Aston Villa (Away) 16.05.2025

With the onus on Villa to win and with little riding on the match for Tottenham, the majority of changes were in the Tottenham side, with Villa having to make three to cover injuries as the teams took to the pitch on a sunny evening in Birmingham. Ben Davies’ ball over Cash saw Son running onto the ball into the box, but he tried to score it for Mathys Tel in the middle rather than go for goal and the ball deflected through to the keeper.  Then it was Toni Kinsky’s turn to be busy, touching a cross away from Watkins’ head and then getting down to a shot in the middle of his goal.  He didn’t have to do anything when Djed Spence stood on the ball on the edge of the box and it ran for McGinn, as the Villa captain powered a shot but with no accuracy, sending it flying high over the bar.

A short Villa free-kick didn’t beat the Spurs defence and it was headed out to Wilson Odobert, who linked with Son to take the ball forward to the Villa box, where the skipper went to bend one into the far corner, but got it a bit too high.  Spurs came even closer in the 16th minute when Spurs made some sharp first-time passing to move past Villa players and Son played a forward pass to Odobert.  His pass left to Tel was returned and with his back to the goal Wilson tried to drag the ball around him and forced Martinez into a save.  Toni moved his feet quickly to get across at full stretch to his left to push away a touch from Rogers, who glanced a shot at goal from Onana’s cross.

Danso did well to block a shot from Watkins after Ascensio had drifted past a couple of Tottenham players, but Son got away on the left once more, although there was nobody up with him to find in the box, so the ball had to go back.   Villa were enjoying more of the possession with Ascensio bending a shot wide after coming in from the right and then he floated a free-kick for Konsa to head down at goal, but it was a comfortable save for Kinsky. Another cross was headed out by Odobert, who sent Son down the left wing, but when he got level with the box, his pass was behind Tel and Odobert allowing a good position to go begging.  In between, Archie Gray was booked for a challenge on Watkins, who thought he would try to take the youngster on.

That was it for the first half and when Kinsky claimed a corner in the air, his throw sent Odobert away over the halfway line, but his touch was too close to Kamara otherwise he would have been in on goal.  Ten minutes into the half, after a flare-up between Konsa and Tel and also Reguilon and Onana, Tottenham had a long period of passes in the Villa half, but it came to nothing.  A long corner was headed back towards goal and Konsa got enough on his shot to turn the ball past Kinsky to give Villa the lead.

Straight away, a ball into the Tottenham box fell for Watkins, but Ben got to it first and then Watkins kicked the Welshman, but Kinsky did well to get down to it and push it wide then grab the loose ball.  There was a hilarious moment just after the hour when Mathys fouled Konsa, who then got kicked by Rogers, with both Villa players going to ground in pain !  Kamara ran along the edge of the box from right to left and as he reached the D, he shot low past Kinsky’s right hand.

The game petered out after that with Spurs bringing on substitutes to give them a run out before the final, but it was another disappointing  performance albeit not surprising with the club’s eyes on another prize. There is much more at stake in Wednesday’s match than this, with a 17th place and the club’s worst Premier League record assured, there was little more than giving it a bit of a go. With the FA obligingly moving the game to give us a couple of extra days preparation for the Europa League Final, Tottenham obligingly rolled over for Villa to maintain their challenge for a Champions League place through a league placing.  Spurs might yet do the same, but it will be with a very different side out and will need a very different performance.

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