Tottenham earned a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.
Before their back-to-back wins against Wolves and Aston Villa, Tottenham had gotten just 5 points in their previous 14 Premier League games. That is the brutal, clarifying summary of a season that went off the rails long before Roberto De Zerbi walked through the door, and what has happened since he arrived in late March.
Squawka’s numbers tell the story plainly. Six points from two games, more than Spurs had managed across a 14-game stretch that included draws, defeats, two managerial changes, and a brief but terrifying spell in the relegation zone. The 1-0 win at Wolves, followed by Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Villa Park, are, statistically, the first back-to-back Premier League wins Tottenham have strung together since they beat Burnley and Manchester City on the opening two weekends of the season back in August. That was before Daniel Levy resigned, before Thomas Frank was sacked, before Igor Tudor lasted 44 days, and before the club sank to 18th place on April 10.
De Zerbi inherited a squad stripped of Cristian Romero, Xavi Simons (did start the initial games), Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke (same like Simons) and Pape Sarr through injury, and still managed to find a way to make Tottenham look like a side with a plan.
The improvement has been visible in every department. West Ham, who entered the weekend two points ahead of Spurs, were beaten 3-0 by Brentford on Saturday, and suddenly Tottenham find themselves one point clear of the drop zone with three games to play.
Tottenham still have work to do
The final three fixtures read: Leeds at home, then away at Chelsea and home against Everton. None of them are gifts. But a team that had five points from 14 games now has the momentum, the manager and, after Sunday, the belief. Last season Spurs finished 17th with 38 points while winning the Europa League. This season, the league table is the only trophy left. Three games to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.