Tottenham earned a convincing 2-1 win over Aston Villa.
Tottenham delivered one of their most complete performances of the ongoing 2025/26 campaign at Villa Park earlier today, as this Lilywhites side finally boasts that identity of a Roberto De Zerbi’s team. The North Londoners were a pure blend of control with aggression and that growing sense of identity against an Aston Villa side that simply could not get going, with Spurs looking sharper in every phase of the game.
Here are three winners and three losers from what was a statement afternoon.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Winners
Richarlison finding rhythm at the right time
There is something brewing with Richarlison right now (maybe he is fighting for a contract at Tottenham or showing his credentials to push a club to sign him in the summer).
His goal today took his tally to eleven for the season. But the Brazilian’s performance was more than that goal.
The 28-year-old was nothing short of a nuisance for the Villans defence. He was pressing their defenders into mistakes and then drawing fouls and frustrating them. Richy was disrupting Villa’s attempts to build any momentum (something we saw from him when he was at Everton). At times, he looked like a forward who thrives on making defenders uncomfortable rather than simply outplaying them.
And let’s be honest, that sense of edge has been missing at N17 for long spells this season.
Tottenham defence finally setting the tone
The first half told you everything about how Tottenham were organised on the defensive side of things. Aston Villa couldn’t even get one meaningful effort in the first forty-five and managed only one touch inside the Tottenham box. That is the kind of game dominance that Spurs fans have been craving for all campaign.
Both Danso and Van de Ven were composed when they needed to be and aggressive when the sequences called for that aggression. You could see that they were stepping in when needed (especially with one of the midfielders or fullbacks covering those stepping in), and then they held their shape when it called for it.
To add to it, the structure in the build-up was just as impressive. It was a 2-3 build-up which was a breath of fresh air. It gave Tottenham a sense of control and clarity with the ball as we finally saw some ball progression done without panic.
There was a confidence to it. The kind of confidence that suggests this RDZ system is finally beginning to find its way.
Gallagher answering the noise
There has been a lot of criticism going around Gallagher since his move to N17, but when you put in performances like the one he just did, it shifts the conversation.
While that goal will grab headlines. And it deserves to as well. It was a well-taken driven strike from range which found a way into the corner of Emi Martinez’s net. But he had a far more impressive overall outing.
He drifted intelligently across the pitch and was constantly offering an option while linking play when given the chance and pressing with purpose. It was a performance that showed his energy across the pitch and also his sense of awareness across different phases of sequences.
For a player who has been under the hammer, this was exactly the kind of response that he would have wanted to give in. And that also showed in that goal celebration.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Losers
Cristian Romero losing ground
Romero has been one of the more integral parts of the Tottenham roster for a few years now. But he has been kind of inconsistent this season.
While injuries have put a kind of damp on his season, he has also been inconsistent when playing. And then that off-pitch noise doesn’t help; it has only added to the frustration among supporters. And Kevin Danso started another game in that right centre-back role, and he put in another assured performance in that right centre-back role.
It was another performance from the Austrian that showed Tottenham can sell Romero and look beyond him if his shenanigans continue.
Vicario will not be comfortable in that #1 role
There is now a genuine sense of competition brewing between the sticks at N17.
While Kinsky may not have been flooded with a lot of saves to make at Villa Park today, he still oozed a sense of calmness and confidence every time the ball was at his feet. He was trying to invite the press before playing through it.
And those extra touches and passes between the lines are where RDZ’s system starts.
After that performance, you think Vicario will not feel comfortable with keeping his number one spot.
Dominic Solanke falls behind the standard at N17
Performances like these can end up being brutal for the players who are watching from their couch, and that benchmark game from Richarlison set the tone for the game, and Solanke’s recent performances feel quite a level far from it.
That difference is seen. One is good at disrupting, scoring, and dictating the tone of sequences, while the other is struggling to impose himself on the pitch.
And given that there is talk of a possible revamp at Hotspur Way in the summer, this performance from Richy could make Tottenham chiefs think about selling Solanke.