Star English midfielder Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia led Aston Villa’s comeback to bag a 2-1 win against Tottenham on Sunday, October 19, furthering the woes of the north London club on their home
ground.
Rodrigo Bentancur gave Thomas Frank’s side an early lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, Rogers equalised with a superb strike before halftime, and Buendia came off the bench to clinch the win in the final stages.
Tottenham’s poor home form in the Premier League, with 11 defeats and only three wins in 18 league games, has been a significant issue for Frank since he took over from the sacked Ange Postecoglou in the close-season.
While most of those home defeats occurred under Postecoglou last term, Frank’s brief tenure has yielded mixed results at the club’s 62,000-seat stadium, with boos heard after a loss to Bournemouth in August and a 1-1 draw with struggling Wolves last month.
The end of Tottenham’s seven-game unbeaten streak in all competitions left them in sixth place following Frank’s second defeat in eight league games.
“It was exactly the game I expected it to be, very tight. There weren’t too many chances. I think overall it could’ve gone either way,” Frank said.
“I think 1-1 would’ve been a fair result. Villa scored two goals from outside the box in moments where you wouldn’t expect them to score.
“Fair play for their moments of quality. We also easily could have won.”
Villa have responded to their longest winless start to a season since 1964 with five consecutive victories, three in the Premier League and two in the Europa League, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches.
Notably, Villa finally defeated a top-four rival away from home after taking just one point from six trips last season to the English sides currently in the Champions League.
Unai Emery’s team has climbed to 10th place as they aim to re-enter the race for Champions League qualification.
“The way the players responded, even when we were losing 1-0, this is the way we are trying to get better at and try to build the team with this structure,” Emery said.
“Most importantly, we are recovering some players. The dressing room is different now.”
Already missing James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke due to fitness issues, Frank lost captain Cristian Romero to an injury during the pre-match warm-up.
Despite this setback, Tottenham took the lead within five minutes.
Star Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus’ cross was headed back across the goal by Micky van de Ven towards Bentancur, who finished past Emiliano Martinez from eight yards.
Bentancur celebrated by placing the ball under his shirt to create a bump, paying tribute to his pregnant wife.
Tottenham forward Wilson Odobert threatened with a low shot that Martinez saved in the driving rain.
But Rogers pulled Villa level spectacularly after 37 minutes.
The England midfielder’s first goal of the season was worth the wait.
From 20 yards out, Rogers unleashed a stunning strike that left Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario grasping at air as it curled over his outstretched arm.
Odobert’s goal-bound effort was blocked by Ezri Konsa before Martinez denied Joao Palhinha as Tottenham tried to take control in the second half.
However, Mathys Tel joined Tottenham’s growing injury list, limping off to have a heavy bandage wrapped around his knee.
Frank’s problems were increasing, and Villa took full advantage in the 77th minute.
Matty Cash’s cross-field pass found Lucas Digne, who set up Buendia to whip a fine finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Randal Kolo Muani, making his Premier League debut, should have saved Tottenham in stoppage time, but the on-loan Paris Saint-Germain striker missed the target with the goal at his mercy.
(With AFP Inputs)
