Tottenham 1 Aston Villa 2: Ollie Watkins helps Villa climb into top four with pulsating win at Spurs

The England international, who saw a first half goal chalked off for a marginal offside call, fired home his 12th goal of the season just past the hour mark to complete a rousing comeback for Unai Emery’s team.

Tottenham had gone in front through Giovani Lo Celso’s deflected strike with Villa struggling to make headway in a chance-laden contest.

But Pau Torres levelled deep in first half stoppage time with Watkins’ goal capping a much-improved second half showing from the visitors.

Analysis

The final scoreline does not do justice to a match where defences frequently took a backseat. By the finish, the biggest surprise were there were only three goals in a game where there were 33 efforts on goal.

Villa could have been 2-0 down or 2-0 up inside the opening five minutes. For much of the first half, they were second best to a patched-up Spurs team missing several key players.

But Torres’ equaliser on the stroke of half changed the complexion of the afternoon. Villa were much more combative after the break, took the lead through Watkins, might have won by more but ultimately did enough to keep the hosts at bay. Tottenham skipper Heung-min Son finished with a hat-trick of disallowed goals.

This was Villa’s ninth win in 13 league matches but their first away from home for two months. It comes at the start of a fortnight when they will also face Manchester City and leaders Arsenal. They now trail the latter by just two points.

The build-up to the match was overshadowed by news of the death of former Tottenham player and manager Terry Venables, aged 80. Both teams wore black armbands, with kick-off preceded by a minute’s applause.

When the game did get underway, it was action from the first whistle. The first five minutes alone might have seen both teams score twice.

First it was Villa on the attack with John McGinn, having shaken off the injury sustained while on international duty with Scotland, cutting in from the left and delivering a cross with which Matty Cash should have done much better.

There was no doubting Destiny Udogie should have hit the target when he raced on to Pedro Porro’s ball over the top. Instead, he blazed over and there were further groans of disbelief from home supporters when, after being sent through by Son’s clever flick Dejan Kulusevski sent his finish against the post.

Torres then submitted his entry for worst miss of the match so far, heading wide with the goal at his mercy from Lucas Digne’s free-kick.

From there it was largely one way traffic until the opener. Emi Martinez saved from Bryan Gil, with Porro heading over the rebound. Son then failed to connect with Gil’s cross before being denied a tap-in when Diego Carlos superbly cut out Brennan Johnson’s cross.

It was last-ditch stuff but having held out for the first 21 minutes, the manner of Lo Celso’s goal will have frustrated Emery. Boubacar Kamara missed the chance to clear a corner at the near post and Lo Celso lashed a drive which took a nick off Carlos to leave Martinez with no chance.

Villa thought they had equalised almost straight from kick-off. Digne found space down the left and whipped in a cross which Watkins headed beyond Guglielmo Vicario but after a check of several minutes, it was determined the striker had strayed the merest fraction offside.

Tottenham suffered a blow just past the half hour mark when Rodrigo Bentancur, just returned from injury, was forced off after being on the end of a Cash challenge for which the Villa man was booked.

The hosts continued to hold the upper hand and after Kulusevski had curled just wide, Son thought he had doubled the advantage only for his celebrations to be cut short by an assistant’s flag.

Yet Villa finally began to get a foothold during a lengthy period of stoppage time and after Diaby had failed to take advantage of one opportunity, Torres headed them level. The chance was a carbon copy of the one he missed in the opening five minutes but, this time from a Luiz free-kick, he made no mistake, powering a header into the top corner.

Tottenham, no doubt feeling hard done by, began the second half with renewed purpose but it was Villa who came closest to scoring next. Leon Bailey, who had replaced Cash at the break, hit a shot which squirmed under the body of Vicario and hit the post, the ball rolling back into the body of the grateful goalkeeper.

Chances continued to flow. Johnson slid in at the far post, inches from converting Kulusevki’s low cross after a clever Son backheel.

But Villa were better than their first half showing and just past the hour mark went ahead. Kamara found Watkins, who exchanged passes with Tielemans before firing a finish into the bottom corner.

Stunned, Tottenham looked to hit back and Martinez needed to push Lo Celso’s bouncing drive round the post, with Ben Davies then heading the corner just over.

Villa then went close twice in quick succession, Vicario pushing Digne’s curling free-kick just wide and Watkins glancing a header just off target from the resulting corner.

Into the final 20 minutes, Martinez twice kept the hosts at bay in quick succession. First he showed great reactions to deny Johnson at close range, before tipping Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s curler wide at full stretch.

You sensed Villa needed a third. Kamara drew a save from Vicario and when Digne returned the ball back into the danger zone, Watkins’ header hit Davies and flew wide the goal gaping. In the end it mattered not as Emery’s men held on for a huge win.

Key Moments

22 GOAL Tottenham take the lead. Giovani Lo Celso’s drive takes a nick off Diego Carlos, giving Emi Martinez no chance.

45+7 GOAL Pau Torres heads Villa level from Douglas Luiz’s free-kick.

61 GOAL Villa lead thanks to a lovely goal. Ollie Watkins exchanges passes with Youri Tielemans and fires into the bottom corner.

Teams

Tottenham (4-3-3): Vicario, Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie, Lo Celso (Veliz 86), Bentancur (Hojbjerg 31), Gil (Skipp 71), Kulusevski, Son, Johnson Subs not used: Dier, Donley, Dorrington, Austin (gk), Forster (gk).

Villa (3-5-2): Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Cash (Bailey HT), McGinn, Luiz, Kamara, Digne, Diaby (Tielemans HT), Watkins Subs not used: Moreno, Lenglet, Duran, Dendoncker, Ramsey, Iroegbunam, Olsen (gk).