Tottenham lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Champions League chasers Aston Villa and breathed new life into their race to stay in the Premier League.
West Ham’s 3-0 defeat by Brentford on Saturday opened the door for Spurs, and Roberto De Zervi’s side came through with confidence as their battle to overcome the decline was turned around.
Spurs looked different under De Zerbi. The way they press all over the pitch and win back possession was reminiscent of De Zerbi’s Brighton, giving every indication that Spurs will do enough to remain top of the table next season.
Aston Villa, who made seven changes from their Europa League semi-final first leg defeat to Nottingham Forest, were in second place from the first half whistle, finishing the game with first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.
Richarlison celebrates after giving Spurs a 2-0 lead.
Villa’s expected resurgence never materialized in the second half and despite Emi Buendia’s injury-time header, it was Spurs’ night as they produced arguably their best performance of the season at a very crucial point in the campaign.
Spurs supporters cheer after Randal Kolo Muani was substituted.
After back-to-back wins in the league after the first two games of the season, Spurs are now one point ahead of 18th-placed West Ham with three games remaining in the season and a title winner who could overcome the drop and host Leeds, and their position could be even better next week after the Hammers host Arsenal.
After Tottenham’s best performance of the season, Villa were clearly in the spotlight in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, showing their worst display of the season.
Disappointed Matty Cash and Victor Lindelof left the pitch at half-time.
Villa, who remain in fifth place, six points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth, have suffered three successive defeats in all competitions and are close to missing out on next season’s Champions League qualification.
Unai Emery’s men will now have to respond with a poor showing to overcome a one-goal deficit against Forest on Thursday.
It’s a huge result for Spurs. I didn’t see it coming. Villa were poor, but from the start Tottenham made the most of it with their desire and passion.
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De Zerbi: Tottenham showed what we can do
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi told TNT Sport:
“We played Aston Villa and Aston Villa are a very good team, they have a lot of very good players and a good manager, but I think we played very well for 60 minutes with or without the ball.
“Then we harassed Watkins, we harassed Buendia, we conceded goals. The only bad thing on the pitch was the goals we conceded.
“We could have scored more goals, especially in the first half, but I am delighted with the performance of the players. I know how hard they have worked this season and I am very proud of that.”
On what pleased him most about Spurs’ performance, he added: “Of course, high pressure is the mentality. And we had possession because we played very, very well with composure. When we needed to attack space or go for a shot, we did that. When we needed to keep the ball, we did that.
“I love playing football, especially when you have players like this in the squad, my job is to help them, create the right conditions for them to play and show them what they can do.”
