Tottenham fought back from a goal down at halftime to put Aston Villa to the sword on Sunday afternoon and earn a battling 4-1 win. Morgan Rogers had given the visitors the lead, but Ange Postecoglou’s side, fresh off the back of a midweek victory against Manchester City, tore up the rulebook, as Brennan Johnson’s goal was followed by a quickfire brace by Dominic Solanke and a wonderful free-kick from James Maddison in the second-half to crown a perfect week.
Both sides were looking to boost their hopes of Champions League qualification with a victory over a chasing rival, but both teams struggled to break the deadlock. It took half an hour for the first shot on target to come about, which turned out to be the first goal, as Rogers capitalised on some sloppy Spurs defending from a corner to steer the ball home.
It proved to be the only shot on target in the first-half as Unai Emery’s side grew into the game and took their lead into the break. It wouldn’t be long after the restart, though, that Tottenham would find a reply. Son Heung-min would deliver a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Brennan Johnson to notch his fourth Premier League goal of the season just five minutes into the second period. Dominic Solanke followed up with a second shot on target shortly after, to no avail.
The equaliser had instilled the obligatory hope among fans crammed into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that the game was set to come alive, but with Son coming off after just 55 minutes, the atmosphere appeared to deflate once more. Returning to the dull affair that kickstarted the afternoon, the tie needed a hero, and it was Solanke who came up trumps for the home side.
In the space of a few minutes before the clash entered its final 10 minutes, the former Bournemouth striker proved he was worth his transfer fee over the summer as he fired Tottenham to a 3-1 lead. The Englishman struggled to make much of an impact for much of the afternoon, but with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison finding him in the right place at the right time, he proved to have his shooting boots on when his teammates needed him most, taking the Lilywhites back within two points of the top four before Maddison’s free-kick capped off a perfect week with a beautiful free-kick in injury time.
Match Highlights
To follow…
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK – Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10
Can often be criticised for his penchant for coming off his line, but he did it effectively against Villa and caught a lot of deliveries into the box (except for the pivotal one!)
RB – Pedro Porro – 7/10
Was an attacking threat in the first half, as well as looking the most vocal when his defence was on the back foot. Did, however, pick up the first booking for a challenge on Watkins.
CB – Cristian Romero – 7/10
With Micky van de Ven injured, Romero proved himself as Tottenham’s best defender, as expected. Although, sometimes, he was tempted into unnecessary fouls, picking up a booking for his troubles before being subbed off after pgoing down injured.
CB – Radu Dragusin – 7/10
A steady performance from the Romanian international, one that will put Tottenham fans at ease after Micky van de Ven picked up an injury in midweek.
LB – Destiny Udogie – 6/10
Really good at bringing the ball forward, but there weren’t too many opportunities to make much of a difference.
CM – Dejan Kulusevski – 7.5/10
Industrious early in the game, consistently looking to cause problems. He was finally given his flowers when his pass found Solanke to take Tottenham into the lead for the first time.
CM – Rodrigo Bentancur – 7/10
Lashed an effort over the bar after some neat play from Spurs in the first half. Headed the ball at his own goalkeeper, leading to the opener against the run of play, but was decent besides that. Came off after 55 minutes.
CM – Pape Matar Sarr – 6.5/10
In a game of limited chances, Sarr tried to take it upon himself to find the back of the net from distance. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t follow up his goal against Man City in midweek.
RW – Brennan Johnson – 7/10
Scored the equaliser as his run was met with a tantalising ball by Son.
ST – Dominic Solanke – 8.5/10
Just nine touches in the first-half put his performance in a nutshell as the former Bournemouth talisman struggled to show his goalscoring prowess and make a difference. But boy did he come alive in the two opportunities he did get in the second-half as he deftly finished the comeback job before scoring another quickly after to grab himself a brace.
LW – Son Heung-min – 7/10
Guided an inch-perfect cross into Johnson to bring the sides level. He looked energetic after the break, but was surprised to be subbed off after 55 minutes.
