Spurs secure victory over Villa
Written By: Robert Halter
Newly promoted Aston Villa made their return to top flight football at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, early August but had only beaten Spurs once in their last fifteen Premier League meetings. In the opening exchanges, Ahmed Elmohamady was dispossessed by Lucas Moura, who blazed a fierce strike over the crossbar. During the third minute, from a long ball forward by Toby Alderweireld, a lofted strike from Danny Rose, was parried safely by the Villans new shot stopper, Tom Heaton. In the fifth minute, Moussa Sissoko’s pull back to Rose, followed with an incisive cross by the Spurs left back and a well timed header from Moura, which was held onto with a comfortable save by Heaton. Two minutes later, following Neil Taylor’s infringement on Kyle Walker-Peters, a free kick by Erik Lamela, flew over the upright. But against the run of play, Villa went ahead in the ninth minute, when from inside his own half, Tyrone Mings sent over a lopping ball which was latched upon by John McGinn, who steered clear of Davinson Sanchez, before turning past Rose in the area, and then striking a low drive into the bottom right corner. A heavy challenge by Harry Winks, left the Villa goal scorer requiring temporary treatment, in the sixteenth minute. Five minutes later, from McGinn’s incisive pass to Trezeguet, he was kept out by an important block by Sanchez with Alderweireld, in preventing a goal scoring opportunity. In the thirty second minute, after Lamela was charged down by Jack Grealish, in turn the Villa captain set up Trezeguet, whose powder puff effort was easily stopped by Hugo Lloris. In the proceeding two minutes, Rose’s strong challenge on Wesley, left him on the floor, and Sissoko’s ball forward was blasted over the crossbar from Harry Kane. Just before the break, Walker-Peters brought the ball back to Tanguy Ndombele, whose chip into the area was headed over by Kane. In first half stoppage time, Lamela’s through ball was dragged wide of the right post by Kane, who was in an offside position. Five minutes into the second half, from Lamela’s cross and header on by Moura, with the goal gapping, Sissoko miss directed his strike wide of the far left post. In the fifty second minute, the first VAR decision ruled out a penalty for Sanchez’s challenge on McGinn in the box. Villa soon made their first change as Jota replaced Trezeguet. Another VAR check was made for a red card decision which was not given, for McGinn’s kick into Walker-Peters. Spurs shortly took off Winks for Christian Eriksen. On sixty seven minutes, Eriksen’s ball in was headed out by Heaton and Lamela’s low drive, was turned away from an empty net by Mings. But Spurs got back on level terms in the seventy third minute, when from Eriksen’s cross, a brave stop was made by Heaton to keep out Sanchez, but Kane won the ball back to Moura, whose ball went out to Ndombele, who from twenty five yards, struck a curling shot into the bottom right corner. Villa then replaced Wesley with Jonathan Kodjia. Following Jota’s reckless challenge on Rose, outside the edge of the d, from the free kick, the ball was struck with force by Eriksen, and a sprawling save was made by Heaton, towards the bottom left corner in the seventy eighth minute. In the next two minutes, after Alderweireld’s strike hit the arms of Kodjia in the area, a VAR decision ruled out a penalty. Villa’s next change was Douglas Luiz for Conor Hourihane. But on eighty six minutes, Spurs turned the game around from Moura’s cross, as Grealish was caught out by Lamela, whose ball into the box bobbled off Mings and Bjorn Engels, as Kane punished Villa by blasting the ball into the left side of the net. Lamela then made way for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou. In the ninetieth minute, after Sissoko burst forward, he slid a pass to Kane, who drilled the ball into the bottom right corner. In stoppage time, Ndombele went off for Oliver Skipp, as Spurs completed a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.