Key Takeaways
- Tottenham Hotspur moved one point clear of the relegation zone after beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park
- First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison gave Spurs their second consecutive league win
- Roberto De Zerbi praised his team’s pressing and mentality as they took a major step towards safety
Tottenham Hotspur produced their strongest display of the season to defeat Aston Villa 2-1 and escape the Premier League relegation zone. The victory at Villa Park lifts Spurs one point above West Ham United with only three matches remaining.
Conor Gallagher and Richarlison both found the net before half-time to give the visitors a commanding lead. Emiliano Buendia scored a late header for Villa during injury time, but it proved too little, too late for the home side.
The result caps a remarkable turnaround for Roberto De Zerbi’s team. West Ham’s defeat to Brentford on Saturday had offered Spurs a chance to climb out of the bottom three, and they grabbed it with both hands.
Aston Villa made seven changes to their starting line-up following their Europa League semi-final first leg loss to Nottingham Forest. Unai Emery’s side looked distracted and never truly threatened Spurs’ dominance until the final moments.
De Zerbi was delighted with how his players pressed high up the pitch. He told TNT Sports that his team showed great mentality both with and without the ball. He also noted that his side should have scored more goals during the first 45 minutes.
Conor Gallagher praised the Italian manager’s impact since taking charge. He said every player in the squad has responded well to De Zerbi’s methods and feels confident on the pitch.
The win marks back-to-back league victories for Spurs for the first time since August. They now face a crucial home fixture against Leeds United next weekend.
Aston Villa remain fifth in the table with a six-point gap to Bournemouth below them. However, they have now lost three matches in succession across all competitions ahead of their vital Europa League second leg against Forest on Thursday.
The match attracted a crowd of 42,767 spectators at Villa Park.