Spurs bolstered their case for next season’s Champions League berth by crushing rivals Aston Villa 4-0.
Timo Werner, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, and Heung-Min Son all scored in the second half to cap off a terrible weekend for Unai Emery’s squad.
Stay tuned for all the juicy details from a rainy, windy afternoon in Birmingham.
Individuals who are slow to begin
Villa Park was on the edge of its seat in anticipation of this pivotal match, but the home team wasted no time getting going.
Emery like to play with a back five, which meant that Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey would be isolated up top and would have to depend on long balls over the top for offense.
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‘ ⚽️Tottenham on at the start of the second half pic.twitter.com/FINtHxKWeY
— LiveScore (@livescore) March 10, 2024
The Spurs got off to a commanding start, but the Villans adjusted to the new form and eventually leveled the game.
Danger and potential reward
Both teams appeared unmotivated to score goals despite the high stakes, in stark contrast to the last match in North London.
Spurs were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the hosts’ compact formation and frequently resorted to sending aimless crosses into the box, while Villa, as is their usual, relied on the pace of their attackers.
Despite all the anticipation, this game was missing that one crucial element that would have given it life.
Madison’s turning point
Just five minutes into the second half, Spurs took the lead when Maddison converted a cross from Pape Matar Sarr.
It seemed inevitable that the game would open up after the goal, but the away team really stepped up their game and scored twice through Johnson.
The startled quiet that descended upon Villa Park following the second goal was symbolic of the players’ emotions; they were not playing like the team that has received so much media acclaim this year.
John McGinn’s bout of insanity resulted in him flying past Destiny Udogie, sending referee Chris Kavanagh to the sidelines, further exacerbating Villa’s precarious situation.
The captain’s hasty judgment almost ensured his team’s defeat and put them in an impossible situation for the last half an hour, making it their first dismissal in Premier League history.
Manchester City, Wolves, and West Ham are all potential opponents for the Champions League contenders, and he might miss as much as three games as a result.
Exhaustion in the legs
Despite our admiration for Spurs’ performance, Villa appeared sluggish following Thursday’s Europa Conference League match against Ajax and totally crumbled in the last minutes.
The Villans played their 41st game of the season against the North London visitors, although Ange Postecoglou’s squad is limited to playing a maximum of 40 games this season.
The additional effort required of the Midlands club could prove to be the deciding factor in the race for fourth place.
THREE POINTS AT VILLA PARK! pic.twitter.com/aCy7Z7MkRb
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 10, 2024