Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Aston Villa: Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Tottenham Hotspur fought back from a goal down to claim a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, thanks to a late goal by Son Heung-Min.
The win boosts their chances of a top-four finish in an end to end clash at Villa Park. Jose Mourinho’s men struggled for much of the afternoon and went behind after just nine minutes to a Toby Alderweireld own goal.
The defender made up for this by equalizing at the other end in the 27th-minute. Son had a chance to take Spurs into the break with a lead. His penalty was saved well by Pepe Reina but thankfully for Spurs, Son scored off the rebound to make the score 2-1.
Villa came out the better team after the break and took the game to Tottenham. Bjorn Engels scored in the 53rd minute to bring the Villans level. It was a night to forget for Dele Alli as he missed no less than five chances, including two one-vs-ones.
Pepe Reina was the busier of the two keepers and single-handedly kept his team level on multiple occasions. With seconds left, Son capitalized on Engels’ mistake to run through on goal and slot calmly past the Spanish shot-stopper to send the Spurs fans wild.
The win takes Tottenham up to fifth place, a point behind Chelsea who play Manchester United on Monday. Jose Mourinho’s side are now in the race for top four and these three points could prove pivotal come the end of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris (6.5/10)
A pretty standard performance by the Frenchman. Did well to parry Anwar El Ghazi twice. Had no chance with Alderweireld’s own goal or Engel’s equalizer. Should show more authority during corners.
Serge Aurier (4/10)
Did well when getting forward but couldn’t really make anything happen. This, however, came at the cost of his defensive responsibilities as he left Alderweireld exposed time and time again. The Ivorian was targetted by Jack Grealish, who had the upper hand all night.
Toby Alderweireld (6/10)
Another player who was troubled by the excellent Grealish. Could do nothing about his own goal and responded well to equalize with a stunning strike. Should have been afforded more protection by his right-back who left him high and dry.
Davinson Sanchez (6/10)
Better than his centre-back partner. Was afforded the luxury of having Ben Davies next to him as the left-back performed his defensive duties well.
Ben Davies (8.5/10)
An excellent return to first-team action for the Welshman. He looked as if he was never away as he performed well at both ends of the pitch. Was solid defensively and offered Sanchez some support whenever necessary.
Eric Dier (5/10)
A sloppy yet decent performance. The midfielder was all over the place in the first half but thankfully, Villa could not capitalize on it. Was made to plug holes as players kept moving out of position. Taken off for Giovani Lo Celso at the hour mark.
Harry Winks (6/10)
Kept it simple and rotated possession well. Played in Steven Bergwijn for the penalty.
Lucas Moura (6/10)
Offered more defensively than in the attack. Another player who was affected by Aurier neglecting his defensive duties as he was forced to cover on the right.
Dele Alli (4/10)
A poor performance by the Englishman. Had a number of chances to score but showcased his profligacy every single time. Missed an excellent one on one against Reina in the second half.
Steven Bergwijn (7/10)
Another excellent performance by the Dutchman. He won the penalty in the first half and was not afraid to have a pop from distance.
He made a number of excellent runs and looked like a man with a purpose. Forced a good save from Reina before having the follow-up strike blocked by Marvelous Nakamba.
Heung-Min Son (7/10)
A performance that is relative to where you observe him from. Missed his penalty but scored from the rebound. Missed a number of good chances but then popped up late to win the game. The match showcased what was both good and bad about the South Korean. He reached a personal milestone as he became the first Asian player to score 50 goals in the English Premier League.
Substitutes
Giovani Lo Celso (6/10)
Came on for Eric Dier at the hour mark. Forced a good save from Reina in injury time.
Gedson Fernandes (6/10)
Showed drive and intent and brought about energy as Spurs pushed forward. Not enough time to have a telling impact.
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- Tottenham are interested in Norwich City’s Max Aarons and Ben Godfrey
Jan Vertonghen (N/A)
Brought on late as Jose Mourinho sought to see out the game.
