Last week James Maddison enjoyed going head to head against his Tottenham teammate Micky van de Ven in a darts challenge with the elite players Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall and the Spurs No 10 stepped up to the oche here to twist a cagey contest in their favour. By the end, however, Spurs were able to revel in an evisceration of 10-man Aston Villa.
When the fourth official, Darren Bond, indicated 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, it spelled bad news for Villa, who had just gone 3-0 down after Son Heung-min rifled in Dejan Kulusevki’s cutback in consummate style. Then the substitute Timo Werner completed the rout with a cute finish.
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Villa have had few off days since Unai Emery entered the building but this, a dank day, was undoubtedly one, compounded by the captain, John McGinn, being given a straight red card for a wild challenge on Destiny Udogie midway through the second half. McGinn, at the heart of Villa’s rise into the upper echelons of the division, had been on a one-man rampage to wrestle his side back into the game but instead, hot-headed, he flew in on Udogie. McGinn, arguably Villa’s best player before seeing red, billed the game the biggest league game in the club’s recent history and his emotions got the better of him.
Until Maddison converted Pape Matar Sarr’s wicked cross from the right from inside the six-yard box, clinking the ball into the bottom corner with his left boot, this was a tight game with half-chances seemingly the order of the day. Lucas Digne went closest for Villa, glancing McGinn’s zipped low cross wide and Matty Cash toe-poked a dribbling effort into the side netting.
Such was the way Spurs dismantled Villa after the interval, however, that Ange Postecoglou was fielding questions about this being his side’s best performance of the season. Postecoglou, of course, was typically measured in his response. “Considering the context of the game, the venue and the opponent I thought it was as controlled as we have been in any game all year,” the Spurs manager said.
After Maddison scored he set about showcasing his now-trademark celebration to a different audience by throwing a few virtual arrows into a section of deflated Villa supporters. Three minutes later, Spurs doubled their advantage, Brennan Johnson sweeping a first-time effort into the roof of the Villa net. Spurs’ hopes of returning to the Champions League next season are now back in their own hands. Emery dipped into cliche to term defeat a “very bad day at the office” but his final words before he exited his press conference offered a succinct summary of his feelings. “We are sad, we are disappointed, but we are fourth,” he said.
Johnson and Maddison rushed to confront McGinn, who soon found himself cornered on the touchline surrounded by Spurs players in front of Postecoglou, who felt the challenge was born from frustration and not malice. Emery pulled McGinn out of the wreckage but it was too late and McGinn handed the armband to Emiliano Martínez and headed down the tunnel. McGinn will miss Villa’s next three league games against West Ham, Wolves and Manchester City.
It was in effect game over on 65 minutes. “Two-nil, in your cup final,” the travelling Spurs supporters sang, rejoicing in Villa’s misery, after Johnson lashed in. Spurs hounded Villa high up the pitch, Kulusevski pinching the ball from Youri Tielemans and suddenly the visitors were attacking three against one. Son Heung-min ran at an exposed Clément Lenglet and spied Johnson unmarked to his left. Inside three minutes, Spurs had left Villa in tatters. And then, after McGinn saw red, Spurs went for the jugular. Son struck before Werner, who got the crucial equaliser in the victory against Crystal Palace last time, made it four.
Another plus for Spurs was the steady performance of another substitute, Radu Dragusin, who replaced the injured Van de Ven a few minutes into the second half. Van de Ven had again impressed, smartly muting Ollie Watkins, but departed after colliding with Leon Bailey, though Postecoglou said the early prognosis was promising. Watkins and Bailey got little change out of the Spurs defence but Villa, who switched to a back five, presented Spurs with a feast.
Kulusevski saw a shot blocked by Diego Carlos seconds before Son scored to send Villa supporters, who will return on Thursday for the visit of Ajax in the second leg of the Europa Conference League last 16, heading for the exits.
Victory means Spurs are now only two points behind fourth-placed Villa but they have a game in hand on their opponents. This felt like an afternoon when the pendulum swung in Tottenham’s favour, though both teams still have to face Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
“It means we’re one game closer, just 11 games to go,” Postecoglou said, before quipping: “Everyone was billing this as a do-or-die for us. I assume we’re not dead yet.”
