By 90min | Created at 2024-11-03 21:01:18 | Updated at 2024-11-05 05:36:21
1 day ago
After 45 minutes in north London, Tottenham Hotspur's supporters must have been thinking 'not again'. Manager Ange Postecoglou was probably thinking the same.
The Lilywhites were a goal down to Aston Villa, courtesy of Morgan Rogers' prod home from, you guessed it, a corner, and were well and truly second best against what appeared to be a well-drilled Unai Emery side.
But Villa have an unhealthy habit of capitulating under pressure – unless they are playing in the Champions League, in which case everything is spiffing – while Spurs have a rather healthier habit of turning Postecoglou's no doubt scathing half-time words into something rather positive.
On this particular occasion, Tottenham not only showed why Emery was right to say they are favourites to qualify for next season's Champions League ahead of Villa, they showed grit, steel and quality from the bench to turn the game on its head - captain Son Heung-min's withdrawal after 55 minutes strangely the catalyst for Spurs' performance level to ratchet up a notch.
The challenge for Spurs is to not put themselves in such a difficult position – namely, stop conceding the first goal at home – but a prosperous season lays ahead if their three best performers on the day continue to shine brightly.
Brennan Johnson helped Tottenham come to life / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
2. Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr ran the show in the second half / Alex Pantling/GettyImages
Dominic Solanke's movement was the undoing of Aston Villa / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
