Aston Villa missed a chance to break into the top four with a tough 4-1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Despite taking an early lead through Morgan Rogers, Unai Emery’s side could not hold off Spurs in a second-half collapse.
Villa took the lead in the first half after Rogers tapped in a goal following a Lucas Digne corner that created chaos in the Tottenham box. Spurs were unable to convert any of their early chances, allowing Villa to go into halftime with a 1-0 advantage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 3.
The momentum shifted quickly in the second half when Brennan Johnson scored just minutes after the break, capitalizing on a perfect cross from Son Heung-min. Spurs gained confidence as Dominic Solanke netted twice, overturning Villa’s lead. James Maddison sealed Tottenham’s dominant display with a well-placed free-kick, deepening Villa’s troubles.
Aston Villa Player Ratings
Emi Martinez – 5/10
Had a quiet first half with minimal challenges, but faced a tough second half. Though he managed to block Solanke once, he ultimately conceded four goals. Despite this, the goals were mostly due to defensive lapses rather than his mistakes.
Matty Cash (off for Diego Carlos 60′) – 5/10
Cash initially held his ground defensively, winning all six ground duels and remaining active. However, he allowed Son’s cross to come through for Johnson’s equalizer. Cash exited after an hour due to injury.
Ezri Konsa – 4/10
Konsa distributed the ball well in the first half but struggled in the second, losing track of Johnson for the equalizer and inadvertently playing Solanke onside for Tottenham’s second goal.
Pau Torres – 2/10
It was a tough day for Torres, who couldn’t keep up with Johnson for his goal and was outmaneuvered by Kulusevski and Solanke. His distribution was unusually poor, culminating in a difficult performance with Tyrone Mings nearing a return.
Lucas Digne – 5/10
Digne provided a great assist for Rogers’ goal and was active on the left, creating multiple chances. However, he struggled defensively, losing the majority of his duels and allowing Spurs to exploit his side of the pitch.
John McGinn (off for Leon Bailey 80′) – 6/10
McGinn was energetic and competitive, creating a few fouls and matching up against Bentancur and Sarr. However, he could have offered more support to Cash in defending against Son’s cross.
Amadou Onana – 6/10
Onana was influential in the first half, nearly scoring with a header that hit the post. His passing accuracy of 97% reflected his control, but he faded in the second half, mirroring Villa’s drop in intensity.
Youri Tielemans (off for Boubacar Kamara 80′) – 6/10
Tielemans worked hard with 51 touches and made some useful passes but didn’t make a substantial impact. He won less than half of his duels and was eventually substituted.
Jacob Ramsey (off for Jaden Philogene 80′) – 5/10
Ramsey displayed his usual energy but struggled to maintain his influence. He contributed little statistically, with a combined xG and xA of just 0.03.
Morgan Rogers (off for Jhon Duran 69′) – 7/10
Rogers showed good anticipation to score the opening goal and consistently challenged the Spurs defense with his dribbling. Unfortunately, a freak injury forced him off early in the second half.
Ollie Watkins – 4/10
Watkins had a quiet first half and missed a key chance. Though he tried to get more involved after halftime, his impact remained limited, completing only 54% of his passes.
Substitutes
Diego Carlos (on for Matty Cash 60′) – 3/10
Carlos had a rough appearance off the bench, struggling to keep pace defensively. He conceded the foul that led to Maddison’s free-kick goal and appeared less composed than usual.
Jhon Duran (on for Morgan Rogers 69′) – 4/10
Duran was unable to make an impact with limited service, touching the ball just eight times and not threatening Spurs’ defense.
Boubacar Kamara (on for Youri Tielemans 80′) – 5/10
Kamara held his own with a strong pass accuracy of 92% and solid dueling stats but had little time to shift the game’s course.
Leon Bailey (on for John McGinn 80′) – 5/10
Bailey took one blocked shot but didn’t have enough time to influence the game.
Jaden Philogene (on for Jacob Ramsey 80′) – 5/10
Like Bailey, Philogene’s substitution came too late for a real impact.
Despite leading initially, Aston Villa’s performance deteriorated, especially defensively, allowing Tottenham to take advantage and secure a commanding 4-1 victory.