Tottenham have been dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa
Aston Villa increased the pressure on under-fire Thomas Frank by dumping Tottenham Hotspur out of the FA Cup in the third round on Saturday evening.
The Villans bossed Spurs in the first half and were worthy of a two-goal advantage, with Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers on the scoresheet. Tottenham, who lost Richarlison to an unfortunate 31st-minute hamstring injury, came out as a different team after the break and started asking questions of Aston Villa. They were right in the faces of the visitors, and their persistence was rewarded in the 54th minute.
The Lilywhites managed to pull one back through Wilson Odobert, who drilled past Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot to liven up the atmosphere in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Thomas Frank’s side got more confidence after making it 2-1 and searched for the leveller. However, it did not arrive as Villa held the hosts at bay to send the eight-time winners out of the FA Cup.
Michael Brown gives his verdict on Tottenham being dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa
Former Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown has delivered his verdict on Tottenham’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Villa. He felt the Spurs players showed fight and desire in the second half to compete against an in-form Villa side, but the damage was already done by the visitors before the break.
“I understand why there will be a lot of fans after Frank, but we saw a reaction in that second-half performance. There was fight and there was desire, lacking in a bit of quality, but they were picked off in the first half, that’s where the damage was done,” Michael Brown said on BBC Radio 5 Live (h/t BBC Sport).
Indeed, Thomas Frank would have liked the reaction from his boys in the second half after being completely outplayed and outworked in the opening 45 minutes by Villa. Unai Emery’s side were excellent, giving Tottenham a lesson in ball retention and movement off the ball. They thoroughly deserved a two-goal lead, having unlocked the hosts’ defence with some sleek one-touch passing and smart movement.
To combat the Villans, Frank’s side turned to physicality in the second half and also got a goal from Odobert. But, it wasn’t enough as they didn’t possess the quality to breach Villa’s defence for the second time. It is another early cup exit for the Lilywhites, leaving Frank in all kinds of trouble.
