That’s all from me. Congratulations to Aston Villa. Thank you for reading, and for your emails. Until next time, bye!
Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa: Matt Hughes' match report
Peter McLeod, via email, has seen things slightly differently.
“That was a heist. Happy to admit my bias as a Spurs fan but I can’t help thinking the result is having an outsize influence on the takes on this game. Absolutely classic Premier League heist in which Villa got battered for most of the match but picked up two extremely unlikely goals via shots from outside the area. I desperately want Spurs to be more creative and especially to be more clinical with chances in the box, but equally if I were a Villa fan I’d be delighting in a very jammy three points.”
Just under 20 minutes to go until kick-off at Anfield. Join Rob Smyth for the latest.
Here is a roundup of the action elsewhere across the continent. Nico Paz looks like a special player.
North of the border, Dundee have beaten Celtic 2-0! That means Hearts have a five-point lead at the top and the Gorgie Boys host Celtic at Tynecastle next Sunday!
“Spurs were pedestrian,” emails Mark Eyeington. “They never looked like a creative side.”
A deserved win by Villa, who stayed in the game in the first half and were the better team in the second. Rogers’ goal was sublime, as was the pass from Cash to set up Villa’s winning goal.
Spurs faded badly. Kudus was the only creative spark, and as the Ghanaian tired, Tottenham’s urgency evaporated. Once again, Tel and Odobert did not do enough from the start to justify their inclusion and Simons was tidy without being decisive. Chances arrived through set pieces and long throws but Spurs were not able to capitalise.
This is what that result does to the Premier League standings. Tottenham miss the chance to go second, while Villa move up into the top half of the table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 8 | 12 | 19 |
| 2 | Man City | 8 | 11 | 16 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 7 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | AFC Bournemouth | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 8 | 7 | 14 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 7 | 14 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| 9 | Brighton | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| 11 | Everton | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | Man Utd | 7 | -2 | 10 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| 14 | Fulham | 8 | -4 | 8 |
| 15 | Leeds | 8 | -6 | 8 |
| 16 | Brentford | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 17 | Burnley | 8 | -6 | 7 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 8 | -10 | 5 |
| 19 | West Ham | 7 | -10 | 4 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 8 | -11 | 2 |
Full-time: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa
That’s five wins on the bounce for Villa in all competitions! Boos ring around the stadium from the home fans.
90+6 min: A much more difficult chance for Johnson, a bouncing ball is sliced high and wide from an acute-ish angle. What a win this looks like for Villa.
Big chance for Kolo Muani!
90+4 min: Spurs pump a hopeful corner towards the back post, Palhinha nods back across goal and the ball falls kindly to Kolo Muani on the penalty spot … but the France international completely misses the ball, an air kick!
90+2 min: Villa are managing this game well. All their subs have made a real impact since coming on, and the visitors look compact defensively and are tidy with the ball when they have it.
90 min: Seven added on for Spurs to find an equaliser. But it’s Villa on the offensive, as Watkins drives at the Spurs defence with only Van de Ven to beat. The Dutchman bides his time brilliantly and makes an important challenge. Spurs are pushing forward and look vulnerable at the back.
89 min: Kudus looks tired, and Maatsen has made a real difference for Villa since coming on.
87 min: Villa win a corner, but Spurs counter with Porro, who has an opportunity to play in Kolo Muani, but skews his through ball all the way through to Martínez.
85 min: More changes from the bench. Spurs bring on Sarr for Bentancur as a straight swap, and make an attacking substitution in replacing Spence for Brennan Johnson.
84 min: Am I the only one slightly underwhelmed by Simons? The Dutchman arrived at Tottenham with a big reputation and a big pricetag, but doesn’t look decisive enough, or a particularly big upgrade on the injured Maddison.
Simons has undeniable talent – anyone can see that – but he isn’t making a big enough impact, for me, when Spurs have the ball.
82 min: Both sides have made changes: Spurs have replaced Simons and Odobert for Bergvall and Kolo Muani, the latter making his Premier League debut for Tottenham.
Villa bring on Maatsen for Digne, an expected change given the danger of Kudus. But Digne played his part for Villa’s second goal, fair play. Barkley is also on, for Onana.
79 min: I would argue that Rogers probably was in Vicario’s line of vision, but replays show that Danso was playing the Villa man onside, so the Spurs keeper’s claims are immaterial!
GOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa (Buendia 78)
Out of nothing, Villa take the lead! An outrageous diagonal volley from Cash finds Digne. Buendia takes charge of the ball, drives inside from the right wing and curls a finish into the far corner! Vicario didn’t dive, and claims that Rogers – standing in an offside position – got in his line of vision, but the goal stands! Villa have come from behind to lead!
Updated
75 min: Great defending at both ends, as Buendia works back to dispossess Kudus before Spence denies Watkins on a dangerous Aston Villa counter-attack.
73 min: Just under an hour to go until Liverpool v Manchester United gets underway. You can follow that, and get the latest team news, right here.
Updated
71 min: Cash overhits the corner. Poor. Emery will surely be furious.
70 min: One of two obvious moments aside, this has been a game low on quality. Kudus looks like the man most likely to create something for Spurs. Villa have been quiet, although Digne has just won a corner off Porro. Here come the cavalry.
68 min: We are told that both sides have agreed to the use of towels for the throw ins, so they are permitted. Danso dries the ball off and hurls another missile into the Villa penalty area. Martínez flaps, gets nowhere near the ball, and the visitors are lucky that the ball does not fall to a Spurs boot, with the goal gaping.
66 min: Kudus is given Digne all sorts of problems down Spurs’ right flank. I would not be surprised to see Maatsen on soon, especially as Digne is carrying that knock.
64 min: It looks like McGinn will play out on the right in Guessand’s absence, with Buendia on the left of midfield. Those two either side of Kamara and Onana, with Rogers in behind Watkins.
62 min: Villa respond with two changes of their own: Watkins on for Males, and Buendia on for Guessand, who has been completely anonymous.
60 min: First substitution for Tottenham: Richarlison on for Tel, who pressed well but didn’t really look like troubling Martínez, miscueing his only opportunity.
57 min: For the first time in the match, Malen finds some space behind the Spurs defence. The pace of Van de Ven forces the Villa forward wide and Malen is forced into an early shot, which finds the side netting.
55 min: Back come Tottenham, and a delicious pass from Porro inside Digne releases Kudus, who gets to the byline, cuts the ball back towards the penalty spot, and Villa scramble it away.
Next Martínez is forced into a point-blank save from a Spence cross, but Spurs’ attackers (Bentancur and Tel) are ruled offside from the cross. Much better from the home side, who have started this second half the better side.
Updated
53 min: Danso with a long throw – aided by a towel from the sidelines – and the ball drops kindly to Odobert eight yards out and the Spurs winger volleys a shot right into the chest of Konsa! There are appeals for a penalty/handball, but Simon Hooper waves play on. Good decision, the ball did hit Konsa’s hand but it was right in front of his chest.
49 min: Danso and Digne clatter into each other inside the Spurs penalty area. Danso actually won the ball in the tackle, but followed through onto Digne’s ankle, and the Villa full-back is left in a heap on the turf. That looks a really sore one. VAR have a look to see if there should be any punishment for Danso, but they rule it was accidental and not dangerous play. Digne feels differently, after rising gingerly to his feet.
47 min: Simons, playing centrally today, drifts out onto Tottenham’s left wing but can’t get past Kamara, who reads the play wonderfully.
Peeeeeeep!
The second half begins. No changes from either side at half-time.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa
Spurs have shaded the half, but a sensational strike from Rogers means the two sides are all square at the break.
45+3 min: After a wonderful take on the run from Porro, the Spurs right back appeals for a penalty after booting a ball towards his compatriot Torres. Replays show it hit the Villa centre back on the backside. Porro is a very good player, but he does have an irritable temperament.
45 min: Five minutes added on.
44 min: Spurs are pushing for a second. Villa seem content to hold onto the 1-1 score until half-time, at least.
41 min: Tel misses a glorious chance for Tottenham! From a free-kick, Spurs work the ball out to Kudus on the right, who delivers an outrageous ball across the six-yard box with his weaker right foot. Van de Ven can’t quite strain to reach the cross, but Tel is there at the back post … he just has to volley a finish into the empty net … but completely miscues the connection!
