Antonio Conte speaks ...
“We know the difficulty of playing Villa away,” he tells the BBC. “This stadium had a great atmosphere and I want to thank our fans because they were not in the same number but they pushed us from the start to the end - so to give them this type of satisfaction is great for us.
“We work to improve the players but also to make our fans satisfied about their team and that happened today. We are pleased - not an easy game but we showed resilience in the first half when Villa tried to push a lot and put a lot of pressure on us. Every time we tried to play the ball and have a chance we did score.”
On his team’s resilience in the face of Villa’s first half pressure. “To be resilient is important if we want to be a top team,” he says. “In every game there are moments when the opponent can create difficulty and if we are not strong you will never win something or do something important.
“We are going in this aspect, I’m very happy because I have a group of players who want to show me that they will improve in many aspects. When you have this you have to be happy to work with them and to try to do something important at the end of the season. Seven games to go and we are showing that we are deserving to stay in the race for a place in the Champions League.”
Steven Gerrard speaks ...
“It’s tough - the scoreline is harsh on us, but it’s the reality and we have to accept that,” he tells the BBC. “I have to accept it - I’m responsible. The story of the game certainly wasn’t a 4-0 game.
“It’s the first time in football I’ve gone off at half-time 1-0 down and been really happy and proud, we were magnificent. We didn’t take our chances but at half-time I said if we can continue this I have no doubt we get back into the game. The second half it flipped, Spurs’ quality players made it about our backline and they punished us really heavily.”
Match report: Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League: Heung Min-son scored a hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur swatted Villa aside, despite having to weather a lengthy first half onslaught.
What now for Villa? They’ve lost four matches in a row and are away to Leicester City in their next game. The last time they lost five games in a row, Dean Smith was sacked.
Today’s Premier League results
- Everton 1-0 Manchester United
- Arsenal 1-2 Brighton
- Southampton 0-6 Chelsea
- Watford 0-3 Leeds United
- Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham
- View the Premier League table
Full time: Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! It’s all over at Villa Park, where Tottenham Hotspur have won for the eighth time in a row. Heung Min-son was the hero, scoring a hat-trick, with Dejan Kulusevski chipping in with the other. Antonio Conte is delighted, shjowering his players in kisses as they pull three points clear of Arsenal in the race for fourth place in the Premier League.
90+1 min: Harry Kane gets booked for a cynical challenge of his own, diving in from behind to try to stop Leon Bailey advancing up the right. The Villa substitute stumbles but stays on hias fdeet, continues his run and wins a corner. Kane is booked retrospectively. Nothing comes from the set piece.
89 min: Leon Bailey curls a shot wide after being teed up by a diabolical clearance from Hugo Lloris, who appeared to lose his footing as he tried to play the ball forward.
86 min: It will be intriguing to hear what Steven Gerrard makes of this performance from his Villa side. Having conceded very early in the first half, they completed dominated the next 42 minutes, squandering a raft of good chances. The early concession of a goal in the second half completely knocked the stuffing out of them and Spurs have run out easy winners.
Gerrard said after their defeat at the hands of Wolves last week that his team were a 45-minute side and he planned to put a stop to that. Tonight they were a 42-minute side.
84 min: Tottenham Hotspur substitution: Steven Bergwijn on for Dejan Kulusevski, who’s had another good game in a Spurs shirt.
82 min: Ashley Young takes one for the team, sliding in with a late challenge from behind to take Harry Kane out and prevent him galloping upfield. That’s a nasty, cynical challenge which gets the booking it deserves and Kane needs treatment on his ankle. It’s not too serious and he’s fit to continue.
80 min: Lucas Digne is aggressively shouldered off the ball and out over the byline by Christian Romero. He goes down holding his shoulder, receives treatment and then walks off, gingerly holding his arm in a manner that suggests he might have done his collarbone a mischief. He’s replaced by Ashley Young.
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78 min: Tottenham substitution: hat-trick hero Heung Min-son is replaced by Lucas Moura. Son looks disconsolate as he walks to the sideline, where he gets a very warm embrace from Antonio Conte.
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77 min: Extensive research (a replay) tells me it was Christian Romero who floated the ball out of defence to send Tottenham on their way for their third goal. Kane used the pace of the ball to divert it into the path of Son with his neatly coiffured head.
73 min: Emerson Royal is booked for a reckless challenge on Lucas Digne.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur (Son 71)
Son gets his hat-trick. He fires past Emiliano Martinez, having been given loads of time to pick his spot after being teed up by an unselfish Kulusevski. The winger eschewed a more difficult shooting opportunity of his own to set up his team-mate.
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70 min: Villa double-substitution: Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia on for Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho.
68 min: I’m not sure who lumped the ball from the back towards Kane but while the ball was in mid-air, Son set off on his gallop towards the Villa goal. Kane took a glance to see where Son was going, nodded the ball into his path and without having to break stride, the South Korean was able to take control, advance and slot past Martinez.
Goal! Aston Villa 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Game, set and match Tottenham. Son scores his second, running on to a through ball flicked on from the head of Kane on the halfway line. In a one-on-one with Emiliano Martinez, he makes no mistake.
