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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

Tottenham 3 Aston Villa 1: Tanguy Ndombele debut goal starts fightback as Harry Kane scores late brace

Harry Kane's late double and a debut goal from Tanguy Ndombele helped Tottenham come from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

John McGinn's early strike stunned the home supporters into silence after just nine minutes.

But after sustained pressure from the hosts, Villa's resilient defence was broken after the £65m signing's wonder strike with 17 minutes left.

Spurs pushed for a late winner and got their reward when Kane incisively struck with two late goals to down Villa and ensure the first game of the new season at their new home ended in victory.

Mauricio Pochettino is known for his bold selections but to leave out trusted lieutenants Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen appeared to be a gamble, with Davinson Sanchez and new signing Ndombele both given the nod.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Spurs could have been ahead after just 16 seconds, with Lucas Moura capitalising on an error from Ahmed Elmohamady but firing over from the edge of the box.

The Brazilian then had a golden chance to open the scoring, getting a free header after a deep delivery from Rose and some poor positioning from Tyrone Mings.

Spurs would go on to rue those chances as Villa took advantage of some shoddy defending to take the lead. A long ball upfield from Mings found McGinn racing in behind Davinson Sanchez and, after jinxing past the challenge of Danny Rose, the Scot fired beyond Hugo Lloris.

Shellshocked by the goal, Spurs immediately set about trying to find a leveller. But they found a sturdy defence willing to fight and battle for every ball in front of them.

Towards the end of the half, Kane had two big chances for the equaliser, heading over from Ndombele's chipped cross before dragging a shot wide which nine times out of 10, he would certainly slot into the corner.

Tottenham came out after the interval with the bit between their teeth, but it was the introduction of Christian Eriksen which made all the difference on the hour mark.

The Dane immediately breathed life into the Spurs attack and with 17 minutes to go, he was involved in the equaliser. He fizzed in a trademark delivery which Sanchez should have scored from but for a fine save from Tom Heaton. But Spurs kept the ball alive and it eventually found Ndombele, who curled a beautiful strike from 25 yards into the bottom corner.

That goal gave Spurs an inevitable lift and the pressure became relentless. Lamela nicked the ball off Jack Grealish on the edge of the box and tried to thread it through to Kane. It bounced kindly in his direction but he needed no invitation, firing emphatically beyond Heaton with just four minutes left.

There was still time for another when Sissoko laid it off to the England striker and he used Engels to curl the ball around him and into the bottom corner. Villa looked resigned to defeat, which looked unlikely after 72 minutes after a stellar team display. But Kane proved that the August hoodoo that had once haunted him was now firmly in the past as Tottenham sealed all three points that ultimately their dominant performance deserved.

Match analysis and reaction

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