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1 hour ago
6
Key events
88 min: Jackson is off. What a game he had. Not just the goal, but he was full of running, led the line, really top work. On comes Abraham. Buendia, meanwhile, wins a freekick inside Spur’s patch after some nifty footwork and relentless running. My player of the match.
Was it an own goal? It counts all the same. Good work from Kudus down the right as he burst into the box and found the byline before cutting the ball back in. Gallagher got there and hacked it towards goal. Was that strike on target before it took a deflection off Cash? Not sure. Either way, the ball settled in at the back post and Spurs’ long wait for a league goal is over.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-3 Aston Villa (Gallagher, 86)
The duck is broken! It won’t matter much in the context of this game, but at least Spurs have scored.
85 min: Emery is still barking orders on the touchline. He wants this clean sheet. De Zerbi, meanwhile, looks like a man drifting on a lifeboat alone in the middle of the Atlantic.
84 min: A double switch for Villa. Barkley and Mbaye on for McGinn and Kamara.
Bentancur and Tonalie are off for Spurs, replaced by Bergvall and Gallagher.
Even more fans are leaving now.
83 min: A reminder that Spurs could have been 3-0 up in the first half, and would have been were it not for the brilliance of Suzuki. But Villa have held firm and shown quality that looks beyond this Spurs side.
Now the visitors are in complete control, knocking the ball around as if on the training pitch. Oles ring out from the away stand.
Justin Kavanagh points out:
If they don’t score today, Spurs will have gone over 8 hours without doing a goal. That’s long enough to read a lengthy novel. If I was a Spurs fan walking out early today, I’d head for Waterstones and spend the next few weeks perusing something more convincing than this fiction that Spurs are still a functioning football club.
Oh my word, the second viewing is even better!
Just an incredible strike. Joao Gomes ran from midfield and fed Hemmings on the right. The pass came back infield to Buendia who puts his foot through it and rifled it into the top corner.
That has sparked a small exodus from some Spurs fans.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-3 Aston Villa (Buendia, 80)
STUNNER! He did it in the Europa League final and this one might be even better! Smashed into the top corner and that is that!
78 min: Maddison runs back to dispossess Hemmings around halfway with a sliding tackle. But there’s a real lack of quality on the ball. Credit to Villa. They’ve been well organised and look totally comfortable.
76 min: Gray draws a foul out in the right channel. Spurs will get a chance to whip a cross in.
Did anyone catch Jackson’s celebration? Got to say I missed it.
Michael Cosgrove didn’t: “Whatever else, I thought Jackson’s post second goal ‘celebratory’ throat slitting gesture was way beyond the pale.”
The cross from the free-kick comes to nothing. Spurs seem to have lost their oomph (if they had any to start with).
76 min: The crowd is really on top of Spurs now. They win the ball in midfield but don’t move it fast enough to take advantage. Marmoush has it on the edge of the area and shoots, but he’s well smothered by Lindeloff as the ball bounces away for a corner. Suzuki punches it away to Kudus who can’t direct his shot towards goal with any menace.
74 min: Savio has been the driving force this half. He charges into the centre and feeds Kudus on the right. The cross is whipped in but Suzuki makes another claim.
Manzambi is off for Hemmings.
72 min: Good work from Cash – who has been neat since he came on – who heads clear at the back post from a chipped cross. But Spurs come back at them and how on earth did Robertson miss from there!
He’s well off-side so wouldn’t have counted as he got himself free down the left inside the Villa box, but he scuffed it with his left foot, skewing it across the face of goal as if he was squaring the ball.
71 min: Tonali unfurls a wonder strike! It’s about 30 yards away as he whips his foot around and it almost finds the top corner. That wasn’t far off. Spurs need a spark of brilliance from someone.
70 min: There are no midfielders on the park. it’s really like a basketball game at present with both teams throwing attacks against each the other. Savio is doing some running, Jackson gets a chance to run himself. It all ends with Ruggeri skewing a clearance kick out for a corner.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-2 Aston Villa (Jackson, 67)
Brilliant from Jackson and Spurs are sinking! Wonderful feet from the striker. He plays a quick one-two with Manzambi off a long kick, then flicks it over van Hecke before keeping the ball low to the corner with a (not) volley strike. It’s saved, but only half as it trickles in off the far post.
66 min: Savio wins a corner which he takes himself on the right. It’s a little floaty and Solanke can’t steer it back towards the danger area from the far post.
