Aston Villa secured a vital 2-0 win over Tottenham on Friday night to set up a crunch final day of the season in the race for Champions League qualification.
Second-half goals from Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara sealed all three points against Spurs, and it was a deserved win for Villa despite the visitors posing a threat on the counter.
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Having lacked tempo and creativity in the opening hour of the game, things began to get a little tense at Villa Park given what was at stake, but the players stayed calm and delivered when needed to keep our push for a top-five finish going.
We’ll need a result elsewhere to go our way next weekend as well as beating Manchester United at Old Trafford, but it was a positive way to sign off our home campaign as we’ve been excellent at Villa Park all year.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Tottenham:
Emiliano Martinez, 8 – His impressive form continued in registering another clean sheet, and a crucial early stop to deny Odobert was a decisive moment in the game to prevent us from going behind and nerves building in a must-win clash.
Matty Cash, 7.5 – Picked up a silly booking and got caught out positionally at times with Spurs posing a real threat down our right side. Defended resolutely though and pushed forward to give us width when possible too.
Ezri Konsa, 8.5 – Produced a strong defensive display as he was composed and won countless 1v1 situations with a Spurs player dribbling at him. Popped up for the all-important opening goal too as he was a difference-maker at both ends of the pitch.
Pau Torres, 8 – Needed his composure and technical quality in possession in this game to help us maintain control and dictate tempo, and while he was switched on defensively too, he was key in our build-up play.
Ian Maatsen, 8 – Impressive shift from the Dutchman who looks to be growing in confidence in the back-end of this season. Full of energy and positive intent when breaking forward down the wing, while he was solid from a defensive perspective too.
Amadou Onana, 8 – Another top-class performance in the heart of our midfield. Used his physicality, athleticism and quality on the ball well to influence both phases, as his presence in that area of the pitch helped us maintain control.
Boubacar Kamara, 8.5 – Similarly to Onana, the pair worked brilliantly together in shielding the backline and in giving us defensive presence in our half, but also adding balance and rhythm to our play when pushing forward as we tried to build sustained pressure to force a breakthrough. Produced a superb strike to double our lead and effectively kill the game, his first goal in the Premier League.
John McGinn, 8 – Did exactly what was expected, and needed, with his intensity, determination and work ethic helping us force mistakes out of Tottenham, winning possession back in good areas and causing them problems defensively. An important shift from the Villa skipper.
Marco Asensio, 8 – Much more influential in this one as he found pockets of space effectively to link our play together and probe for an opening. Always looked to get on the ball to try and make something happen, and although his end product was off, he was an important factor in this win, with his off-the-ball run to create space for Kamara’s strike a stand-out moment.
Morgan Rogers, 7.5 – A bit more limited than others as he had defensive work to contribute, but he was a willing runner off the ball and showed his class at times with a touch or pass that helped us build play and create pressure.
Ollie Watkins, 8 – His movement up top was excellent again as he ran the channels and tried to stretch the Spurs backline to create space for others, and it was his crucial knock-down header that set up Konsa for his goal. Continued to lead the line well and link our play together when possible.
Substitutes:
Donyell Malen, N/A
Ross Barkley, N/A
Leon Bailey, N/A