Tottenham Hotspur closed the gap on the Champions League places to just one point this evening as they cruised to a Harry Kane-inspired 3-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
The Clarets had conceded only three home goals all season before today, but Kane matched that tally on his own with his seventh hat-trick of 2017 to fire his side to victory.
The goals also saw Kane equal Alan Shearer's record of scoring 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year, with Spurs still having one match to play before the end of the year.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Not many people would have been expecting this to be a clash between sixth and seventh at the halfway stage of the season, and fewer still would have had them that way around, with Burnley leading Spurs by a point in the table.
It promises to be a very intriguing contest in which either side could go into Christmas sitting fifth with victory, but before we take an in-depth look at it let's first check out the team news...
Well, we'll get to the hosts in a short while, but let's start with a Tottenham lineup which includes Davinson Sanchez for the first time in the last four attempts. The centre-back makes a timely return from injury this afternoon, having missed the last three games.
With Alderweireld also sidelined at the moment that forced Spurs to play Eric Dier in central defence against Man City last time out, but Sanchez is able to return alongside Vertonghen this time around.
Kane has still nonetheless scored 16 Premier League goals away from home in 2017 - a tally only Robin van Persie (19 in 2011) and Sergio Aguero (17 in 2016) have ever beaten.
© Offside
Alli will once again operate in the hole today, and the England international has a decent record against Burnley, directly contributing to a goal in each of his three Premier League appearances against the Clarets.
Alli has not been at his best this season, with only three goals and three assists so far this term in the Premier League, although last season he has been involved in just five goals from his 16 league outings before Christmas, only to then up his game and register 14 goals and six assists in his 21 league outings after Christmas.
I have already mentioned Sanchez, who replaces Dembele in the starting XI, but there are also recalls for Aurier, Davies and Sissoko in place of Trippier, Rose and Winks this afternoon.
The Clarets will be without James Tarkowski for at least the next three games after he was charged with violent conduct following a clash with Glenn Murray last weekend, although the defender could be sidelined for even longer having undergone surgery for a hand injury sustained in the same match against Brighton.
Stephen Ward once again misses out having failed to recover from a knee injury in time, while Lowton only makes the bench, having missed the last five games with a similar problem. Taylor and Bardsley continue on the flanks, although Lowton is expected to return to the starting lineup once he regains full fitness.
Wood's late equaliser at Wembley in August proved to be an early sign of the Claret's resilience, and the striker will once again plough a lone furrow up front for the goal-shy Burnley this afternoon.
Gudmundsson has assisted five of Burnley's last nine Premier League goals, so Spurs must be wary of him getting crosses into the box this afternoon.
Sean Dyche will have gone into this season with the number one goal of staying in the division for another season, but after just 18 games they are already only eight points short of the magic 40-point mark. Indeed, there is more talk of whether Burnley can challenge for Champions League places than there is fear that they may be dragged into a relegation battle, which says it all really.
The three teams directly above them in the table have all dropped points already this weekend, with Arsenal holding Liverpool to a draw and Chelsea sharing the spoils with Everton, so there is a real chance to make up some ground this afternoon - although Spurs will be thinking exactly the same thing.
Sean Dyche's side have let in only 12 goals from their 18 outings so far this term and have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last nine outings, stretching back to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in October.
Indeed, another shutout this afternoon would see Burnley equal their club-record for the top flight of four consecutive clean sheets, which is an achievement that they have not managed since 1922.
Burnley's last eight Premier League home games have yielded six clean sheets, although at the other end of the field there are problems with only Swansea having scored fewer goals in front of their own fans.
Burnley come into this match having lost just one of their last eight league games at Turf Moor, winning four of their last five. Indeed, another victory today would make it three on the bounce here for the first time since January.
The Clarets' never-say-die attitude has already been proved, though, with Dyche's side having earned five points with goals in the final 10 minutes of matches this season - second only to Manchester City.
However, it is Tottenham's away form which will be causing the main problems right now, and their failure to fire on all cylinders both home and away at the same time has really cost them so far this season - to the extent that last season's runners-up find themselves a whopping 24 points adrift of leaders Manchester City as things stand.
