Dominic Solanke netted his first brace for Tottenham in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur put up a comeback performance for the ages as they bounced back from a goal down to thrash Aston Villa 4-1 last weekend.
The Lilywhites’ win over Unai Emery’s Aston Villa has taken them to seventh in the Premier League table—two points behind Chelsea (fourth), and Arsenal (fifth). One of Spurs’ best performers against the Villans was Dominic Solanke.
Dominic Solanke netted his first brace for Tottenham on Sunday. Following Brennan Johnson’s equaliser right after the break, the England international netted our team’s second and third goals as Spurs fought back from 1-0 down against Emery’s men. This helped to take the striker’s tally to four goals in eight Premier League appearances this season.
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Before the last Premier League outing, pressure had been starting to grow on the 27-year-old. However, Solanke responded to his critics in some style, fantastically dinking over goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for his first before slotting home a Richarlison cut-back from close range to complete his brace.
Ahead of Spurs’ daunting trip to Galatasaray in the Europa League, Solanke was asked in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening about his ‘ice-cool’ finish against Villa for the first goal. To which, he replied (h/t Football London):
“It is just about staying right, staying sharp in your mind. You are always going to miss chances and sometimes you might not get chances, but it’s important to stick with it, especially being a striker. There will be a time when you do get the chance and you need to be ready for that.”
Before his brace, Solanke had gone six games without scoring a goal. The Englishman’s confidence was not up to the high levels, and while he was working extremely hard and linking play well with his teammates, he lacked the killer instincts of a striker in the box.
An injury at the start of the campaign didn’t help his cause either, but we are now starting to see Solanke find his feet at the Hotspur Way. The dink finish over the onrushing Martinez—one of the world’s best goalkeepers—was difficult but he made it nonchalant. This shows the confidence he is in at the moment.
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The £90,000 per week ace will now look to build on Sunday’s performance and continue scoring goals in the upcoming games against Galatasaray and Ipswich Town before the players depart for the international break.