That’ll be Solanke’s last act as he’s replaced by Maddison. That’ll push Marmoush further forward.
64 min: In the end it was pretty tame. It was indeed a Robertson dinked cross, but Suzuki seemed to be the only player paying attention as he came off his line to grab it.
63 min: Marmoush wins a free-kick having cut inside just beyond the Villa box. It’s certainly within range. Angle might be a touch tight, but could be a shot. My money is on a Robertson cross to the far post. Let’s see…
62 min: How unlucky. But Spurs can’t let that get them down. They need to keep going. Villa are dropping deeper while maintaining a well held high line. So there’ll be chances. Of course, Villa also pose a threat on the counter.
Maddison warming up for Spurs on the side.
NO GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Aston Villa
The drought continues! Robertson was half a yard off-side as he had the beating of McGinn down the left. The cross was half blocked before it was swept in by Kudus from close range, but there’s no doubt the left back was off-side.
Oh no! Was Robertson off-side? I think he is. Hang tight….
GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa (Kudus, 60)
They’ve done it! The duck is broken!
57 min: Savio does well on the right of Villa’s box. He feints to go down the byline before shifting back onto his left foot. He dinks a cross to the back post but Suzuki gets on his bike (sorry) and claims it.
Up the other end, Jackson’s shot is blocked.
End to end now.
56 min: Ruggeri flattens Savio in a 50/50 challenge. That sparks a counter that ends with Jackson firing a shot after cutting infield onto his right boot. Spurs are bossing the ball but every time Villa break they’re creating something.
54 min: This will be the pattern for the rest of the game: Villa defending deep and looking to counter with Spurs trying to work the space against a low block.
Was Savio blocked earlier when he tried to run onto a Tonali cross? I’m not so sure.
52 min: Kinsky makes a big save! Jackson exploded away from his marker and was first to the ball from Manzxambi from the left back towards goal. Jackson hit it first time rather than try and take it round the onrushing Kinsky. Still, the shot was on target and needed saving. Sharp but not quite clinical from Jacskon.
52 min: The crowd is growing restless. They’re not happy that another Spurs move fizzles to nothing, but they do keep the ball and send it right then left. Villa are defending very deep. Solanke gathers a Tonali ball but he’s repelled. Still, they keep the ball. Tonali seeing a lot of it in the second half.
50 min: Spurs win a free kick that van hecke takes quickly. Oh brilliant from Manzambi after Villa win it back, the new signing spins out of a tackle. He’s back on the ball inside Spurs’ box. Then he’s bundled over on the edge but he was looking for it. Play on.
49 min: Van de Ven is sporting a huge shiner on his face.
Anders Vad Bruun has written a strongly worded email questioning my claim that the cenbtre-back’s absence was the reason for the goal.
He makes a point that perhaps Robertson’s decision to keep the ball in play and not concede a corner had to do with a lack of the centre-back. But then he’d have been allowed to come back on?
In the words of Kanye, I guess we’ll never know.
48 min: Tonali runs from deep. Defintiely an extra yard in his step. But the move comes to nothing. More direct. More accurate. Just more from Spurs is what’s needed.
Second half
Changes for both teams.
Wan-Bisakka is off for Cash at right back.
Kudus slots into Spurs’ midfield – at the 10? – in place of Fernandes.
I’ve said that Spurs probably deserve a lead but not according to xG.
Spurs’ xG is 0.59 despite four excellent Suzuki saves. Meanwhile, Villa’s is 0.83. Probably because the goal was pretty much a gimme right in front.
Spurs haven’t made a single successful cross.
Should note that Villa’s goal came with van de Ven off the pitch.
Not saying that was the reason, but it’s worth noting.
Half-time: Tottenham 0-1 Aston Villa
Boos, half hearted at best, ring around the stadium.
Spurs bossed it but still don’t have a goal in the league this season and are staring at another defeat.
45+7 min: Shaky for Spurs at the back as Buendia is given too much time on the ball on the edge of the area. Manzambi tries to shoot but its deflected and Jackosn scuffs wide.
45+5 min: Van Hecke clatters Jackson on halfway and gets a yellow card. But was there a shove in the back moments earlier on Fernandes just as the Spurs player was about to shoot inside Villa’s box? I think so. It definitely put him off balanced. Oh, it was just outside the box but Gomes definitely put his hands on Fernandes.
Good work from Villa there. McGinn benefited on the byline after Robertson’s lapse. Then he played in Kamara who slipped it on for Manzambi right in front of the goal.
