Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham: Key Stats and Player Ratings

Goals from Andros Townsend and Roberto Soldado secured a comfortable victory over an Aston Villa side that struggled without the services of star striker Christian Benteke. The Belgian began the game on the bench but his arrival galvanised the home side before Soldado put paid to any hopes of a comeback with a cool finish from Paulinho’s superb assist in the second half.

Aston Villa:

Brad Guzan (0)

A smart save from Townsend kept the deficit down but was bamboozled by Soldado’s run for the first goal. But Spurs failed to really test him with just two saves overall.

Leandro Bacuna (3)

Couldn’t cope with the movement of Holtby, Sigurdsson and the overlapping Vertonghen down the left, making just one successful tackle. He did however, make four interceptions.

Ron Vlaar (9)

Dependable at times, making nine successful clearances and kept Soldado quiet for much of the game.

Nathan Baker (6)

A late replacement for Clark, the defender performed admirably in the face of a constant barrage of Spurs offences, retaining the ball well with a 80 per cent pass completion rate.

Antonio Luna (-15)

Didn’t really cope with the in-form Townsend and the advancing Walker, with the goal coming from his flank initially but he did make four successful clearances.

Karim El Ahmadi (-9)

Struggled to impose himself on the game with just 20 passes in midfield for a 75 per cent pass completion.

Ashley Westwood (-13)

Booked early on for a nasty high tackle on Holtby, he struggled to get going with no tackles attempted against a dominant Spurs midfield. Westwood made just one successful cross from seven attempts today.

Fabian Delph (10)

Showed some excellent touches going forward and was Villa’s brightest performer with a 88 per cent pass accuracy rating. He also won all four of his tackles.

Andreas Weimann (-3)

Had several good chances to grab a goal for Villa but couldn’t take advantage with all six of his shots going off target.

Gabriel Agbonlahor (-28)

His pace threatened on the break occasionally but Villa couldn’t get the ball enough to utilise it with the Englishman making just ten passes in the game.

Libor Kozak (-19)

Struggled to make an impact as Benteke’s shadow loomed large and failed to make a single shot and lost six of his nine headed duels.

Subs:

Christian Benteke (-1)

On for the ineffectual Kozak, his arrival triggered an upturn in the Villa performance and won seven out of eight headed duels.

Yacouba Sylla (9)

Replaced El Ahmadi after 70 minutes, he completed all six of his passes for a 100 per cent completion rate.

Aleksandar Tonev (6)

A late substitution for Agbonlahor, he had little time to make an impact.

Tottenham:

Hugo Lloris (33)

The occasional issues on the ball aside with just 54 per cent of his passes reaching a team-mate, the Frenchman was largely untroubled.

Kyle Walker (32)

Got forward well and supported the dangerous Townsend, completing 81 per cent of his passes.

Vlad Chiriches (19)

Several well-timed tackles helped keep a clean sheet and looked uncomfortable on the ball, with an 85 per cent pass completion rate.

Matt Dawson (27)

The stand-out defender as he swept up behind his partner and covered for the occasional mistake, making 11 clearances.

Jan Vertonghen (11)

Forced into an unfamiliar position, the Belgian provided excellent width on the left as Sigurdsson drifted inside, completing one take on and 75 per cent of his passes.

Paulinho (3)

A superb assist for Soldado and Dembele’s arrival transformed Paulinho’s game and the Brazilian finished the game on a high with an 88 per cent pass accuracy rate.

Sandro (21)

An assured display and competed well in midfield, winning two of three tackles.

Andros Townsend (35)

A whipped cross drifted into the far corner for the opening goal and was a constant danger throughout, taking on his man successfully five times, no player made more take-ons than him.

Lewis Holtby (2)

A bright spark in midfield as he drifted across the midfield to great effect with an 78 per cent pass completion rate.

Gylfi Sigurdsson (-7)

An average display from the Icelander but he combined well with Vertonghen on the left, attempting seven crosses although none reached their target.

Roberto Soldado (47)

Struggled to make an impact on the game in the first-half but he burst into life in the second to convert a Paulinho reverse pass to score Spurs’ second goal of the evening, his only shot of the game. He did also assist Townsend’s goal.

Subs:

Aaron Lennon (-11)

Replacing Sigurdsson, he did well to keep the ball with a 92 per cent pass completion rate.

Moussa Dembele (18)

On for Holtby, his arrival helped Spurs maintain possession better with a 94 per cent pass accuracy.

Jermain Defoe (-3)

Subbed on for Solado, he had little chance to impress.