Spurs up the ante in top four race with demolition job at Aston Villa
The importance of this clash was clearly not lost on either side in a tense and cagey first half in the Midlands.
Unai Emery sprung a surprise by switching to a three-at-the-back formation, and while this led to Villa managing just 30 per cent possession before the interval, it worked wonders in restricting a usually free-flowing Tottenham outfit.
Both sides desperately struggled in truth, as neither registered a single shot on target in the first half, with Lucas Digne’s wayward header before the break as close as either came to a breakthrough.
Spurs suffered a setback immediately after the restart with Micky van de Ven forced off injured, but not dismayed, Ange Postecoglou’s men immediately broke the deadlock.
Dejan Kulusevski released Pape Matar Sarr down the right, and his pinpoint cross was expertly steered home from close range by James Maddison to score for the third time in his last four visits to Villa Park.
After such a turgid first half, Spurs remarkably scored twice in quick succession to take firm control of the contest.
Youri Tielemans was dispossessed in his own half by Kulusevski, allowing Son Heung-min to seize on the loose ball and release Brennan Johnson, with the Welshman then making no mistake with the finish.
Villa were on the ropes, and after Emery shuffled his pack from the bench, their task was made even harder when John McGinn was sent off for a very forceful challenge on Destiny Udogie.
With this contest sandwiched between Villa’s meetings with Ajax in the UEFA Europa Conference League, perhaps it came as little surprise to see them run out of energy and ideas in the closing stages.
Teed up by Kulusevski, Son added a third in emphatic fashion late on, before Timo Werner rounded off the scoring in stoppage time.
It’s now three defeats in four for Villa on their own turf, with Tottenham closing the gap between the sides to just two points while retaining a game in hand.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur)
