Tottenham marched ahead in their bid to secure Champions League football with a stunning victory away against Aston Villa.
Heung-min Son’s hat-trick and a strike from Dejan Kulusevski gave Tottenham the initiative in the top-four chase with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa. The two goalscorers aside, Harry Kane led the attack with total leadership and played a key role in the team’s success.
Son opened the scoring inside three minutes after the ball fell invitingly at his feet. The flood gates at Villa Park did not open until the second half, as the home side managed to control the visitors’ attacks and threatened to score themselves in the latter stages of the first half.
But at a stage when Villa were looking to assert their domination, Antonio Conte’s men grabbed the initiative with the second goal. Kane’s flicked header fell to Kulusevski, whose left-footed finish seemingly killed the spirit of the home side.
Then it was the usual combination of Kane and Son, with the latter at the receiving end of another flicked header from the former, this time from the halfway line. The forward went on to score his second of the evening and put Spurs in the driving seat. Son then went about completing his hat-trick as Kulusevski turned provider this time. The Swede’s cross found the South Korean, who finished the move with a great finish.
It was also Son’s 17th goal of the 2021/22 Premier League season, equalling his best tally with the club yet. Here’s how the players fared as Tottenham thrashed Aston Villa away from home.
Aston Villa
Emiliano Martinez – 5.5/10
The Argentine was made to work hard as Spurs proved relentless in front of goal. Martinez did end up making a few good saves to keep the scoreline at a respectable level in the first period, but could do nothing to prevent the full force of the opposition in the second half.
Matty Cash – 5/10
Cash was involved in some of the positive attacking moves by Villa in the first half and saw one effort saved by Lloris to deny a potential equaliser. Then in the second half, there were plenty of questions about his positioning as he was at fault for at least two Spurs goals.
Ezri Konsa – 2.5/10
Konsa had a terrible game as Kane and Kulusevski found much joy targetting him. It was his header that allowed Son the chance to open the scoring. This is a game he would like to forget rather quickly.
Tyrone Mings – 3/10
Mings failed to marshall the backline and struggled to keep the visitors at bay. Some of his challenges were worthy of a booking, although he somehow escaped a booking. There was no awareness at the back which allowed Spurs to run rampant at Villa.
Lucas Digne – 4/10
Digne failed to offer a threat on the attacking side of things and looked a bit rusty upon his return from injury. Defensively, he was at par with his teammates at the back.
Douglas Luiz – 6/10
Luiz was one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dull Villa display. The midfielder was at hand to keep things ticking in the central areas, while he also made plenty of tackles and mopped up play.
John McGinn – 5/10
McGinn showed energy from his midfield position, and also had a cracking shot from distance. His bursting runs were there to see, although, more often than not he struggled to impose himself.
Jacob Ramsey – 5/10
Ramsey showed good energy, particularly in the first half to threaten the Spurs’ defence. He saw one shot tipped over by Lloris, but after that, he was a passenger all game.
Philippe Coutinho – 5.5/10
Coutinho looked dangerous at times, despite his sloppiness in play. The Brazilian sent in one good cross for Ollie Watkins and threatened Lloris’ goal with a free-kick. Taken off in the second half as Villa had lost all hopes of a comeback.
Danny Ings – 4/10
Ings struggled to make any headway in attack. He missed a few chances in the first half, which would have changed the complexion of the game as Villa searched for an equaliser.
Ollie Watkins – 4/10
Barring one headed chance, Watkins was barely involved in any positive moves to find the equaliser in the first half. He was anonymous as Spurs ran rampant at the other end in the second period.
Substitutes
Leon Bailey – 4/10
Bailey had a good chance to score a goal after Lloris had practically gifted him the chance but he missed.
Emiliano Buendia – 4/10
He came on and tried to create something to make the scoreline a bit respectable.
Ashley Young – 3/10
He came on to make sure the score remained what it was and there was no further damage.
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris – 8.5/10
If the attackers took all the credit for the win, Lloris had a tremendous game at the back, making some important saves at crucial stages of the game when the contest was open. He got lucky after gifting Bailey with a chance to score, but overall it was a well deserved clean sheet.
Cristian Romero – 8/10
Romero took it upon himself to charge out from the back whenever an opportunity presented itself. He got stuck in and made some good tackles and showcased the physical side of his game to perfection.
Cristian Romero for Spurs in the first half against Aston Villa:
◉ Most clearances (7)
◉ Most fouls (3)
◉ Most tackles made (2)Classic Cuti. pic.twitter.com/cAuO9vSCTU
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 9, 2022
Eric Dier – 7/10
Dier organised the defence with good effect as he did some excellent work in stopping attacks from reaching Lloris. He saw plenty of the ball and used it well. Should be happy with his overall performance.
Ben Davies – 7/10
Davies was as steady and reliable as he kept his positioning intact while Romero charged down on the other end. A composed and mature display from the Welshman.
Emerson Royal – 6/10
Emerson had a decent game as he looks like a much-improved player in recent weeks. It was his role to keep a balance between attack and defence on the right side and he did a good job.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6.5/10
The Uruguayan international continues to perform consistently for Spurs as he put in another good show in midfield. Bentancur saw plenty of action in the central areas and stood strong to the challenges posed by McGinn and Luiz.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7/10
Hojbjerg put in a composed performance to complement his midfield partner and ensure that much of the action happened in front of him rather than at the back. He brings a good balance to this side while the flourishing partnership with Bentancur is a good sign for Tottenham.
Matt Doherty – N/A
Doherty left the field early in the game with an injury, which is a blow for Conte considering his recent good form.
Dejan Kulusevski – 8/10
1-2-3 – Since Dejan Kulusevski's Premier League debut in February, Spurs trio Harry Kane (13), Son Heung-min (12) and Kulusevski himself (9) rank first, second and third for goals + assists in the competition. Podium. pic.twitter.com/U1YNK46L4E
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 9, 2022
This Spurs front three looks more dangerous with Kulusevski in it. The Swede had a terrific game, as he doubled his team’s lead. He then went on to create one goal for Son, as he continued his brilliant form in the attack.
Harry Kane – 9/10
Kane has been putting in these tremendous performances weekly, and on Saturday he set up two goals for his attacking partners, once again making a valuable contribution in the victory for the north London giants.
Heung-min Son – 10/10
A hat-trick and the match ball for Son, as he ran rampant in front of goal, causing Villa all sorts of problems. Three very well-taken goals mean he has now plundered 17 strikes in the Premier League this season and, along with Kane, is leading Tottenham’s charge for a top-four finish.
Son Heung-min has now scored as many Premier League hat-tricks as Cristiano Ronaldo (2).
Sonaldo is on fire. ? pic.twitter.com/wPuIJfnFgl
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 9, 2022
Substitutes
Sergio Reguilon – 7/10
Reguilon played well after replacing the injured Doherty and provided a good attacking outlet down the left-hand side.
Lucas Moura – N/A
Not involved too much after coming on as he helped see the game out.
Steven Bergwijn – N/A
Not much impact after coming on.
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