Aston Villa gave their Champions League ambitions a massive boost after they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Friday evening.
Spurs had one eye on the Europa League final next week, but Unai Emery’s side delivered a confident performance.
The game was even balanced before Villa opened the scoring courtesy of Ezri Konsa, who netted from six yards out following a flick-on from Ollie Watkins.
Boubacar Kamara doubled the lead 15 minutes later with a shot from the edge of the box that all but sealed the victory.
In the end, the three points were well deserved, and the starting XI was excellent. Konsa must receive extra praise, not just for his goal but also for how imperious he was at the heart of the defence.
Ezri Konsa’s game in numbers vs Spurs
The Englishman has missed just four Premier League games for Villa this season, becoming one of Emery’s key players as they seek to make the Champions League group stages yet again.
Although used on the right side of defence at times this season, Konsa is at his best in the middle, using his incredible physical strength to win duels.
Against Spurs, he made three clearances and two tackles and won four of his six ground duels throughout the match.
Furthermore, he only lost possession twice and committed two fouls, but he was in total control against the North Londoners.
He will be integral to Villa should they finish in the top five and secure a spot in the promised land next term, that’s for sure, due to his fantastic defensive work.
Someone else who could also prove influential is Amadou Onana, who made just his fifth league start since the beginning of February on Friday evening.
Amadou Onana is now undroppable for Aston Villa
While plaudits have gone to Youri Tielemans for the superb job he has done in the Villa midfield this term, Onana may give Emery plenty to think about due to his display against Spurs.
The Belgian not only completed 91% of his passes, but he also succeeded with 100% of his dribbles, made a single key pass, and lost the ball only four times when he was on the pitch, which shows how reliable he was with the ball at his feet.
Four tackles and winning six of his seven ground duels proved his tenacious nature was on show for all to see, and it certainly gave the likes of Morgan Rogers and Marco Asensio more freedom to express themselves in the final third, as he constantly broke up Spurs attacks to regain possession for his side.
Journalist John Townley gave the former Everton man a rating of 8/10, saying that ‘Onana covered ground effortlessly and showed his range in possession, playing accurate balls out wide and combining well in tight areas. A strong all-round showing', which shows that he was as good and as effective as Konsa.
Villa need to win their final game against Manchester United, who will either be on a high or despondent after the Europa League final in midweek, to secure a top-five finish in the top flight, and Onana's performance against Spurs shows that he should be undroppable heading into that match.
If they perform like they did against Spurs, United will stand no chance.