This week James Maddison enjoyed going head to head against his Tottenham teammate Micky van de Ven in a darts challenge with elite players Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall and the Spurs No 10 stepped up to the oche here to twist a cagey contest into their favour. By the end, however, Tottenham were able to revel in a comprehensive evisceration of 10-man Aston Villa.
When the fourth official, Darren Bond, indicated 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, it spelled bad news for Villa, at that point 2-0 and a man down. Then Son Heung-min got in on the act, adding Spurs’ third in consummate style, and the substitute Timo Werner completed the rout, side-footing in.
Until Maddison converted the ’s wicked cross from close range, it was a closely-matched contest with half-chances seemingly the order of the day. After Maddison scored he set about showcasing his now-trademark celebration to a different audience by throwing a few virtual arrows into a section of deflated Villa supporters.
Three minutes later, Spurs doubled their advantage, Brennan Johnson sweeping a first-time effort into the roof of the Villa net. Spurs’ hopes of returning to the Champions League next season are now back in their own hands.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Villa have had few off-days since Emery entered the building but this, a dank afternoon, was certainly one, compounded by the captain, John McGinn, being given a straight red card off for a wild challenge on Destiny Udogie midway through the second half.
McGinn, at the heart of Villa’s rise into the upper echelons on the division, had been on a one-man rampage to wrestle themselves back into the game but instead, hot-headed, he flew in on Udogie. Johnson and Maddison rushed to confront McGinn, who soon found himself on the touchline surrounded by Spurs players in front of a deeply unimpressed Ange Postecoglou. Emery pulled McGinn out of the wreckage but it was too late and McGinn handed the armband to Emiliano Martínez and headed down the tunnel.
It was effectively game over on 65 minutes. “Two-nil, in your cup final,” sang the travelling Spurs supporters rejoicing in Villa’s misery, after Johnson lashed in. Spurs hounded Villa high up the pitch, Dejan Kulusevski pinching the ball from Youri Tielemans and suddenly the visitors were three v one against the Villa defence. Son ran at Clément Lenglet and spied Johnson unmarked to his left. Inside three minutes, Spurs had left Villa in tatters.
after newsletter promotion
And then, after McGinn saw red, Spurs went for the jugular. Son struck before the substitute Werner made it four. Victory means Spurs are now only two points behind fourth-placed Villa but they have a game in hand on their opponents. This felt a like an afternoon when the pendulum swung in Spurs’ favour, though both teams still have to face Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.