article: Even after offering so little on the pitch, Harry Kane still served a useful purpose for his manager on Sunday. He drew the attention away from the cold reality of a disappointing display against Burnley; away from the fact that Tottenham’s chances of now qualifying for the Champions League appear extremely remote. If there was a danger Mauricio Pochettino might have to endure some less than flattering headlines, Kane at least offered an alternative. Harry Kane was captain for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League match against Burnley at Turf Moor . Tottenham striker Kane became the youngest Premier League player to be captain this season at the age of 21 years and 251 days . Tottenham went into the Premier League match looking to get back into the race for Champions League qualification after Liverpool's loss . Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton 6; Trippier 7, Duff 7, Shackell 7, Mee 6.5; Boyd 7.5, Jones 6.5, Arfield 6.5, Barnes 7; Ings 6.5, Vokes 7 (Jutkiewicz 76, 6) Subs not used: Gilks, Keane, Ward, Kightly, Sordell, Ulvestad . Booked: Trippier, Mee . Goals: NONE . Manager: Sean Dyche 7 . Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Vorm 6.5, Walker 6 (Davies 47, 6), Chiriches 6, Dier 6, Rose 6.5; Bentaleb 6, Mason 6.5 (Townsend 83); Chadli 6.5 (Lamela 64, 6), Eriksen 7, Paulinho 5; Kane 6 . Subs not used: Friedel, Dembele, Stambouli, Soldado . Booked: NONE . Goals: NONE . Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 6 . MOM: Boyd . Referee: M. Atkinson 5 . Attendance: 18,829 . How the Premier League table looks . Kane's heat map vs Burnley. Click for more . Harry Kane had a bad day at the office by his recent high standards: . 0 SHOTS on target by Kane. The last time he failed to hit a shot on target in the Premier League was on December 6 against Crystal Palace. 14 Kane made just 14 passes, the joint lowest of any Spurs starter. 56% Kane's pass completion rate was the worst of any Spurs player except goalkeeper Michel Vorm. In fairness to Pochettino, this would not have been in his thinking when he selected Kane as captain for this contest and he was honest enough to admit afterwards that securing a top-four place would now be difficult. But the post-match autopsy was relatively painless because there was more interest in discussing the continuing rise of the 21-year-old striker rather than the thoroughly unremarkable performance Kane and his colleagues had just produced. Seemingly miffed by the line of questioning, Pochettino’s only explanation for why he made Kane the youngest skipper in the Barclays Premier League this season was brief and to the point. ‘He deserved it,’ he said, and with so many senior players missing it was not entirely without logic when he is said to be one of the more vocal members of the dressing room. But Pochettino did not stop there, accepting the invitation to gaze briefly into the future and imagine Kane as club captain. ‘He has the quality,’ he said. ‘So yes, maybe (he could be captain in the long term).’ Right now anything would appear possible with this kid. The goal only 78 seconds into his England debut; the fact that he is just one short of becoming the first Tottenham striker since Gary Lineker to score 30 in a season. Perhaps he will be hosting Match of the Day next week. Here at Turf Moor, though, the dream and the reality were not quite in tandem for once, Kane enduring one of the more difficult afternoons he has experienced this season alongside team-mates unable to provide him with the service he requires. ‘It was difficult for him and difficult for his team-mates too,’ Pochettino acknowledged. He also pointed to Manchester City’s recent defeat here and complained that ‘long balls into the box’ made Sean Dyche’s side hard to play against. But Tottenham played like a side that took one look at Arsenal’s thumping defeat of Liverpool on Saturday and concluded that a place in the Champions League was already beyond their reach. They lacked urgency as well as energy, and while Pochettino could point to illness, injury and the international commitments of his players it remained a disappointing display. ‘Maybe we like playing on Thursday nights??’ tweeted Darren Anderton. Captain Kane pictured in the tunnel beforehand with his Tottenham team as they prepared for the match with Burnley . It was the first time Kane has been captain this season for Tottenham as manager Mauricio Pochettino put his faith in the young striker . Kyle Walker receives treatment on the pitch before he was forced off through injury and replaced by Ben Davies for Tottenham . Walker was forced off through injury in the second half as Tottenham chased the win against Burnley at Turf Moor . Tottenham had only two shots on target in this game — they have only managed fewer three times in Premier League games this season. It remained more than a little perplexing that Pochettino waited until the 83rd minute to unleash Andros Townsend from the bench. The scorer of England’s equaliser against Italy and probably full of confidence as a result, he might have injected some much-needed momentum into Tottenham’s football. As it was he once again found himself the target of Paul Merson’s venom, the former Arsenal midfielder teasing him on Twitter that he must have missed the bus. Dyche focused more on the positives of his own team’s efforts but should really see this as a missed opportunity, given how poor Tottenham were. A point would have been welcome but three would have lifted them out of the relegation places, and on reflection his side had the best of the chances. Danny Ings squandered a marvellous opportunity in the opening few minutes before forcing a fine one-handed save from Michel Vorm shortly before the interval. The fact that the first booking came in the 78th minute illustrated how timid a contest this was. Even after Dyche had taken the fairly bold step of starting with Ings, Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes. This game boasted the two hardest working players in the Premier League this season, with George Boyd top of that list with 338.8km covered and Christian Eriksen second, just 600m behind the Burnley midfielder. Ashley Barnes shoots under pressure from Tottenham's Eric Dier during the match as Burnley tried to steal three points . Barnes tumbles over as a chance goes begging for Burnley against Tottenham in the Premier League match . Kane closes down Michael Duff during the match as Tottenham and Burnley played out a goalless draw on Sunday . Burnley striker Danny Ings stands with hands on hips as he failed to score during the Premier League stalemate at Turf Moor . It was Boyd’s industry that created the first decent chance of the game, the pressure he applied on Ryan Mason forcing the newly capped England player into directing a back-pass into the path of Ings. The Burnley striker should have scored but succeeded only in firing his shot straight at Vorm. The second half was no better. Eriksen burst clear only to send a shot well over the crossbar, while Barnes threatened too. Paulinho found himself clean through at one stage only to scuff his effort embarrassingly wide. And the irrepressible Boyd would go close moments before the final whistle only to see his header bounce agonisingly wide. ‘I think we edged the game,’ said Dyche afterwards. ‘Danny (Ings) has had a couple of great chances but the first one he’s probably just hit too cleanly. But I’m pleased by the fact that we’ve got another clean sheet against a team that has spent a couple of hundred million on players.’ Not that there was much evidence of that here. Christian Eriksen runs with the ball and breaks clear of George Boyd and Duff as he tries to steal the win late on . Tottenham manager Pochettino pictured on the touchline as he tried to get his team to take advantage of Burnley away from home . Burnley manager Sean Dyche may well have taken a point before the match but may feel like his team could have stolen the victory .
highlights: Harry Kane became the youngest Premier League player to be captain this season (21 years and 251 days)
  Tottenham Hotspur could not steal the win at Turf Moor against relegation-threatened Burnley .
  Mauricio Pochettino's side failed to take advantage of Liverpool's loss in the race for the top four .
  Tottenham are now seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth but have played a game more .
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