Tottenham Hotspur 1 Aston Villa 2 - Report
Villa’s season might not have quite delivered on its early promise but this was a performance to whet the appetite for the campaigns hopefully to come.
On the night supporters returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Dean Smith’s men spoiled the party and seriously dented the home side’s European’s aspirations with their ninth away win of the season.
This was an occasion which looked tailor made for Harry Kane to write the headlines, in what would have been his final appearance in front of Spurs supporters should he get his desired summer move. Only once before now had the England striker played against Villa and failed to score.
Instead, it was one of his newest international team-mates, Ollie Watkins, who stole the show. The 25-year-old’s 14th Premier League goal of the season proved the winner and he was a constant menace for a Villa team also inspired by the returning Jack Grealish, who played 73 minutes in his first start for more than three months and pulled the strings like he had never been away.
With their talisman back in the line-up, Villa overcame the setback of Steven Bergwijn’s early opener for the hosts and being denied what appeared a blatant penalty, when Watkins was felled in the box by home keeper Hugo Lloris.
Sergio Reguilon’s spectacular own goal brought Smith’s men level and though there was fortune there, their win was fully deserved and might have been by more against a home side who were ragged for much of the 90 minutes. So much for the Super League.
Carney Chukwuemeka, handed his debut by Smith in the closing stages, almost put the icing on the cake when he struck the post in stoppage time.
Having blown several winning positions recently, the manner in which Villa saw out the win will have been heartening to Smith.
Victory saw them past the 50 points mark in the Premier League for the first time since 2010 and though they are now cemented in 11th place, Sunday’s match against Chelsea in front of their own supporters promises to be a special occasion.
The start was Grealish’s first since a 0-0 draw at Brighton on February 13. Tyrone Mings also returned after missing Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace through injury, replacing Ahmed Elmohamady in a rejigged backline which saw Ezri Konsa move to right-back.
Nakamba was Villa’s other chance, replacing Douglas Luiz in the heart of midfield.
The Zimbabwe international could hardly have made a worse start. His miscontrol was pounced on by Bergwijn, who rode an attempted challenge from John McGinn while charging in between Mings and Kortney Hause to fire a thumping shot into the top corner.
At least Nakamba would earn partial redemption by playing a part in Villa’s equaliser 12 minutes later.
Before then there was considerable controversy. Mings drove a ball over the top and as Watkins tried to reach it, he was brought down by a sliding Lloris. Referee Craig Pawson saw no infringement and neither, to much puzzlement, did video assistant Kevin Friend.
It was a particularly frustrating incident from Villa’s perspective, with Harry Kane having been awarded a penalty in almost identical circumstances in March’s reverse fixture.
Still, at least Smith’s men were starting to find a foothold in the game and soon they were level. Nakamba swung in a hopeful cross from the left and Reguilon, under no pressure, sliced his attempted clearance beyond Lloris and into the top corner.
The silence which greeted the goal quickly became replaced by grumbles as Villa began to dominate. Grealish tested Lloris from distance, while Watkins saw a shot blocked at close range after the home defence allowed Anwar El Ghazi’s cross to run across the box.
Six minutes before half-time the visitors got the second goal they had been threatening. Reguilon again had something of a personal nightmare as twice his attempted clearance was charged down by Bertrand Traore. On the second occasion the ball bounced into the path of Watkins, who with his second touch squeezed a left-footed shot underneath Lloris and inside the near post.
By now the home fans were turning their ire on chairman Daniel Levy. On the pitch, meanwhile, it was Villa who should have gone in at the break further ahead. But Traore neglected to shoot after showing great footwork to make space in the box before, just seconds before Pawson blew his whistle for half-time, Lloris denied Watkins at close range following fine work from the industrious McGinn.
Villa started the second half brightly too with El Ghazi seeing an effort blocked behind.
But Tottenham finally began to show signs of life and Emiliano Martinez was required to save twice from Bergwijn in the space of a couple of minutes, with Mings blocking a Dele Alli shot over the bar in between.
When Kane volleyed over at the far post, Spurs were enjoying their best period since the opening 10 minutes of the match. Yet it was hardly backs to the wall stuff from Villa, Traore curling an effort just wide of the far post with Lloris scrambling desperately across goal.
The Burkina Faso international also saw a shot blocked as the visitors hunted a third which might have killed the game off.
With 17 minutes remaining Grealish was withdrawn and soon after Martinez preserved the lead again, keeping out Kane’s shot at the near post after it had taken a nasty nick off Mings.
Gareth Bale had come off the bench by that point and as the hosts poured forward, gaps began to open up but Villa still couldn’t find the killer goal.
Dier threw himself in front of a Watkins shot at close range before 17-year-old Chukwuemeka, on for his debut, struck the post in stoppage time.
Teams
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c), Tanganga (Doherty 83), Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon, Højbjerg, Winks (Ndombele 74), Bergwijn (Bale 73), Alli, Son, Kane Subs not used: Sanchez, Aurier, Lo Celso, Lamela, Lucas, Hart (gk).
Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Konsa, Hause, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Nakamba (Chukwuemeka 88), Traore, Grealish © (Luiz 73), El Ghazi, Watkins Subs not used: Elmohamady, Taylor, Ramsey, Barkley, Philogene-Bidace, Wesley, Steer (gk).