Spurs had won nine of their previous 10 league away games before that, including their opening four of this season, but they are now on their longest winless away run since April 2012 under Harry Redknapp.
The solitary win was an impressive one away to Borussia Dortmund, where there is also a notable draw at the Bernabeu in that run, but it is still a major dip in form compared to five away wins on the bounce prior to their current run.
Such a poor run of form has seen them drop 16 of the last 27 Premier League points on offer, which is certainly not good enough to challenge for the top four, yet alone keep pace with leaders Manchester City.
It may be that Tottenham need to go on a similar run to last season, when they won nine consecutive games in December and January, to haul them back into the driving seat for a top-four spot, and victory over the team directly above them in the table today would be the perfect start to that.
The latest of those defeats came at the hands of an unstoppable Manchester City last weekend, when they were simply outclassed on their way to a 4-1 defeat, with their goal coming as a consolation right at the end of the game.
You have to go back to their final two games of the 2015-16 campaign for the last time Spurs lost back-to-back Premier League games, though, when they collapsed to allow Arsenal to finish above them in the table.
Burnley do not do goal-filled matches here at Turf Moor, and despite the attacking talent on show for Tottenham, I can't see many flying in today either. Spurs will feel as though the onus is on them to chase the win, though, and hopefully that will make for an entertaining game. I will go for a narrow away win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Burnley 0-1 Tottenham
Indeed, their most recent win over Spurs is also their only Premier League win against the North Londoners, and it came way back in May 2010 when they ran out 4-2 winners under Brian Laws.
Tottenham did win the corresponding fixture last season, though, with Dier and Son both on the scoresheet in a 2-0 victory.
It is also a long time since Tottenham went into this fixture sitting below the Clarets in the top flight. On the most recent occasion that happened before today, seventh-place Burnley beat 20th-place Spurs 3-2 in April 1975.
BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Bardsley, Mee, Long, Taylor; Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Gudmundsson, Arfield; Wood
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Sissoko, Eriksen; Dele, Son, Kane
Long was the offender who committed the foul inside the area, tripping Alli and leaving Michael Oliver in no doubt about the penalty. Kane steps up and sends Pope the wrong way.
34 - Harry Kane has now scored 34 Premier League goals in 2017, the only players to score more in a single calendar year within the Premier League are Alan Shearer (36 in 1995) and Robin van Persie (35 in 2011). Spot.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 23, 2017
Most PL goals for @SpursOfficial
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 23, 2017
97 – T. Sheringham (236 apps)
91 – H. Kane (131)
91 – R. Keane (238)
91 – J. Defoe (276)
48 – C. Armstrong (141)#PL pic.twitter.com/drlIFM3YdD
It is a deserved lead too - and it could be worse for Burnley - but the home side did grow into the game as the first half wore on. Burnley are still in with a shout today, but they need to offer more going forward in the second half.
Michael Oliver quickly pointed to the spot, and up stepped Kane to send Pope the wrong way with a clinical penalty into the top corner.
Kane himself could have doubled his personal tally when he was quickest to a loose ball inside the area, but his effort only found the side-netting with Pope out of possession. The best chance fell the way of Sissoko at the end of a rapid counter-attack, though, with Pope pulling off a crucial double save to deny the winger.
Sean Dyche's side need to offer more of an attacking threat in the coming 45 minutes if they are to avoid only a third home defeat of the season today.
Sissoko clips a pass through for Kane, who suddenly finds himself clean through on goal. The striker only has Pope to beat, and he never looks like scoring as he strokes the ball into the bottom corner.
Kane initially wins the ball with a good sliding challenge before Davies and Alli combine to knock the ball back into the path of the striker. Kane takes a touch with a right foot before drilling a left-footed strike across goal and into the bottom corner. Clinical stuff from the striker.
It is a day of history for Kane too as he equals Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a single year, and he still has one game left to set his own marker in that regard.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this evening's match as Tottenham run out 3-0 winners over Burnley to climb up to fifth in the table courtesy of a Harry Kane hat-trick. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!