Aston Villa 0 Spurs 2 - Report

The bad news is the skipper’s return from injury will likely come too late to save the dream of European football.

A haul of just five points from the six matches Grealish has missed due to a shin problem means Villa find themselves on the outside of the race for the top six looking in.

While it might be premature to write them off entirely - Dean Smith’s team have made a habit of upsetting the odds late in their last two seasons - it will take something truly special from here to elevate their undoubtedly good campaign to great.

This defeat to Tottenham followed a familiar pattern to recent weeks. Against a Spurs team themselves in erratic form, Villa spluttered in attack. They have now scored only once in four matches.

And they were beaten due to rare yet calamitous mistakes by a defence which has generally remained rock solid through Grealish’s absence.

The visitors opened the scoring just prior to the hour mark through Carlos Vinicius after pouncing on a poor clearance from Emiliano Martinez.

Then, just as Villa’s attack was beginning to show signs of life, Matty Cash gave away the penalty from which Harry Kane doubled the lead midway through the second half.

That came at a point where Villa were on top, though the fact it took Smith’s team nearly an hour to register an attempt on goal told its own story.

Defeat in what was a big match for both teams leaves them seven points behind sixth-placed Tottenham in the table. While the huge strides made since last season’s struggle against relegation should not be ignored, neither can there be any disguising the disappointments of the past month.

With 10 matches remaining the primary target will be maintaining the top-10 spot and ensuring this once hugely promising campaign does not peter out.

Villa had plenty of time to prepare for this fixture. Aside from the Covid-19 outbreak which paused their season earlier in the year, the nine days from the 1-1 draw at Newcastle a week ago last Friday represented the biggest gap between games since early December.

With Grealish not quite ready to return, Smith made two changes, recalling midfielder Morgan Sanson and fit-again right-back Cash in place of Jacob Ramsey and Ahmed Elmohamady.

Tottenham’s team news was far more intriguing, Mourinho responding to their calamitous Europa League exit to Dinamo Zagreb by making seven changes.

That included starts for Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon in a reshuffled backline missing Toby Alderweireld through illness, while Gareth Bale and Dele Alli are among those dropped to the bench. Son Heung-min, who had bagged a brace in his team’s 3-2 win at Villa Park last season, remained unavailable due to injury, while Erik Lamela was suspended.

Kick-off was delayed by a few moments when, after the players had taken the knee, referee Mike Dean realised no-one had removed the match ball plinth from the pitch.

Rather quickly neutral viewers might have wished the hold had been longer as both teams toiled while attempting to create chances.

There was certainly nothing wrong with the standard of defending. Tanganga was in the right place to intercept a Matt Targett free-kick which looked destined for the head of an unmarked Tyrone Mings. At the other end, Ezri Konsa was well positioned to deal with a dangerous Reguilon cross.

The lack of alarm for both defences in the opening 28 minutes made the fact the opening goal came from a lapse in Villa’s backline all the more surprising.

Mings, Konsa and Martinez were all in a position to deal with Reguilon’s lumped ball over the top. It was the latter who reached it first but rather than clear long, he attempted to find Cash on the right. Moura duly pounced, nipping in to win the ball before feeding Kane and racing into the box for the return pass, his next action being to square for the unmarked Vinicius to tap home from a few yards out.

Villa looked for a quick response but neither Cash nor Targett could find team-mates with crosses into the box from good positions.

Instead it was Tottenaham who looked marginally more threatening as the half neared its finish, Konsa blocking a first-time Vinicius shot, before McGinn did just enough to distract Kane as the England skipper almost met a corner unmarked.

Villa finished the half having failed to register an attempt on goal for the first time in a home Premier League fixture since April, 2014.

It was Tottenham who looked more likely to score early in the second half too. Kane firing a shot which took a touch off Tyrone Mings and flew inches wide of the target.

Villa were starting to take risks and leaving space at the back. When Cash slipped allowing Moura to advance into the box, Mings made a vital intervention to prevent the pass reaching Kane.

Just prior to the hour mark Villa finally created a chance. McGinn found Sanson with a neat ball over the top and when he crossed Trezeguet’s first time effort was blocked by Joe Rodon in front of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Anwar El Ghazi, on for the ineffective Bertrand Traore, then hammered a drive just wide of the France international’s goal as the hosts started to show some necessary urgency.

But just as Villa were beginning to look the more likely scorers, they gifted the visitors another goal.

Cash dived in looking to block a cross from Kane which never arrived with his opponent missing the ball but then tumbling after being caught by his trailing leg. Kane made no mistake from the spot, thumping the ball into the left-hand corner as Martinez dived the other way.

Villa continued to push for a way back but their task now looked forlorn, Trezeguet sending a left-footed effort wide of goal after finding rare space on the edge of the box.

But Lloris remained untested and Martinez prevented Villa from falling further into a hole when he saved Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s low drive.

The last big chance fell to Ross Barkley but after being fed by fellow substitute Keinan Davis, his shot was blocked.

Teams

Villa (4-3-3): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings (c), Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Sanson (Barkley 66), Traore (El Ghazi 60), Watkins, Trezeguet (Davis 79) Subs not used: Engels, Elmohamady, Taylor, Nakamba, Ramsey, Heaton (gk).

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c), Tanganga, Rodon, Sanchez, Reguilon (Davies 57), Hojbjerg, Ndombele (Sissoko 81), Lo Celso (Bergwijn 66), Lucas, Vinicius, Kane Subs not used: Bale, Dier, Alli, Bergwijn, Scarlett, Devine, Hart (gk).