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64 min: Sergio Reguilon tries to barge past Matty Cash down the inside left channel but the defender nicks the ball off his toe and plays it forward as the Spaniard’s momentum carries him over the byline and off the pitch.
62 min: Villa are plugging away gamely but with nowhere near the intensity and gusto with which they took the game to Tottenham for most of the first half.
61 min: A Spurs corner, which Son takes. Danny Ings clears.
60 min: Tottenham clear Digne’s third effort, albeit unconvincingly. The ball pings around a bit before breaking to Ings. He curls a shot wide.
59 min: This time, Digne’s delivery goes out for another corner when Konsa’s header goes out off Dier.
58 min: Romero concedes a corner. Digne’s inswinger is put out for another off Eric Dier.
55 min: Having missed six decent scoring chances in the first half, Villa now trail by two goals and look visibly deflated after all their fine efforts came to nothing. That Kulusevski goal was a real sucker-punch.
53 min: There’s a break in play as Tyrone Mings receives treatment for an injury. He leaves the pitch and then returns immediately. I’m not sure whether he hurt himself before, during or after Tottenham’s goal.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Kulusevski 50)
Ah, Villa. Harry Kane holds off Konsa and chests a long ball from deep into the path of Kulusevski’s run. The Swede gallops forwards past Tyrone Mings and shoots past Emiliano Martinez from a tightish angle. Having conceded early in the first half, Villa have now conceded early in the second. D’oh.
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48 min: Lucas Digne sticks in a leg to prevent Emerson Royal getting in behind him at the byline after good link-up play with Harry Kane. Corner for Spurs. Mings clears Son’s outswinger.
47 min: John McGinn brings Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to ground with a meaty challenge but escapes a booking.
Second half: Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
46 min: Play resumes with no changes in personnel on either side. Can Villa pick up where they left off?
Half-time: ASton Villa 0-1 Tottenham
Peep: The teams adjourn to their dressing-rooms with Tottenham leading courtesy of Son’s opener on three minutes. ASton Villa have performed well since ... up to a point. For all their dominance they have failed to score and missed enough chances to win four or five football matches. Steven Gerrard will be pleased with their efforts so far.
45+5 min: Kulusevski needlessly barges into Jacob Ramsey, giving Villa a free-kick in the channel between touchline and the left side of the penalty area. Philippe Coutinho tries to whip the ball inside the near post but Lloris keeps it out. Just.
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45+2 min: Matty Cash puts his foot through a dropping ball crossed by Lucas Digne from the far flank. Lloris saves at the foot of the post but again can’t hold on to the ball. Not for the first time this evening, neither Danny Ings nor Ollie Watkins are on hand to capitalise.
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45+1 min: Ben Davies contests a bouncing ball with Ollie Watkins in the Spurs penalty area, preventing the Villa striker from controlling it and getting off a shot. Watkins goes to ground and Villa’s fans appeal for a penalty. Their striker, however, does not. It was a robust but fair challenge from Davies, who got himself between Watkins and the ball.
43 min: Ha! Spurs sweep forward on the break and Reguilon steps inside before unleashing a curled effort from the edge of the Villa penalty area. It takes a deflection that wrong-foots Martinez in the Villa goal but he and Mings manage to scramble the ball clear between them.
41 min: Having said that, it would come as no great surprise to see Spurs sweep forward on the break and score another goal before half-time.
39 min: Spurs are really on the back foot here, having only got the ball out of their own half once in the past 15 minutes or so. Villa’ pressing is tenacious and dogged and Spurs are struggling to hold on to the ball for any length of time.
37 min: Villa pile on the pressure and win another corner. Spurs fail to clear it properly and the ball’s flicked towardds the far post. Danny Ings somehow shoots wide on the half-volley when scoring looked easier. You’ve got to say he’ll be disappointed with that, Clive.
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35 min: Jacob Ramsey tracks back to intercept a Son through ball to Emerson Royal on the right side of the Villa penalty area. Outstanding defending.
33 min: Tottenham continue to lead but Villa have dominated for the past 15 minutes, penned Spurs back and probably should have equalised by now. They win another corner, which Harry Kane clears at the near post.
32 min: Ollie Watkins heads high over the bar after Philippe Coutinho stands the ball up for him from the left side of the penalty area. Watkins is unable to get over the ball and head it downwards.
29 min: Hojbjerg is booked for a foul on Coutinho out by the far touchline. Moments later, Hjobjerg and Danny Ings collide in the Spurs penalty area and both go down needing treatment. The physios of both teams are earning their money today.
27 min: Ooof! It’s one from the training ground as Coutinho scoops the ball over the Villa wall. Ings peels away and looks to have a straightforward task in swatting a volley past Lloris, but fails to connect cleanly. He scuffs a lame effort into the Tottenham goalkeeper’s arms. Close, but no cigar.
25 min: Romero fouls Matty Cash to concede a free-kick about 30 yards from the Tottenham goal. Luiz, McGinn and Coutinho all fancy their chances.
23 min: They’re dropping like flies here. Now Jacob Ramsey needs treatment after a challenge he made on Bentancur.
