Tottenham player ratings in 0-4 win over Aston Villa
By Aaron Coe
After a massive win last weekend against Newcastle, Antonio Conte named an unchanged Tottenham Hotspur team for Aston Villa, so how did Spurs rate in another runaway win.
Before the game had even begun, Tottenham Hotspur knew they had a real opportunity in front of them, given the losses of Manchester United and Arsenal. With a chance to move a full three points ahead of Arsenal in fifth, Spurs came out of the dressing room ready. An early flurry of action, including a long ball down the middle, led to an early Tottenham 0-1 lead. That early goal shaped the rest of the first half, as Aston Villa furiously fought to level the match, and Spurs absorbed the pressure, waiting for the second half to finish the Villians in the 0-4 win.
Tottenham Forward Ratings
In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Conte kept his front three, clicking like a car starter. The connection between Son and Kane is to be expected given how long they have played together; however, the addition of Kulusevski has taken this group to the next level.
Left-forward – Heung-Min Son – 10
Alert and ready early in the match, Heung-min Son quickly responded to a block on a shot from Harry Kane and scored with a first-time strike. The goal was critical in a first half that was all Aston Villa following the early score. Like everyone else, Son spent most of the first half defending after scoring his goal and did his part. In the second half, Son finished the game for Spurs. After not beating Martinez to a long ball earlier in the second half, Son timed his run perfectly off Kane to get Spurs’ third goal. Son’s patience in the box to wait for the ball from Kulusevski gave him his hattrick. Having scored six goals in his last three matches, Sonny is back in a purple patch.
Centre-forward – Harry Kane – 9
Harry Kane looked strong early in the match, looking to hold possession in the midfield and make plays on the turn or with his back to goal. After seeing several teammates get crunched on the ball, Kane appeared tentative getting on the ball the rest of the first half, as Spurs settled into a 5-4-1 formation to absorb Villa’s possession. Some subtle changes made things different for Kane and the club in the second half. Like with the first goal, Kane was instrumental in Spurs’ second goal, as he battled Mings for the ball that Kulusevski ran onto. Depending. Kane got a second official assist on the third goal as he saw Sonny running behind him and hit his flick off a Romero long-ball to perfection. He never got his goal and absorbed a crunching late tackle from Ashley Young that has to leave Conte and fans worried but continues to shine.
Right-forward – Dejan Kulusevski – 8.5
Looking alert and breaking into the box within the first minute of the match, Dejan Kulusevski looked up to the challenge he has since arrived. A bit quieter the rest of the half after taking a hard tackle from Tyronne Mings; Kulusevski came out in the second half, ready to go. Deki did well running behind Kane on a long ball from Lloris, then slotted one, not the far post, past Mings and Martinez to give Spurs the 2-0 lead early in the second half. Working tirelessly on defence and ready to sprint forward at a moment’s notice, it is hard to say enough good things about the work of Kulusevski. That willingness to run led to Deki picking up the ball in space on the right and finding Son for Spurs’ fourth goal on the day.