NEW DELHI: Aston Villa secured a crucial 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling Premier League encounter, marking their first away win in over two months. The win propels Villa into fourth place, surpassing Tottenham in the league standings.
The match was a rollercoaster of chances and drama. Giovani Lo Celso gave the hosts a deserved lead with a deflected shot in the 22nd minute, setting the tone for Tottenham's dominance in the first half. However, Pau Torres equalised for Villa with a powerful header deep into first-half stoppage time.
The second half continued to provide end-to-end action, with both teams creating numerous opportunities. Ollie Watkins secured the decisive goal for Villa just past the hour mark after an assist from Youri Tielemans.
Despite a valiant effort from Tottenham, including two great saves from Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez, a missed golden chance by Ben Davies, and Pedro Porro hitting the post, the hosts fell short. Rodrigo Bentancur's injury added to Tottenham's woes, as they suffered a third successive Premier League defeat.
Unai Emery's Villa side, on the other hand, now sits in fourth place with 28 points from 13 games, trailing only on goal difference behind Liverpool and just two points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Tottenham, once unbeaten in their first 10 Premier League games under manager Ange Postecoglou, now find themselves in fifth place with 26 points. The team faces a challenging task ahead as they prepare to take on champions Manchester City in their next fixture.
Despite the setbacks, Postecoglou expressed pride in his team's performance. "I'm really proud of them, I thought we played some fantastic football, and on another day, we would've won comfortably," he stated. Villa's Emery acknowledged the intensity of the match, saying, "Three points, it was an amazing match, both teams different tactically, really hard, really tough."
The defeat leaves Tottenham as the first side since Leicester City in 2014 to lose three successive Premier League matches despite leading 1-0, adding to the challenges faced by the injury-hit team.
(With inputs from Reuters)
