FA Cup third round result, player ratings and report after Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa.
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Aston Villa earned a spot in the FA Cup fourth round with a narrow 2-1 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur, surviving a second-half fightback to mount the pressure on Spurs boss Thomas Frank.
Emiliano Buendia thumped Villa ahead on 22 minutes and turned provider just before half time to tee up Morgan Rogers, who netted his eighth goal of the season to make it 2-0. Spurs responded well after the break as Wilson Odobert halved the deficit with a powerful driven effort, but Xavi Simons was denied a late equaliser by the linesman’s flag.
All hell broke loose after the full-time whistle in a huge melee involving both sets of players. Joao Palhinha appeared to start on Rogers and Lamare Bogarde before teammates sprinted over to join in. That scrap rather summed up a chaotic second half, but Villa were able to dig in to get their name in the hat.
Buendia, the star of the show, scored a great goal to break the deadlock as he blasted home into the roof of the net to beat Guglielmo Vicario at his near post. It was a great reverse pass from Donyell Malen to set up the chance, too, as Villa were able to cut through Spurs like butter in the space of four fizzed passes.
Randal Kolo Muani thought he’d equalised for Spurs approaching the interval, however the Paris Saint-Germain loanee was denied by the linesman’s flag. Xavi did brilliantly to skip away from several Villa challenges and play Kolo Muani through, but the striker timed his run poorly.
Rogers doubled Villa’s lead on the stroke of half time, directing the ball into the bottom left corner to round off another brilliant team goal. Buendia turned provider as he played an effective one-two with Donyell Malen and backheeled cheekily to Rogers, who in his form was never going to miss.
Spurs responded well after the break and quickly halved the deficit through Odobert. Lamare Bogarde was dispossessed too easily by Kolo Muani, who teed up Odobert on the right side of the box. Spurs’ goalscorer then drilled the ball into the far bottom corner.
Xavi was then denied a dramatic equaliser in the 79th minute as he rounded Bizot. Spurs celebrated wildly, but the joy lasted merely a few moments as the linesman flagged for offside. Villa had a good chance to make it 3-1 on the counter-attack late on but Bogarde’s pass to Rogers was a weak one.
Villa, albeit concerned by an injury early on for key midfielder Boubacar Kamara, head back to Birmingham content with the victory – and a spot in the next round.
Goalkeeper and defence ratings
Marco Bizot: Made a host of important saves in the absence of Emiliano Martinez. Bizot denied Odobert and Xavi twice each. That said, he was spared his blushes by the offside flag when he was rounded by Xavi for a disallowed goal. He also punched the ball out a few times when he should have just caught it. 7
Matty Cash (off 78’): Kept Tel relatively quiet and made a host of important tackles to stop Spurs from continuing their comeback in the second half. Looked decent going forward, too, and stung Vicario’s gloves from 25 yards. 7
Ezri Konsa: Saved the day with a few important interceptions and looked comfortable whenever passing out from the back. 7
Pau Torres: Came back into the XI and did well in the first half to help restrict Spurs to hardly any chances. Looked a little lost at the start of the second period as Spurs fought back but made an important block from a stinging Palhinha shot. 7
Ian Maatsen (off 78’): Had a comfortable evening against Odobert, keeping the Spurs winger at bay. Maatsen was alert to make a host of interventions to stop Spurs counters. 7
Midfield and attack ratings
Boubacar Kamara (off 7’): Didn’t have enough time to make an impact as he was taken off early. Kamara painfully clashed knees with Palhinha when skipping past the midfielder and wasn’t able to continue. 6
Lamare Bogarde: Normally does a decent job when rotating into the midfield double pivot but had a difficult evening. Bogarde gave the ball away cheaply ahead of Odobert’s goal and was often fazed by Spurs’ improved energy in the second 45. 5
Emiliano Buendia: Returned to form with a goal and assist in a man-of-the-match display. Buendia fired Villa ahead with an emphatic finish and then assisted Rogers’ strike with a delightful backheel pass. It would have been a 9/10 for Buendia had he not missed a great chance in the second half to make it 3-1. He was also booked for tugging back Archie Gray. 8.5*
Morgan Rogers: Netted Villa’s second goal with a composed finish and zipped a brilliant low delivery across the six-yard box in the first half. Rogers had to do better ahead of Odobert’s goal, however, as dilly-dallied on the edge of his own area. 8
John McGinn (off 65’): Involved in Buendia’s goal as he fed Malen with a zipped forward pass. Used his low centre of gravity to beat Palhinha three or four times with his customary half-turn, rather humiliating the Spurs man. Had a decent shot saved before half time. 7
Donyell Malen (off 65’): Assisted Buendia’s opener with a perfectly weighted pass, reversing beyond the backtracking Spurs defenders. Malen looked a threat early on as he skipped away from a challenge and unleashed a dipping effort from afar. 7
Substitutes ratings
Youri Tielemans (on 9’): Would have appreciated a rest but was called into action when Kamara was injured. Tielemans dictated the tempo for much of the first half and showed off an impressive passing range. He had to do more of the dirty work in the second 45, though, and he ended up picking up a booking for a trip on Xavi. He also got away with one when he went to headbutt Palhinha. 7
Ollie Watkins (on 65’): Held up the ball well when called upon but should have got more power on his shot that was saved by Vicario in stoppage time. 6
Jadon Sancho (on 65’): Was talked up by Emery in his pre-match press conference but flattered to deceive.
Lucas Digne and Andres Garcia (on 79’): Helped see out the win with determined defending. Garcia was booked. 6