Tottenham handed Aston Villa only their second Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou’s side coming from behind to thump Unai Emery’s side 4-1.
The first half was a slow-burner but it was the visitors who crafted the clear cut chances (three of them in fact) and the only goal — Morgan Rogers poking home a close-range, high-xG chance from a corner.
Television stations dream of broadcasting half-time team talks because sometimes that 15 minute discussion really can make a difference. And so it proved in this game, with a revitalised Spurs equalising just four minutes into the second half via a trademark back-post Brennan Johnson finish. And things only got better from there, Dominic Solanke scoring a four-minute brace and James Maddison adding a fourth from an injury time direct free-kick to take Spurs up to seventh, just two points behind both Villa and Arsenal.
Jay Harris and Mark Carey analyse the game.
Dominic Solanke’s decisive impact
Dominic Solanke had not registered a shot on target in his previous three league games for Tottenham before they faced Aston Villa on Sunday. He works incredibly hard off the ball and likes to drop deep to set up his team-mates but Ange Postecoglou was asked on Friday if he was concerned about Solanke’s lack of goals.
“I am delighted with him, mate, I couldn’t be happier with the way he is leading that front line,” Postecoglou said.
And everything came together for Solanke in the second-half against Aston Villa. He is an intelligent and selfless runner who will often open up gaps for other Spurs players to exploit. He was the biggest beneficiary of his own hard work in the 75th minute when he made a brilliant curved run behind Villa’s defence. Nobody followed him and the England international delicately chipped the ball over Emiliano Martinez. It was a tense and fractious contest but Solanke remained composed to provide the match-turning moment.
When Pape Matar Sarr intercepted Pau Torres’ pass to initiate a counter, Solanke burst into the box again to score from Richarlison’s cross. It was the forward’s fourth goal in the top-flight since joining Spurs in August from Bournemouth for a club-record fee of £65million.
Solanke scored the third goal in September’s victory over Manchester United but this was the first time he had acted decisively to win his new side the game. His tackle on Pau Torres in the 93rd minute just underlined how hard he works for this team, and he even managed to win the free-kick from which James Maddison made it 4-1. It was a fine day’s work.
Jay Harris
That Tottenham back-post threat
Tottenham came flying out of the blocks in the second half after an opening 45 minutes that failed to meet expectations. Brennan Johnson’s back-post finish bagged the equaliser on 49 minutes, and it was a goal that will be familiar to Spurs fans.
Back-post goals have has been a theme of Ange Postecoglou’s methods long before he joined Spurs. With the focus on his striker occupying central areas between the width of the goalposts, it is the job of his wingers to ensure they are occupying the opposite side when a team-mate is crossing. They are the sort of positions that can get you double figures in your goal tally by making such runs consistently.
Johnson has developed a knack for popping up in those areas well under Postecoglou, and it was another well-timed run that saw him finish first time from Son Heung-min’s teasing cross from the left flank — much in the same way that he arrived in the perfect place to finish against Manchester United this season.
A right-footed right-sided winger can look jarring at times, given that the player is unlikely to drive inside onto his weaker foot.
There were long periods where Johnson was barely involved in Spurs’ attack, but his consistent off-ball runs to the back post are a key reason why he is in the team.
Mark Carey
More defensive injury concerns
Cristian Romero wiped out Morgan Rogers in the 60th minute with a heavy challenge as Aston Villa tried to counter. Rogers picked himself up seconds later but Romero stayed down on the floor. He eventually limped off the pitch and threw his right boot into the floor as he walked down the tunnel. It was a nightmare moment for Tottenham who were already without Micky van de Ven until after the international break due to a hamstring injury.
It places a lot of pressure on Radu Dragusin who started a Premier League game for the first time since September’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United. It was a big test for the Romania international coming up against Ollie Watkins and there was an early warning sign in the sixth minute. John McGinn whipping a cross into the box which Dragusin let go past him only to see Watkins miss it.
Dragusin won plenty of aerial duels but there is room for improvement in possession. The 22-year-old took a free-kick deep in Spurs’ half, received the ball back from Destiny Udogie and was then pressured into running the ball out of play. Romero and van de Ven are far more composed on the ball and if Tottenham are without them both for an extended period of time, Dragusin needs to get better quickly.
Ben Davies partnered Dragusin for the final half an hour and there is a strong chance they will start together against Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday. They did well to cope with the dual threat of Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran in the closing stages.
Jay Harris
What did Ange Postecoglou say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Tottenham?
Thursday, November 7: Galatasaray (A), Europa League, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET
Recommended reading
- Spurs must keep embracing big cup nights – a top-four place should not be their everything
- Tottenham can’t afford to write Timo Werner off just yet – he could still have a part to play
- Why the Premier League table after 10 games is a reliable guide to how the season will end
(Header photo: Getty Images)
