Tottenham bounced back from their calamitous midweek exit from the Europa League with a comfortable 2-0 away win over Aston Villa.
Their performance in the 3-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday was described as a “disgrace” by captain Hugo Lloris, on a night that saw Spurs throw away a 2-0 aggregate lead as they were dumped out of the competition in spectacular fashion.
That result means Tottenham can only qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing fourth or above in the league table. They began making positive inroads on that resolution tonight. as a Carlos Vinicius tap-in and Harry Kane penalty ensured the three points would be travelling back with them to London tonight.
Spurs take the lead
It took just under half an hour for Spurs to seize the initiative and they did so when a sloppy clearance by keeper Emiliano Martinez only got as far as the imperious Kane. He slipped Lucas Moura in and he duly played the ball across the face of goal where Vinicius, who is 26 tomorrow, was waiting to gobble up the chance and score his first Premier League goal.
Kane then eliminated any possibility of a Villa win when in the 68th minute he, perhaps unscrupulously, won a penalty following a Matty Cash challenge in the area. Nevertheless, Kane sent Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez the wrong way as he calmly dispatched his 17th goal of the season.
The hosts, who were once again without star man Jack Grealish, failed to register a shot until the 58th minute and even then, Egyptian winger Trezeguet saw his shot blocked. Villa were a much better side in the second half but ultimately came no closer than Anwar El-Ghazi’s shot into the side netting.
However, in his pre-game presser, Villa boss Dean Smith confirmed that Jack Grealish was back running and would be in contention for their next game, which comes at home against a Fulham side desperate for points to strengthen their survival bid. This news will come as music to the ears of any Villa fan.
Spurs back to winning ways
On the other hand, Spurs looked to have emerged from their mini rut caused by successive losses to Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb relatively unscathed. Jose Mourinho, who is reportedly a man on the brink of unemployment, named seven changes as he looked to introduce “fresh minds” to a Spurs side lacking in confidence.
Tonight’s victory takes them up to 6th, just one point behind London rivals West Ham in 5th. They’ll be looking to build on tonight’s performance when they travel to Newcastle on April the fourth for a fourth successive away game.
Until then, it’s a 13-day break for the Premier League as World Cup Qualifiers begin later this week. The Premier League returns for its final stretch when Chelsea play host to West Brom on April 3 (12:30pm). With plenty still to be decided, it looks to be a thrilling finish to the season like no other.