21 min: Oh dear. Reguilon is pole-axed by Danny Ings, who sticks out a leg to block a clearance. The substitute smashes his instep into the striker’s studs with his follow-through. Ings gets booked.
20 min: Tottenham substitution: Sergio Reguilon replaces Matt Doherty, who has been struggling for some time.
19 min: Tyrone Mings tackles Kulusevski, winning the ball but taking out the Swede with his follow through.
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17 min: John McGinn is teed up by Lucas Digne and unleashes a thunderbolt. It’s on target and straight at Lloris, who punches it clear. Villa are having the better of things at the moment.
15 min: Ollie Watkins has a shot saved and then Hugo Lloris saves brilliantly from Jacob Ramsey after the young midfielder had danced past several midfielders before unleashing a rising drive. A corner for Villa - Douglas Luiz fails to clear the first man.
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14 min: Matty Cash tries his luck with a low drive from distance after running on to a pass from Coutinho. Hugo Lloris saves but can’t hold on to the ball. There’s nobody in a Villa shirt following up to capitalise.
12 min: Doherty continues to receive treatment and takes a painkiller. Or maybe it was a Skittle or a Smint. It’s difficult to tell. Anyway, he’s soldiering on for now but still limping. Tottenham have Sergio Reguillon and Ryan Sessegnon in reserve.
10 min: Matt Doherty is back on the pitch but is now on his knees, face down on the turf with his head in his hands. It’s difficult to see him lasting much longer.
9 min: Play resumes with Doherty receiving treatment off the pitch. Villa advance and Ings tries and fails to play in Ollie Watkins. He had better options to his left.
6 min: Matt Doherty is down injured and looking in considerable distress after a clash with Matty Cash, who challenged him for the ball out near the touchline.
5 min: So much for Steven Gerrard sorting out Villa’s habit of starting matches slowly. That famous furrow in his brow will be deeper than the Grand Canyon after those opening three minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham (Son 3)
Spurs lead! Kane capitalises on a poor defensive header from Konsa to tee up Son, who lashes the ball into the bottom left-hand corner from the edge of the penalty area.
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3 min: Tyrone Mings does well to stick out a leg and intercept a Harry Kane ball from deeptowards Kulusevski.
1 min: The camera cuts to Antonio Conte on the touchline, who already looks fed up. Evidently he didn’t win his local pub’s Grand National sweepstake. Kulsevski charges forward up the right, cuts inside and tries to square the ball but sees it cleared.
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur is go
1 min: Noble Yeats wins the Grand National, which means I win £50 in my local pub sweepstake. We’ll put a good dent in that later but for now let’s concentrate on the football.
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Not long now: As what’s left of the the Grand National field heads for Valentine’s Brook for the final time, the players of Aston Villa and Tottenham march out on to the Villa Park sward.
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Harry Kane haircut report: Harry has had a neat trim.
Villa v Spurs: Tottenham’s side is unchanged from the side that walloped Newcastle last weekend. Aston Villa make two changes: Douglas Luiz and Danny Ings come in to the side.
Arsenal have lost against Brighton: Mikel Arteta’s side have gone 2-1 at home, which means Spurs are in fourth place in the table, level on 54 points with Arsenal but ahead on goal difference having played the same number of games. West Ham and Manchester United are three points behind on 51 points, with each having played one game more.
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur line-ups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey, Coutinho, Ings, Watkins.
Subs: Sanson, Buendia, Traore, Chambers, Young, Nakamba, Olsen, Bailey, Chukwuemeka.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Doherty, Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
Subs: Reguilon, Sanchez, Winks, Rodon, Sessegnon, Gollini, Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, White.
Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)
Match officials
- Referee: Graham Scott
- Assistants: Harry Lennard and Mark Scholes
- Fourth official: Craig Pawson
- VAR: Jarred Gillett
Early team news
Marvelous Nakamba, Kortney Hause and Lucas Digne are all available for selection after recovering from various aches, pains and strains, while Danny Ings could feature after missing a Wolves game that came just hours of the birth of his child. Danny Ings? Daddy Ings, more like. Eh? Eh? Oh.
Sergio Reguilon is available for Spurs after returning from a knee injury but may have to settle for a place on the bench after Christian Romero impressed against Newcastle United last weekend. Defender Japhet Tanganga is out for the rest of the season, while midfielder Oliver Skipp is also sidelined.
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Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
Buoyed in in no small part by the defeats inflicted on Manchester United and Arsenal today, Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Midlands seeking their seventh straight win at Villa Park as they try to boost their top four credentials.
They face opponents who are comfortable in mid-table but trying to arrest a run of three consecutive defeats which have infuriated their manager. Steven Gerrard is growing increasingly frustrated by his team’s poor performances in the first half of games.
“It’s a game we never turned up for,” said Steven Gerrard after his side’s latest defeat. “We’re playing Wolves, a local rival, but you can’t come to derbies at half time. We’re looking like a 45-minute team and that’s on me – we gifted Wolves two goals. I’ve got to fix it and I will fix it.”
Find out how Gerrard plans to rectify matters from 5.30pm but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build up.
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