A glance at the league table pre-game suggested this clash was almost a must-win for Villa if they are to secure a top-seven spot this term. And with manager Unai Emery calling this match a “final” in the build-up, it was hardly a surprise to see the Villans shoot out of the traps in front of their claret-draped home faithful.
In fact, it took only eight minutes for the hosts to take the lead, when a clever Leon Bailey cutback allowed Jacob Ramsey to slam home from 10 yards - more pain for Tottenham, who have conceded the most goals within the opening 15 minutes of league games this season.
One-way traffic for Villa ensued until Son Heung-min smashed the post after a fluid counterattack with almost 25 minutes gone. Villa were again soon on top, though, and Fraser Forster was forced into a terrific save to stop Bailey’s ferocious effort from inside the box.
In the end, Spurs were perhaps lucky to be only one goal down as the half-time whistle blew, with a frustrated-looking Harry Kane summing up their first-half struggles.
The early stages of the second period carried the same brutal intensity from Villa, who were completely trapping Spurs in their own half. But even if Emery’s tactics were having the desired effect, his side still needed to be bailed out by a superb Emiliano Martínez stop to deny Kane after the ball broke to the forward from close range.
Despite the goalkeeper's brilliance, it was still an uncharacteristic failure to score from a forward who recently became the league's second-highest goalscorer behind Alan Shearer.
An improved second-half display from the North Londoners saw them trouble their hosts on occasion, but Douglas Luiz’s fine free-kick, which curled beyond the grasp of Forster, gave the home outfit breathing space.
While that wasn’t the end of the drama, as Kane’s late penalty gave his side hope, the Villa fans made their voices heard in the final minutes to help get their team over the line. As such, European qualification is in Villa’s hands, with this victory moving them level on points with their visitors in seventh position.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Leon Bailey (Aston Villa)