38 min: In these rainy conditions, it was a slip from Simons that allowed Rogers to create some space. But the England international expertly took his chance – I would not be surprised to see that on the Goal of the Month shortlist.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa (Rogers 37)
As if baited by my previous post, Rogers lets fly from 25 yards, and finds the top corner! It was a scrappy passage of play, but Rogers found a pocket on the edge of Spurs’ area and pings an unstoppable shot past Vicario, dipping over the Italian goalkeeper and just underneath the crossbar. Rogers’ first goal in 20 games for Villa!
Updated
34 min: We are over a third of the way through this match, and Villa are yet to trouble Vicario in the Spurs goal.
32 min: Onana is OK, after some attention from the Villa physios.
31 min: Onana is left crumpled on the turf after another robust tackle from Paulinha in midfield. This is the Belgian’s first Villa starts since August. He won’t want another spell on the sidelines.
29 min: I have mentioned Spurs’ physicality and Malen is really struggling to make his mark against the Tottenham centre-back duo of Danso and Van de Ven. Ollie Watkins, huddled under a puffer jacket on the Villa bench, will be eager to get some minutes later.
27 min: A raking diagonal pass from Bencancur finds Odobert in plenty of space on the left, and the winger drives inside on his right foot, lashing a bouncing awkward shot at goal, which Villa’s Martínez gathers at the second attempt. That was strong, direct play from the home side.
25 min: Villa are normally a good pressing side, but look very pedestrian in defence today. Spurs are able to advance with the ball up the pitch quite easily, as Porro wins another corner for the home side. The delivery from Kudus is deep towards Odobert at the back post, and even though the Frenchman beats Rogers to the ball, he is unable to control it.
23 min: Odobert goes down in a heap on the edge of Villa’s box, claiming a foul. There is contact from Onana, but nowhere near enough to send somebody tumbling over, and the referee waves play on. Good decision.
21 min: Yellow card for Van de Ven, who catches Rogers in midfield shortly after being nutmegged. No complaints.
18 min: Villa are playing a very high line, which is a dangerous thing against the pace of Odobert, Tel and Kudus. Tel is constantly threatening to get in behind, but hasn’t quiet timed his run correctly. Yet.
15 min: Tottenham give the ball away cheaply just outside their own box, and Cash finds a pocket of space, shooting just wide from 20 yards out. That should be a bit of a wake-up call for Spurs.
14 min: Perhaps this is not a surprising development, given Thomas Frank is the manager, but I’m impressed by how physical Spurs are. The arrival of Paulinha has massively bolstered Tottenham’s midfield, which also includes Bentancur, Sarr and Bergvall. They are all big lads, can run for days.
12 min: Villa begin to edge into the game with some possession, and force a couple of corners, well defended by Spurs. McGinn’s delivery for the latter was particularly poor.
FOUL THROW ALERT!
10 min: I repeat, FOUL THROW ALERT! Cash creeps up the touchline a little too much for the referee’s liking and Simon Hooper overturns the throw-in from Villa to Spurs! Lots of cheers go up with the home crowd. A rare treat, that.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Spurs denied a second!
7 min: Van de Ven pumps a ball long from the back, Tel and Kudus combine with the latter firing a shot through the hands of Martínez and into the net! The Villa keeper has his blushes spared by the offside flag, with both Tel and Kudus correctly ruled offside from Van de Ven’s initial ball.
Updated
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Aston Villa (Bencancur 5)
Villa clear the initial corner, but Spurs recycle the ball and Kudus, from the left, swings a brilliant ball to Paulinha a the back post. The Portuguese nods the ball back across goal and Bencancur is there to sweep in an easy finish from the penalty spot!
Updated
4 min: Sloppy play from Onana allows Tel to win the ball back inside Villa’s penalty box, and the Frenchman wins a corner for Spurs.
3 min: A brief delay, with the earpiece of referee Simon Hooper coming loose.
2 min: Sky Sports had suggested that Guessand would be playing as part of a front-two with Malen, but the Ivory Coast international is looks like he is playing on the right, with Malen as a lone striker, supported by Rogers in the No 10 role.
Peeeeeeeeep!
We’re underway in London!
The teams are out! It’s raining on north London, so we’ll have a slick surface.
Some breaking news, before Manchester United’s trip to Anfield later.
Villa manager Unai Emery is asked by a Sky Sports reporter if the decision to leave Ollie Watkins on the bench was a tactical one or a fitness one.
I won’t respond to the question, it’s something private. But Watkins is getting better.
