Match Report: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham: Two trophies lost in 72 hours

Tottenham Hotspur suffered another cup heartbreak on Sunday evening, crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Aston Villa just days after their Carabao Cup semi-final exit against Liverpool.

Understandably, Spurs arrived at Villa Park low on confidence, but they could have done a better job of not making it so obvious in their play. This was a prime opportunity to make amends for their 4-0 defeat against Liverpool, yet instead, they stumbled out of another domestic competition.

Mathys Tel was handed his first start for the club, while Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall, and Mikey Moore returned to the lineup. However, this was a game of ‘threadbare’ squads. Villa had no defenders after Ezri Konsa’s withdrawal, but unlike Spurs, they still had options across the pitch.

First half: Aston Villa 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Just 57 seconds in, Aston Villa struck. Morgan Rogers dribbled past three challenges before slipping in Jacob Ramsey, who had acres of space on the left. His low shot should have been a routine save, but Kinsky’s weak parry let the ball in. A goalkeeping error, yes, but the marking from Porro and the midfield was just as poor; two Villa players were left completely unmarked on the right flank.

Despite taking the lead, Villa remained on the front foot, pressing high and forcing mistakes. Spurs, on the other hand, looked completely lost without the ball, standing off instead of engaging. They barely attempted to press; Villa had seven attempts in the first 20 minutes alone.

Kinsky, however, recovered from his early error to produce some key saves, keeping Spurs in the game. At the other end, Heung-min Son had a golden chance to equalise in the 24th minute when Mikey Moore delivered a perfect ball across the right side. Son’s finish, however, was straight at Emiliano Martínez; an opportunity that Mathys Tel, playing in his natural position, likely would have buried

The first half continued in the same manner, with Spurs carelessly losing possession in midfield and leaving themselves exposed time and time again. Villa could have easily been three or four goals up if not for wayward finishing or Kinsky’s interventions.

By the break, Villa had managed four shots on target compared to Spurs’ two, with an xG of 0.78 to 0.47. The only positive for Tottenham was that they were somehow still in the contest.

Second half: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

At the break, Postecoglou raised eyebrows by replacing Mikey Moore with Yves Bissouma. However, the Malian midfielder did bring some much-needed aggression, with Dejan Kulusevski shifting to the right wing.

Five minutes after the restart, Kulusevski picked out Son with a clever through ball, only for Lamare Bogarde to make a crucial block.

Just as Spurs were beginning to build momentum, Villa were the ones who scored. Donyell Malen’s quick link-up with Leon Bailey led to a low cross that Porro failed to clear. Morgan Rogers fired home his second of the night. While Porro could have done better, the entire sequence stemmed from an aimless pass by Tel that surrendered possession.

Marco Asensio’s movements were promising and Villa nearly added a third, but Gray did well to deny him. At the other end, Kevin Danso came close for Spurs in the 78th minute. But his effort from a corner was at too tight an angle.

With five minutes of stoppage time added, Spurs needed something special. In the first minute, Tel provided it. Kulusevski whipped in a pinpoint cross from the right, and the teenager met it with an outside-of-the-foot touch into the far corner. It was a wonderful assist and a wonderful goal, but ultimately, too little, too late.

The final whistle blew. 2-1. Another cup dream over.

Takeaways

• Kinsky made amends but still has a long way to go. The young goalkeeper’s early mistake was costly, but he made up for it with five top saves, many of which were in 1v1 situations. Without him, the scoreline could have been embarrassing. However, Spurs fans will be eager to see Guglielmo Vicario back between the sticks as soon as possible. Kinsky still has a lot to learn.
• Mathys Tel out of position—until it was too late. Tel started on the wing, with Son leading the line, despite both players being more comfortable in each other’s position. Postecoglou eventually switched them in the second half, and Tel got his goal. Had the swap happened earlier, perhaps he would have finished the chances Son squandered.
• Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min need a break. I’m not going to dwell on the fact that Son missed two big chances and completed zero successful dribbles (he’s 32 now). Fans can’t expect him to play with the same energy every single game. Kulusevski, aside from that one brilliant assist, lost the most duels in the match (9) yet again. There’s so much expected from him, but he’s played 180 minutes in just 72 hours. Given how ineffective he was, I would’ve liked to see Damola Ajayi given a chance instead.

Conclusion

“I always win a trophy in my second season.” Well, with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup now out of reach, Ange Postecoglou’s only chance to prove himself right lies in the Europa League.

With four of the ‘big six’ already eliminated, this was a golden opportunity for Spurs to push for silverware. Once again, they failed to step up. There is now growing pressure on Postecoglou, yet his players aren’t executing his system. The lack of pressing was alarming; if you hid the scoreline and just watched the game, you’d never have guessed Spurs were the team trailing.

For now, silverware hopes rest solely on the Europa League. The focus shifts back to the Premier League, where Spurs must climb the table and recover from their injury crisis.

Manchester United at home next. COYS.

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