If the sign of a good team is winning without playing especially well, then Antonio Conte’s Tottenham are developing into a top side.
For the second weekend running, Spurs romped to a four-goal win, beating Aston Villa 4-0 thanks to clinical hat-trick from Heung-min Son.
The visitors were far from dominant throughout and had to withstand a first-half battering from Villa, who missed a string of chances and forced Hugo Lloris into no fewer than seven sharp saves before the interval, three of which were brilliant.
But, just as against Newcastle last weekend, Spurs blew their opponents away after the break, Dejan Kulusevski also scoring.
Ominously for Spurs’ rivals, both for this season’s top four and long-term, this is still not a team capable of playing Conte’s football for a full 90 minutes but when they do turn it out, they are near enough unstoppable, thanks to a clinical front three of Son, Harry Kane and Kulusevski who are increasingly making a claim to be the League’s most dangerous trio.
Villa did not do much wrong, and played some intricate, high-tempo football at times, but Spurs’ were simply too good in the final third.
As in the 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle, Kane did not score but was nonetheless hugely influential, assisting Spurs’ second and third goals at the start of the second half with brilliant headers.
The first was a brave win in the air against Ezri Konsa, with Kulusevski then arrowing a super finish into the far corner for the real sucker-punch. The second was a superb flick into the channel for Son to run clear and beat Emi Martinez one-on-one with a cool finish.
Kulusevski also assisted Son’s third with a neat cutback. What a signing the Swede is proving to be.
But as well as another demonstration of their firepower, this win was also a test of Spurs’ mettle as they withstood a ferocious spell of Villa pressure, which lasted from Son’s stunning third-minute strike until the final seconds of the first half, when Lloris clawed away Philippe Coutinho’s free-kick.
While Spurs rode their luck, they also fought determinedly and showed no signs of the soft underbelly which characterised the squad before Conte’s appointment.
Their defending of set pieces was also impressive and notably better than at the start of the year when they were susceptible from corners and free-kicks.
Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton, their second loss on the bounce, and Everton’s win over Manchester United made this a huge opportunity for Spurs to put themselves firmly in control of their own destiny but they showed no indication they were feeling the pressure.
Spurs should now be considered firm favourites for the last Champions League place and, encouragingly, it still feels as though they are just getting started.
Lloris stands up
It was easy to overlook another Lloris mistake after Tottenham’s devastating second-half display in last weekend’s hammering of Newcastle.
The goalkeeper weakly allowed Fabian Schar’s freekick to sneak inside the post, continuing a spell of poor form since he agreed a new contract in January.
So perhaps Spurs were overdue a big performance from their captain, who was as important to this victory as Son with an inspired performance.
The Frenchman made seven first half saves, including spectacular one-handed stops to deny Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn.
According to Opta, it was the most saves by any goalkeeper in the first half of any Premier League match since 2006-07, reflecting Villa’s dominance and Lloris’ brilliance.
He finished the first half by clawing Coutinho’s opportunistic free-kick off the line, summing up the first 45 minutes. Villa were the better side but could not beat Spurs’ final line of defence.
Lloris has been guilty of errors in important matches but this was a big performance from the goalkeeper when it mattered, ensuring his team went in ahead at half time and could ultimately capitalise on Arsenal’s defeat.
Furious Hojbjerg relishes the battle
Tottenham’s unsung hero in the middle of the park was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
The Dane can scarcely have taken such a kicking in his career, with Villa’s ultra-physical press especially targeting him in the first half.
But he stood up to the challenge magnificently, riding challenge after challenge, even as he appeared to grow increasingly furious with the lack of protection from the referee.
Hojbjerg has struggled for consistency this season but he has been excellent for Spurs in the last few games, and after last week’s win over Newcastle Conte singled him out for praise unprompted in his post-match press conference.
His performance here was even better than against the Toon, particularly as Rodrigo Bentancur struggled with Villa’s intensity before the break.
Conte continues to be frustrated by the absence of Oliver Skipp but Hojbjerg’s form is ensuring Spurs remain strong in the middle of the park without the England U-21 international.
