Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance61,679.
Report and highlights as Aston Villa come from behind to beat Spurs 2-1 in north London; Giovani Lo Celso opened scoring as hosts dominated first half but Pau Torres headed equaliser against run of play; Ollie Watkins' second-half winner moves Villa above Spurs into fourth
Monday 27 November 2023 06:01, UK
Aston Villa came from behind in a pulsating encounter at Tottenham to claim a 2-1 win and hand Ange Postecoglou’s side their third successive defeat.
There were emotional scenes before kick-off as both sets of supporters paid tribute to former Spurs boss Terry Venables, whose death at the age of 80 was announced on Sunday.
Perhaps that roused the hosts, who started with a fiery intensity and should have scored two early goals through Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski.
Spurs eventually got the goal their play deserved when Giovani Lo Celso - starting his first Premier League game in more than two years - saw his powerful drive deflect off Diego Carlos and past the helpless Emiliano Martinez.
But errors started to creep into Spurs’ game, allowing Pau Torres to head in an equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Heung-Min Son saw a hat-trick of goals disallowed as Spurs' frustration built, before Ollie Watkins completed the turnaround to move Villa above Spurs and into fourth in the Premier League.
The positive approach espoused by both Postecoglou and Unai Emery pointed to an open and entertaining encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the first half exceeded even those expectations.
Despite a disappointing away record under Emery - they had won just two of their last 10 on the road - Villa persisted with their remarkably high defensive line, and were nearly punished just minutes into the game when Destiny Udogie fired over after running onto Rodrigo Bentancur’s pass.
Dejan Kulusevski then hit the post when it looked easier to score, before Torres nodded Villa’s first chance of the game wide during a frantic start to the game.
Spurs were relentless in their pursuit of the opener and it eventually came from an unlikely source, with Lo Celso’s effort from the edge of the box deceiving Martinez.
But Spurs were rocked by yet another injury when Rodrigo Bentancur - making his first start since ACL surgery - limped off after a nasty Matty Cash tackle, with Postecoglou revealing he suffered a blow to his ankle.
Pedro Porro and Bryan Gil then almost cost Spurs with weak back passes, before Torres delivered a sucker punch when he powered in Douglas Luiz’s inviting free-kick.
Guglielmo Vicario almost cost Spurs when he allowed Leon Bailey’s weak shot to squirm past him and onto the post, and the ‘keeper could do nothing to keep out Watkins’ sharp finish minutes later.
Spurs tried but failed to muster the intensity that marked their first-half display, while Son was persistently being denied by the offside flag.
Emiliano Martinez produced a fine double save from Brennan Johnson and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as Villa stood firm to add to the woes of Postecoglou’s injury-hit side.
Emery described his side's win as "amazing", telling Sky Sports: "Tough match. We knew we needed to be defensively strong. Amazing match, amazing result.
"We are excited about how we can improve and can get a good position in the table, and today winning here is another step.
"There's still a lot of matches to play and it's about being consistent in our way.
"We have to try to believe in this position [top four], to keep trying to be humble and be very demanding.
"If we are being consistent like we are, we can be there."
Sky Sports' Joe Shread at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
As hard as Emery is trying, it's impossible to see Villa as anything other than genuine Champions League contenders.
Fifth place in the Premier League may be enough to secure a place in the competition next season due to the changing format, but Villa are already up to fourth after leapfrogging Spurs.
It's the highest Villa have been in the top flight at this stage of a season for 14 years. You only have to look at their 13-game winning run at Villa Park to see they are the real deal.
Emery used his post-match press conference to list the seven teams he sees as having more realistic European ambitions than Villa - Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle.
But Villa have now beaten two of those sides away from home. They are 12 points clear of Chelsea and five above Newcastle. Emery may have to cross some of those sides off his list sooner rather than later.
Tottenham's expected goals total of 2.32 outshone Villa's 1.77, and Postecoglou took heart from his side's performance despite once again tasting defeat.
"Tough outcome but I couldn't be happier with the way the boys played. I'm really proud of them," he told Sky Sports.
"I thought we played some fantastic football and on another day we'd have probably won the game comfortably.
"I can't fault the effort, the intent and everything they put into the game.
"There's no frustration. We played well and as a manager that's all you can ask for.
"Sometimes the outcomes don't go the way you want but as a manager, you're looking for how the players are committed to what we're trying to do and they were totally committed to it today."
Sky Sports' Joe Shread at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
The 10-game unbeaten run that Spurs embarked on at the start of Postecoglou's reign feels a long time ago now.
Three successive defeats and a catalogue of injuries have seen the Premier League pacesetters drop out of the top four and set an unwanted record.
Spurs are now the first team in Premier League history to lose three successive games after starting a season with a 10-game unbeaten run. Talk about a shift in momentum.
Torres' header at the end of the first 45 minutes was also the fifth consecutive goal Spurs had conceded in stoppage time at the end of a half.
The way in which Villa wrestled control of the game away from the hosts in the second half adds to questions over whether Postecoglou's injury-riddled squad are running out of steam in games.
Unfortunately for Spurs, the fixture list provides no let-up, with Manchester City, West Ham and Newcastle next up. Those games will be crucial in determining how realistic their European hopes are this season.
Tottenham travel to Manchester City on Sunday December 3, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 4.30pm.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are in Europa Conference League action on Thursday when they host Legia Warsaw; kick-off 8pm.
Their next Premier League clash is at Bournemouth on Sunday December 3; kick-off 2pm.