Cristian Romero injured in the warm up!
A big blow for Spurs, with their captain Cristian Romero injured in the warm-up. Kevin Danso will replace the Argentinian, and Micky van de Ven will take the armband.
Thomas Frank, Tottenham manager, is speaking to the cameras:
On Destiny Udogie being left out the squad today:
He came back from international duty with minor irritation in the knee.
Randal Kolo Muani making the bench:
He’s nowhere near ready to start. I’d like him to be ready of course.
On Mo Kudus:
He’s been exceptional since the first day of the season. He’s such a threat, one versus one. His work rate is very good. You need to get goals, and I’m so happy he got one.
On the stat that Frank has never beaten Unai Emery:
It’s about time to change it. Hopefully we do it today. Unai I respect massively. He has worked wonders with Villa. It’s going to be a super tight game. It will be a small goal that decides the game. I hope we can get that moment.
We wrote extensively on the police ban this week.
Aston Villa stadium must not be a no-go area for Jews, says Ed Miliband
Some breaking news, as the UK’s energy secretary has called for the lifting of a police ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters at the upcoming Europa League fixture.
Birmingham’s safety advisory group is meeting next week and is expected to produce proposals about the extra resources West Midlands police would need to allow the match to go ahead safely with away fans.
The force last week barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from the match because of concerns that officers would not be able to police it safely. They cited “violent clashes and hate crime offences” at a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam in 2024.
Asked on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News whether Villa Park was a no-go area for Jews, Miliband replied: “No, and it can’t be, and I’m very, very clear about that.
“We cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country, and we’ve got to stamp out all forms of prejudice, antisemitism, Islamophobia, wherever we find them.”
Asked about a petition calling for a boycott of Israeli teams in the UK, Miliband said: “I profoundly disagree with that approach, with what is being said in that petition.”
Let’s unpack those teams a little.
For Spurs, interesting that Odobert is the preferred option on the left wing. Tel gets the nods ahead of Richarlison, with Solanke still out with an injury. Randal Kolo Muani could make his Premier League debut following his loan move from PSG in the summer – the Frenchman has also been sidelined for the past six or seven weeks.
For Villa, Watkins is only fit enough for the bench, but Donyell Malen excelled against Burnley a couple of weeks ago, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win, and the Dutchman leads the line again today. Guessand also gets a start, but otherwise Villa are unchanged and as expected. A penny for the thoughts of Harvey Elliott, he can’t get a kick at the moment.
Team news!
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Kudus, Simons, Odobert, Tel.
Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Richarlison, Gray, Bergvall, Johnson, Sarr, Muani, Byfield.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Kamara, Guessand, Rogers, McGinn, Malen.
Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Barkley, Elliott, Buendia, Watkins, Sancho, Maatsen, Bogarde.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
Preamble
Welcome everyone to the match that absolutely nobody knows as the Alan Hutton Derby!
For all the talk of a poor home record, Tottenham have had a fine start to the season. Yes, he had a full pre-season to bed in his ideas, but Thomas Frank should be given a lot of praise for improving this Spurs team from the get-go. By the end of today, Tottenham could well be second in the table (even if they are still trailing Arsenal).
After a disappointing start to the season, in which Villa failed to win any of their opening six matches (in which they scored just twice), Unai Emery’s side have now won their last four matches in all competitions, and looking much more like their old selves. Fluidity is still something of an issue and there are questions marks over the form and fitness of Ollie Watkins (although Emery did confirm he was fit to feature today), but the return of Tyrone Mings following a two-game absence is a bonus for the Birmingham side, who will be looking to avoid defeat here before the next two league matches against Manchester City (home) and Liverpool (away).
Here is where the teams start today in the Premier League table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 8 | 12 | 19 |
| 2 | Man City | 8 | 11 | 16 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 7 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | AFC Bournemouth | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 8 | 7 | 14 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| 9 | Brighton | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | Everton | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 11 | Man Utd | 7 | -2 | 10 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 14 | Fulham | 8 | -4 | 8 |
| 15 | Leeds | 8 | -6 | 8 |
| 16 | Brentford | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 17 | Burnley | 8 | -6 | 7 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 8 | -10 | 5 |
| 19 | West Ham | 7 | -10 | 4 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 8 | -11 | 2 |
Kick-off: 2pm BST.
