Tottenham revived their fight against relegation with a 2-1 win at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa, moving out of the drop zone after West Ham’s defeat at Brentford opened the opportunity. Roberto De Zerbi’s side delivered a composed, aggressive display reminiscent of his Brighton teams, pressing effectively and winning the ball high up the pitch.
Villa made seven changes from their midweek Europa League semi-final tie and never really recovered from a dominant first-half showing by Spurs. Conor Gallagher opened the scoring before Richarlison added a second, both strikes coming before half-time and putting the visitors firmly in control. Despite a late stoppage-time header from Emi Buendia, Villa could not force a comeback.
The victory gives Spurs back-to-back league wins for the first time since the opening two fixtures of the season. They sit one point above 18th-placed West Ham with three games to play and head into a home clash with Leeds on Monday night, with their league position potentially improving further depending on other results.
De Zerbi praised his players while remaining wary of the remaining fixtures, saying the job is not done and the team must remain focused for three tough games starting against Leeds. He highlighted the team’s high press, possession control and ability to attack space as reasons for his satisfaction: “We played very well for 60 minutes, with the ball, without the ball… The high pressure is a mentality.” He added that he is proud of how the players have suffered this season and how they responded.
Gallagher, named Player of the Match, celebrated the win and the performance, calling it “a perfect night” and urging the squad to carry the momentum into the final games. He credited De Zerbi for bringing out the best in the players and improving the squad’s confidence.
Unai Emery acknowledged Villa were below their usual standard in the first half and praised Tottenham’s performance. He noted Villa’s focus on the Europa League semi-final with Nottingham Forest and the difficulty of juggling competitions: “We must accept this defeat… To play in the semi-final of the Europa League is fantastic.” Villa remain fifth but missed an opportunity to all but secure a Champions League place, now facing a need to overturn a one-goal deficit against Forest.
Match details and ratings (as provided):
Aston Villa: Martinez 6, Cash 6, Lindelof 5, Mings 6, Maatsen 5, Bogarde 5, Tielemans 6, Barkley 5, Sancho 5, Rogers 5, Abraham 5. Subs: Watkins 6, Buendia n/a, Bailey n/a.
Tottenham: Kinski 7, Porro 7, Danso 7, Van de Ven 8, Udogie 7, Bentancur 7, Gallagher 9, Palhinha 8, Tel 7, Richarlison 8, Kolo Muani 8. Subs: Spence 6, Bissouma 6, Bergvall n/a, Sarr n/a.
Player of the Match: Conor Gallagher.
The result represents one of Spurs’ best performances of the season at a critical juncture, while Villa produced one of their quieter displays as attention turns to European matters. Both clubs now have short, decisive runs of fixtures to negotiate before the campaign finishes.