For Tottenham, victory could not have been more rewarding. Tottenham are now a force in the top four, with fans heckling Matty Cash from first to last whistle while the dirtiest of Villa's side was red hot.
Putting aside the battle for the top four, it was an interesting game, with the two lines comically high and the extremely fast forward promising a calm dash to the back in tight spaces from a group of older players gathered at the back of the center circle. It was set to be. James Maddison and John McGinn are undoubtedly key to freeing up runners, and midfield attackers are just as important in stopping them. Villa (129) and Spurs (88) have caught opponents offside more times than any other team in the Premier League this season. Both passes and runs need to be timed well.
There was also the possibility that someone with a sadistic appetite could whet the sadistic appetite that, if approached, Christian Romero would almost certainly leave something for Matty Cash. Perhaps the Spurs players were just as enthusiastic as the fans – they jeered the right-back throughout – and were keen to get their backs back. After a nasty challenge to Rodrigo Bentancur in his return match. turned the game upside down. Justice eventually came through another source, perhaps even kinder.
Sure, there was some aim and there was plenty of desire to beat the offside trap, but in the first half the passes were either slightly over-hit or didn't come out at all, and the midfield was too congested. The pressure when holding the ball outweighed the stability of the ball. The match was absorbing while we managed to suppress our desire for action. We were still waiting for our first shot at that point, grateful to the coaches for the way they transformed what had been a depleted side by half-time. From a set-piece, Luca Digne approached goal with his shoulders wide.
It wasn't much to ask for instant quality, but when it arrived just after the break, I was surprised by both its sauce and the level of quality. Villa made a bit of a mistake with the offside trap, but if he were to choose a player to be free on the right he would likely choose Pape Matar Sarr, and if he were to choose when to cross he would probably choose that. . when his body lost his balance and almost headed for the corner flag.
If Sarr hadn't kept Madison in the six-yard box, if he hadn't released the ball, if he hadn't been able to get on the ball with his incredible speed and whip, Sarr would have put Madison inside the six-yard box. I wouldn't have been able to find it. It was a sublime cross that Trent Alexander-Arnold would have drooled over. What's more, he was a player who was only considered a key player in the midfield due to his wide-ranging running style and tendency to battle in the midfield.
James Maddison scores Spurs' first goal at Villa Park
Sarr was substituted in the 70th minute as manager Postecoglou inflicted schadenfreude on Spurs fans following John McGinn's red card, allowing the beleaguered Bentancur to be brought in to watch the match.
McGinn looked stunned (or maybe just a little stunned) when he received his marching orders for the tackle, which he does at least a couple of times a game, but usually doesn't attract much attention. I didn't have the energy I needed to. He basically kicked Destiny Udogi off his feet without even trying to play the ball.
Brennan Johnson had already put Spurs two points up by then, and with Villa watching their feet, Son Heung-min and Timo Werner scored in the second half to see them down to 10 men and suffer at the hands of the team. Became. Expand the range of attacks with some style In the second half, they will face their nearest rivals in the Premier League.
All things considered, this might be Tottenham's most satisfying win of the season. Not only did they defeat the team above them, they depleted Villa's energy reserves and confidence by the way they beat them, and equally satisfyingly, they won some sweet, sweet justice for nothing. This put me in the driver's seat of the top four. When the two teams met at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November, they quite reasonably thought it was a total miscarriage.
