3 September 2024
Tottenham 4 Aston Villa 1
After a midweek win against Man City in the Carabao Cup, Spurs came into this game full of confidence. Unai Emery’s side were the visitors, looking to further cement their place as a top four regular. They have impressed in the Champions League this season and have got the taste for it, so need to ensure that they qualify again.
Since becoming Tottenham manager, Postecoglou has been left frustrated with the inconsistent nature of his team. They struggle to maintain their levels from one week to the next. The visitors took the game to the hosts as Digne swung a cross into the box. Watkins almost got on the end of it but couldn’t connect to test Vicario.
Tottenham’s fans wanted to see more of the performance that saw them knock Pep Guardiola’s side out of the cup. Bentancur tried his luck from distance but it was going to take some shot to beat Martinez from that distance. It dipped onto the top of the net but the Villa keeper always seemed to have it covered. It gave the fans something to get them a little more riled up though.
Tielemans did well in the middle of the park and his pass found Ramsey. He cut inside and looked to shoot but it took a big deflection and went over the bar. Vicario punched the resulting corner clear but the visitors recycled it well and got another cross in. Onana rose well at the back post and his downward header struck the base of the post.
Much has been said about the Spurs’ keeper inability to deal with set-pieces. This was evident again as a corner came in and Vicario struggled to make his presence known. It was almost turned into his own goal by a Tottenham defender but was blocked on the line, only for Rogers to tap it in from close range to give Aston Villa the lead in North London.
Emery’s side were unbeaten away from home coming into this game. They almost doubled their lead as Watkins used his strength to hold Romero off but his shot was disappointing as he dragged it wide of the far post. Tottenham had failed to get started in this game but at some point, you would expect them to and the visitors could be made to pay for not taking their chances.
Into the second-half and Postecoglou’s inspirational team talk seemed to have done the trick. Son put a teasing ball into the box and Johnson capitalised on the indecision in the Aston Villa defence to ghost in at the back post. He slotted past Martinez and awoke the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the process. They looked a different team from the one in the first half.
Moments later Udogie squared the ball to Solanke who turned and got a shot away. He did not quite get the connection he wanted, which allowed Martinez to get down and make a crucial save. Villa countered and Watkins looked to get away from Porro who lunged in and chopped him down. The referee immediately produced a yellow card for the rash challenge.
The free-kick was clipped into the box and was half-cleared by the hosts. McGinn struck a venomous shot but it narrowly missed the upright. Postecoglou then rang the changes, with Son baffled by the fact he was being brought off. It was a bold move by the manager and one the fans would question if they did not win this game.
As an Aston Villa attack broke down, Kulusevski fed the ball into the path of Solanke. As Martinez came rushing out, the former Bournemouth man lifted it over him to give Spurs the lead. A VAR review took some time to check a potential offside but it just gave the Tottenham fans a second opportunity to celebrate as it was finally awarded.
Just four minutes after giving his side the lead, Solanke was at it again. Richarlison squared the ball to him for a relatively easy tap-in. With just over ten minutes remaining, it seemed that Aston Villa were heading for their first away defeat of the season. Not the way Unai Emery would have wanted to spend his birthday, that is for sure.
The visitors were just not at the races in this second-half. Every time they tried to string an attacking move together it broke down and they were just being picked off by Postecoglou’s side. It will act as motivation for any side due to meet Aston Villa as Spurs’ tactics were working perfectly. They were making Emery’s side look like a shambles at the back.
Deep into added time, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just on the edge of the box. Maddison stepped up and clipped it over the wall into the far corner. Martinez was scrambling across his goal but was never going to get anywhere near it. It was a perfectly executed set-piece from the former Leicester City playmaker.
It was a heavy defeat for Aston Villa and ensured that they were no longer to stay in the Premier League top four. This week Tottenham have shown that they are a match for anyone when on their game. Postecoglou just needs to ensure that his team show this side of their personality more often than they have done since he took over.
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