So credit to the visitors. But that was almost an own goal from Robertson who was trying to do his best for the team, but really should have just let it bobble out for a corner.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Aston Villa (Manzambi, 45+4
Can you believe it! After dominating the half, Spurs are down! Sloppy from Robertson who inexplicably kept the ball in play after Bentancur’s header was destined for a corner. Instead the left-back kept it alive and it fell for a Villa player who played it across for Manzambi who couldn’t miss from right in front.
45+2 min: Van den Ven is up but that is a mighty gash and bruise under his right eye. They’re showing replays of Suzuki’s two biggest saves. That one from Gray, I didn’t realise how close it was to a goal. Gray fired from an angle and the ball almost went through the keeper’s legs, but took a deflection off the instep of his left foot and scooted across the face of goal.
45 min: Van den Ven is actually bleeding from his face. Looks like he’s been cut on the right cheek just below the eye.
We’ll get at least five added minutes but it could well be more as a result of this stoppage.
44 min: It’s a great ball that Mings attacks, but a combination of van den Ven and van Hecke clear the danger. Think it was van den Ven who made contact with the ball just as he got clattered in the back. He goes down having won the free kick and requires a bit of medical attention.
44 min: Wan-Bissaka gets the ball in acres of space down the right. He takes on Tonali then shifts back to Manzambi infield who draws a soft foul. Not in range and on the angle, but a chance for McGinn to whip one in from the right with an inswinger.
43 min: Van den Ven makes a great intervention to a Buendia pass against the grain. If that went on then Jackson was away and possibly in a 2-v-1 with Manzambi in support. They’ve been by far the better team, but Spurs will know that just one moment could see them chasing the game.
41 min: Nothin’ doin’ from that Villa corner as Solanke heads clear. Villa go all the way back to Suzuki and eventually lose possession.
40 min: Solanke gets Tonali’s pass inside the box, but he’s facing the wrong way. He tries to turn but is smothered by two Villa defenders.
“Perhaps today we’ll witness the advent of the minus value XG rating?”
That’s from Justin Kavanagh.
Thing is Spurs could have scored three! But they haven’t, of course.
Villa win a corner. McGinn to take it from the left.
39 min: Tonali picks Manzambi’s pocket and launches a move down the left where Robertson is on the ball, running at pace. His crosses but it’s blocked away for a corner.
Spurs get a rare corner from the left. Can they do anything with it? Nope. Mings biffs a strong header clear.
37 min: Suzuki is showing off now. He explodes off his line as Robertson spots Marmoush galloping upfield into space. But the Villa keeper is quickest to react as he controls the ball with his chest outside his box.
36 min: Manzambi, who has had a lively game, full of confidence, is down having copped a blow. Short delay. I don’t think he’ll have to leave.
Is this the part where I say, ‘Welcome to the Premier League’?
35 min: Two blocks inside Villa’s box. At the back post Solanke’s header is smothered by Wan-Bissaka and then Tonali’s effort is redirected by Buendia. Appeals for a hand ball are ignored.
32 min: Van Hecke dinks a wonderful long pass for the onrushing Marmoush who times his run perfectly, but the touch is very heavy and it bobbles for Suzuki. A better touch and he was clear.
Then Suzuki makes a brilliant diving save down low to a shot from Tonali who had to get his head over the bouncing ball. Or did he? Replays show there was no save and it bounced wide. Let’s hope there’s no goal from this corner. There isn’t. Instead we’ll get another corner as Robertson’s low driven cross is blocked.
31 min: Suzuki, comfortably the player of the match so far, shows some slick feet as he receives a hospital pass but he deals with it comfortably.
At the other end, Jackson and Buendia combine before Manzambi has the ball. He fires from a different post code into row R when a pass for McGinn on his right was perhaps the better option.
“How about Unstoppable Farce vs Risible Project?”
That’s Gary Naylor.
Spot on.
28 min: Brilliant from Jackson on the end of a Villa counter. Loose from Spurs around halfway allows Manzambi to spark the attack. McGinn involved and the ball to Jackson on the edge of the area is well controlled before the striker spins and makes the space for the shot. Perhaps he thought he had less time than he had as he pulls it from the middle of the goal well wide to the left. 10/10 for the first part. 0/10 for the shot.
27 min: From nothing, Jackson has the ball in the path of Buendia inside Spurs’ box. The angle is acute but he goes for the near post. He hits it well but he’s well met by Kinsky who gets both hands to the shot and parries it away.
