Tottenham Hotspur are enduring a difficult period, with half the squad sidelined by injuries and a recent Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Liverpool. Despite securing a narrow lead in the first leg, they were dismantled 4-0 by the Premier League leaders at Anfield. Now, aiming to rediscover their rare winning form, Spurs faced Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round—a clash that pundits had already warned would be anything but easy for the Lilywhites.

With the squad ravaged by injuries, Tottenham had no choice but to start their new signing, Kevin Danso, once again. Meanwhile, Mathys Tel received his first call-up to the starting lineup, marking a significant moment in his Spurs journey. While the youngsters did perform to their fullest, Tottenham were just not able to halt the Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

The first half was relatively cautious, with both sides maintaining possession, but Aston Villa proved far more aggressive, registering 11 shots before the break. A well-worked team move saw Rogers set up Ramsey for the opener right in the first minute, exposing Tottenham’s inability to contain Villa’s fluid attack added with the heavy mistake from Kinsky. From that moment, Spurs’ confidence took a hit, and despite creating chances, they struggled to convert. Son had a golden opportunity to change the game, but his miss proved costly. However, football isn’t about ‘what ifs’ or ‘maybes’—it’s about absolutes.

Tottenham came out firing in the second half, pushing hard for an equaliser with Tel orchestrating their attacks. They came close on multiple occasions, but a costly mistake in the 64th minute shifted the game’s momentum. Tel’s misplaced pass led to Rogers doubling Villa’s lead, leaving the Spurs defence in disarray. Porro had a chance to clear the ball off the line but failed to do so. From that moment, the game slipped further from Tottenham’s grasp. Villa created more opportunities but couldn’t extend their lead, thanks to Kinsky’s sharp reflexes. Danso had a golden chance to score with a simple tap-in, but his lack of composure showed. With this defeat, Spurs are officially out of the FA Cup, leaving the Europa League as their only shot at silverware. This result could very well seal Postecoglou’s fate at the club. Tel did redeem himself in the dying minutes with a sublime finish but it was too little too late.

Here is how we think Tottenham players fared in the match against Aston Villa on Sunday in the FA Cup 

Tottenham Starting XI

Antonin Kinsky: 7/10

Made a few key saves to keep the score line from getting worse, but should have been rated lower due to his huge mistake in the first Villa goal. His game awareness saved him

Pedro Porro: 5/10

Struggled defensively and picked up a yellow card. His failed clearance for Villa’s second goal summed up his night. Keeps on giving the fans poor performances

Kevin Danso: 4/10

Had a big chance to score but bottled it gravely. Defensively, his immaturity to play in the big games was caught and was way too many times out of position.

Archie Gray: 6/10

Had a tough time dealing with Villa’s attacking threats. Showed some promise but was often outmuscled. Not his solo fault as the whole team was being bullied by Villa. Did deny Rashford making his dream Villain debut

Djed Spence: 6/10

Worked hard and won a few free kicks but didn’t contribute much going forward. Found invisible at times both at attack and defence

Lucas Bergvall: 6/10

Booked for a bad foul and struggled to control the midfield against Villa’s press.

Rodrigo Bentancur: 5/10

Picked up a yellow card and was subbed off early in the second half. Failed to influence the game. The Argentine has been having a bad run of games, it is time to think life beyond Bentancur

Mikey Moore: 5/10

Showed glimpses of skill but was unable to make a real impact before being subbed off. The English Neymar was like the Brazilian without the productivity

Dejan Kulusevski: 7/10

Had an effort on target but lacked his usual cutting edge. Seemed like the only Tottenham player making an effort in the Dying minutes, did manage to pick himself an assist

Mathys Tel: 6/10

Was at the heart of Tottenham’s attacks but his misplaced pass led to Villa’s second goal, which killed the game. Did manage a goal with a sublime finish but too late

Heung-min Son: 4/10

The South Korean ace is not playing at the usual level expected from him, even after playing the full 90 minutes had no influence in the game and perhaps missed the most important goal yet this season for Tottenham

Substitutes

Yves Bissouma: 5/10

Came on at half-time but didn’t offer much, aside from a blocked shot.

Pape Matar Sarr : 6/10

Could not just change the tide, linking play effectively and creating space for teammates.