This Sunday, November 3, saw Unai Emery’s Aston Villa come up against a Spurs side that managed to bounce back after a difficult start to the game.
A Tight First Half
Despite the presence of many high-quality players on both sides, clear-cut chances were scarce in the first half. Rodrigo Bentancur sent two off-target shots (21st and 43rd minutes) that briefly stirred the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but failed to trouble Emiliano Martínez.
At the other end, Villa also struggled to create opportunities until the half-hour mark. On a superb cross from Lucas Digne, Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana met the ball with a powerful header, only to see his effort crash against the post. Spurs’ goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario reacted quickly to push the dangerous rebound out for a corner.
It was from that very corner that the only goal of the first half came. Once again, Lucas Digne delivered an excellent ball into the six-yard box. Vicario was unable to clear, and after a scramble, Morgan Rogers bundled the ball over the line, giving the Villans the lead at halftime.
A More Attacking Spurs Side After the Break
Right from the start of the second half, Spurs showed much more attacking intent, and their efforts quickly paid off. Just three minutes after the restart, South Korean star Heung-Min Son burst down the left flank and brilliantly set up Brennan Johnson, who slotted home to bring the teams level.
Two minutes later, another burst of pace saw Dominic Solanke force a strong save from Emiliano Martínez.
Spurs fans had to wait until the 75th minute for the breakthrough. A high recovery from Ben Davies led to a quick transition involving Pape Sarr. A clever combination between Johnson and Kulusevski then played in Solanke, who coolly finished with a delicate chip over Martínez.
Less than five minutes later, Sarr won the ball high up the pitch again and played it to Richarlison on the left. The Brazilian smartly cut it back for Solanke, who calmly slotted home his second of the game his first brace for his new club.
The entertainment didn’t stop there. Around ten minutes after coming on, James Maddison sealed the win with a stunning free-kick into Martínez’s top-left corner, leaving the Argentine rooted to the spot.
With this victory, Ange Postecoglou’s side climbs to seventh place, just two points behind Villa, in an incredibly tight top half of the table—only four points separate third-placed Nottingham Forest from tenth-placed Newcastle.
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