Sub – Richarlison – 7/10
Having come on in place of Son, Postecoglou needed the Brazilian to produce. He assisted the third goal to wrap up the three points for his side, but his lack of match sharpness shone as he had to come off before the full-time whistle.
Sub – Yves Bissouma – 6/10
Decent, didn’t need to do much, but did a good job at keeping the midfield in Tottenham’s grasp.
Sub – Ben Davies – 6.5/10
Did well, but didn’t really need to do much from an impact perspective. Just a solid, easy cameo from the Welshman.
Sub – Archie Gray – 6/10
Decent shift from the youngster who got stuck in straight from the off.
Sub – James Maddison – 7/10
Scored a beautiful free-kick to put the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake.
Aston Villa Player Ratings
GK – Emiliano Martinez – 5.5/10
Made a decent save to prevent Solanke taking Tottenham into the lead. Cannot be faulted for Johnson’s goal, but did let in four in the end.
RB – Matty Cash – 6.5/10
Solid in defence in the first half during his first-half battle against Son, but lost his battle early into the second period. Hooked off just beyond the hour-mark.
CB – Ezri Konsa – 7/10
Won all his tackles, completed all but one of his passes, and notched himself an interception in the process as Konsa proved again that he’s Villa’s most reliable defender in the first-half. This effectiveness didn’t wane, as he became Tottenham’s biggest roadblock to a way back into the game before they let all hell break loose.
CB – Pau Torres – 6/10
Solid defensively and just as good at bringing the ball forward under pressure to allow the Villa defence to breathe, until he got too confident and gave the ball away to gift Solanke his second of the afternoon.
LB – Lucas Digne – 7/10
Took the corner that led to Rogers’ goal, but struggled to keep up with Johnson in the second-half from a defensive standpoint.
CM – Amadou Onana – 7/10
Hit the post with a decent header, unlucky not to score, as he did everything else nigh-on perfectly.
CM – Youri Tielemans – 6.5/10
Orchestrated much of Villa’s possession game, complementing Onana’s more defensive style, though his influence quickly diminished after the break.
RM – John McGinn – 6/10
Given all the time in the world to size up and thunder a ball narrowly wide, but was very quiet otherwise.
CAM – Morgan Rogers – 7/10
Capitalised on some dismal defending from a corner to score the opening goal. FPL managers love him, Villa fans love him, and it won’t be long before his international manager loves him, too, if he carries on the way he’s going. His injury may be a cause for concern ahead of a trip to Anfield next week, though.
LM – Jacob Ramsey – 7/10
Chased every ball and did the dirty work so that those around him could steal the limelight. Exactly what the doctor ordered, as the young Englishman helped Lucas Digne keep the in-form Brennan Johnson to scraps.
ST – Ollie Watkins – 5/10
Had a decent chance early in the game after an excellent cross, but couldn’t make contact. He was effective off the ball, but his wild shooting was very uncharacteristic of a striker currently considered among the best in the world. A very frustrating afternoon, as he went off after ghosting much of the 65 mintues he played.
Sub – Diego Carlos – 6/10
Decent defensively, but had to play witness to his teammates letting the Tottenham attackers slip through the net.
Sub – Jhon Duran – 5/10
A super sub who was devoid of his magic spark on Sunday. As Tottenham had all hands to the pumps, Duran was curiously quiet, despite being the hero on many an occasion like this one.
Sub – Boubacar Kamara – 6/10
Was perhaps Villa’s best substitution, but it was definitely more of a case of best of a bad bunch.
Sub – Leon bailey – 5.5/10
His pace brought something different to the fold, but he was ineffecitve when in possession.
Sub – Jaden Philogene – 5/10
Touched the ball four times after coming into the fray.
Man of the Match
Dominic Solanke
When given the chance, Dominic Solanke rarely disappoints. Though quiet for much of the afternoon, he stepped up when Tottenham needed him most, netting twice after the break to overturn the deficit and keep Postecoglou’s side within reach of Champions League qualification.
In the process, he doubled his Premier League tally for the season. Certainly, he still has a long way to go before rediscovering his Bournemouth form, but this afternoon was a very decent start.