Tottenham Hotspur suffered their 21st defeat of the Premier League season after losing 2-0 to Aston Villa on Friday night.
Having one eye on the Europa League final on Wednesday, this match was more a dress rehearsal, and Spurs have simply gone through the motions. Not many fans will mind this result, or even how this domestic season has unravelled – if all is redeemed in Bilbao next week.
The first half earned rare praise for Spurs, especially after last week’s poor showing against Crystal Palace. It was a stark contrast, but only for 45 minutes. Second-half strikes from Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara were enough to seal a vital win for Villa, who remain in the Champions League hunt.
Ange Postecoglou rotated wherever he could, handing out minutes to four players under 21 and giving Sergio Reguilon his first Premier League start since lining up for Brentford back in 2022. Here’s how the match played out.
First half: Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
It was clear Spurs didn’t want to over-exert – physically or mentally. The instructions were cautious. In contrast, Villa were at full tilt, knowing a Champions League place is on the line. So much so that, for most of the game, 21 of the 22 players were camped in the Spurs half.
Despite that, the first real opening fell to Tottenham. Ben Davies released Heung-min Son down the left, who found himself one-on-one with Emi Martinez. However, Son hesitated between shooting and squaring. In the end, the South Korean did neither and handed Martinez a tame pass.
Villa responded with Ollie Watkins playing a slick one-two inside the box before shooting straight into Antonin Kinsky’s gloves.
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Son came close again 10 minutes later with a trademark curler that landed just over. A minute after that, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert showed their French chemistry. Tel’s low cross found Odobert, who flicked it towards goal, only to be denied by Martinez’s reflex save.
Down the other end, Kinsky made a flying fingertip stop to deny Morgan Rogers for what looked like a certain opener.
Marco Asensio was a constant pain for the Spurs backline and much of Villa’s chances came through him. For Tottenham, Son was undoubtedly the brightest spark going forward, hungry to earn his place in the Europa League final XI.
Villa nearly found the opener before the break, with both Asensio and Konsa going close. But Kinsky and the defence held firm.
Villa entered the break having had 72% of possession and an xG of 0.81 compared to Spurs’ 0.28.
Second half: Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs saw a bit more of the ball after the break. Kinsky, again solid, launched a pinpoint throw to Odobert, who had the entire pitch to run at. But the Frenchman’s heavy touch wasted the opportunity.
Concern followed soon after as Pape Matar Sarr was subbed off just five minutes into the half. Although it seemed precautionary at first, he went straight down the tunnel with a member of the medical team. Postecoglou later admitted he had yet to speak to Sarr and isn’t aware of the situation.
Kevin Danso then threw himself into an excellent block to deny Ian Maatsen’s 20-yard effort. From the resulting corner, Tottenham switched off and paid the price
McGinn’s corner was nodded down by Watkins and Ezri Konsa dragged it through Bissouma’s legs into the bottom corner. 1-0 to Villa
Hardly a minute later, Villa almost doubled their advantage as Watkins was clean through. But Davies got a toe on the shot and Kinsky scrambled across to deny him brilliantly.
Villa weren’t done, though. McGinn tried his luck from distance a couple of times, but it was Boubacar Kamara who eventually found the net.
Morgan Rogers fed Kamara just outside the box. The midfielder, rarely seen this high up, dribbled past some weak Spurs defending and slotted into the bottom corner for his first-ever Premier League goal.
From that point on, there was no resposne from Tottenham. Although they introduced a few of their starters for Wednesday. Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, and Rodrigo Bentancur came on for some pre-final minutes.
There was little else to report. Villa looked sharper, hungrier, and had more on the line. Just like that, the final whistle confirmed another defeat for Spurs.
Spurs Web man of the match: Heung Min Son
What’s next for Spurs?
A dismal domestic campaign now sees Tottenham with 21 Premier League defeats. The last time that happened, they were relegated – and that was in a 42-game season. An even shambolic bottom three spares us a very different conversation.
Still, there were both positives and concerns. Son rolled back the years, outpacing past the Villa defence at will. That only adds to Ange’s selection headache for the final. His forward options are overflowing, yet his midfield might be completely barren if Sarr doesn’t recover in time.
It might not even be a case of “pick whoever’s left” – there is no one left. Ange could be forced to change formation or push one of his forwards into the No.10 role. It’s far from ideal, but Spurs fans won’t care, so long as the next time they play, it ends with silverware.
It all comes down to Bilbao. Wednesday night. The UEFA Europa League final. The chance to turn a catastrophic season into a historic one.