a much improved second half show from the Clarets and the hosts were restricted to efforts from distance, like the one which Heaton saved from Chadli with 13 minutes to go.

The Clarets had one final chance to steal a point when Ings was brought down 25 yards from goal in a central position. Late sub Ross Wallace stood over it, reviving memories of his 96th minute leveller at Leicester which also secured a 2-2 draw, Again he beat the wall but Lloris was, of course, up to the task, diving low to his left to turn the ball around the post.