Football-RSS

We dominated for long periods but had to wait until the final minute of the first half to open the scoring as Dele Alli’s quick thinking and early free-kick into Harry Kane was finished by the striker. The same pair combined again three minutes into the second half and that was just about that.

The win moved us to within two points of leaders Leicester in the Premier League – the Foxes play Newcastle on Monday night – and six and seven ahead of Arsenal and City respectively.

“It was very important to get the three points and to recover the good feeling after the last game against Borussia Dortmund, where the feeling wasn’t very good,” said Mauricio at Villa Park, referring to our 3-0 loss at the Bundesliga side in the Europa League on Thursday night.

“Now it’s important to keep in our way, keep this feeling and prepare for the next game.”

Below: Mauricio speaks to Spurs TV at Villa Park

These games are never easy – and we couldn’t get that key first goal until late in the first half…
Mauricio: “It’s always difficult. The most important thing is that we showed respect from the beginning and at no time played thinking like they are at the bottom of the table.”

What did you think of Dele Alli’s quick thinking for the first goal?
Mauricio: “It’s always important to have players who are clever and at that moment, to be ready to take advantage. It was an important action (from Dele) and key because after the chances we created and didn’t score, it was difficult. It was important for us to go 1-0 up and to score early in the second half as well.”

Harry had chances, hit the crossbar – but he keeps going…
Mauricio: “Harry is a very special player, he’s not just thinking about scoring but also thinking to work hard without the ball, and that’s what makes him so special.”

It’s the good end to the week that we needed…
Mauricio: “It was an important win and now we have some days to recover ahead of Thursday (return leg against Borussia Dortmund). That will be difficult, 3-0 down, but we will try to win the game and turn the tie around. It will be difficult because we have Borussia Dortmund in front of us and think they are one of the best teams in Europe, but we need to try.”

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Latest transfer rumours and football stories brought to you every minute of every day. For more stories like this subscribe to the RSS feed or sign up to the newsletter.

Today only, in partnership with the club, we have a one-off special offer on new Spurs photos (autographed).

Goals either side of half-time from Harry Kane, both set up by Dele Alli, saw us claim the points at Villa Park.

It could have been more, too, as Kane and Erik Lamela hit the woodwork in the first half, with Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan in inspired form.

The hosts also hit the frame of the goal a couple of times late on, but in truth it was a comfortable victory for us.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Hutton, Okore, Lescott (c), Cissokho; Westwood, Gana, Ayew; Gil (Sinclair 69), Veretout (Green 62), Gestede. Substitutes (not used): Bunn, Richards, Clark, Bacuna, Lyden.

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Lamela (Chadli 89), Alli (Mason 86), Eriksen (Carroll 78); Kane. Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Davies, Trippier, Son.

Goals: Spurs – Kane 45, 48.

Referee: Anthony Taylor.

Attendance: 32,393.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

More stories like that here every day. Please bookmark us and subscribe to our football RSS feed for updates on latest breaking news. Click to compare Spurs-branded football boots.

Having earlier hit the crossbar and then been denied by an in-form Brad Guzan in the home goal, the front man latched onto Dele Alli’s quickly-taken free-kick to fire us ahead on the stroke of half-time at Villa Park.

Erik Lamela had also hit the woodwork in a first period which we completely controlled.

Villa made a purposeful start to the second half but we soon stamped that out as Alli set up Kane to double his tally and draw himself level with Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy as the division’s top marksman with 19 league goals so far this term.

We saw out the game comfortably and, although Remi Garde’s men did hit the woodwork a couple of times towards the end, we closed the gap on leaders Leicester to two points, albeit having played one game more than the Foxes.

There were seven changes from the team defeated away to Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League on Thursday night with just Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Christian Eriksen retaining their starting places. The team was, however, unchanged from our last league outing against Arsenal.

The home side were desperate for a win after four straight defeats, while we were keen to return to winning ways after going three games without a victory in all competitions.

We almost got off to a flying start inside the opening five minutes when Lamela put Kane through on goal and the striker beat Guzan to the ball, but his chip over the onrushing stopper carried a bit too much power and it bounced off the bar and behind for a goal-kick.

Kyle Walker was enjoying the freedom of the right flank and sent in a couple of dangerous crosses early on before Alli stung the palms of Guzan with a low drive from distance.

Villa grew into the game but Eriksen was next to go close when he fizzed a shot narrowly past the post from 25 yards.

Five minutes later Kane saw a snapshot from a Danny Rose cross well saved by Guzan as we looked dangerous on the counter. Wimmer sent Kane away in the channel soon afterwards but again Guzan stood up to beat his effort away.

We were getting closer but Guzan was on fine form, pushing a low Lamela shot onto the base of the post on the half-hour mark after more good work from Walker.

The right-back, enjoying a terrific game, then forced the keeper into another save two minutes later with a low drive from the corner of the box.

We had a let-off late in the half when Rudy Gestede volleyed straight at Lloris from six yards out after a good delivery from Jordan Veretout.

It looked like Villa would hold out until the interval but Guzan was finally beaten on the stroke of half time. Alli showed great speed of thought to take a free-kick quickly after being brought down, which Kane collected in his stride and he drove into the box in the left channel before firing past the keeper from a tight angle.

There were a couple of nervy moments in the opening 30 seconds after the interval as Villa pushed forward, but we killed the game off with another goal at the other end on 48 minutes. Alli kept his cool on the left to pick out Kane, who ran onto the ball in the area and rifled it into the top corner.

We continued to look dangerous on the break and Walker almost grabbed another on the hour mark with a rasping drive that Guzan parried away to safety.

The second goal had taken the sting out of the game and the tempo dropped as a result. There was no room for  complacency, though, and Gestede fired a warning shot with 20 minutes to go when he chested the ball down and rifled wide on the angle.

Lamela had an effort deflected wide with 15 minutes to go and Alli looked intent on adding to his two assists for the afternoon with Villa there for the taking.

Having knocked the ball around with ease for most of the second half, we nearly allowed the hosts back into the game on 84 minutes as Jordan Ayew got away from Mousa Dembele down the left side and hit the post from close to the byline with the ball ricocheting off Lloris’ feet into the path of Gestede, but his thunderous shot hit the underside of the bar.

Four minutes later Villa went close again when young Andre Green, on as a substitute for his Premier League debut, whipped in a corner which Gestede flicked on, with Joleon Lescott hitting the woodwork at the back post.

That was it as far as chances went, though, and we made a deserved return to winning ways.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Hutton, Okore, Lescott (c), Cissokho; Westwood, Gana, Ayew; Gil (Sinclair 69), Veretout (Green 62), Gestede. Substitutes (not used): Bunn, Richards, Clark, Bacuna, Lyden.

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Lamela (Chadli 89), Alli (Mason 86), Eriksen (Carroll 78); Kane. Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Davies, Trippier, Son.

Goals: Spurs – Kane 45, 48.

Referee: Anthony Taylor.

Attendance: 32,393.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

All the latest breaking news and football stories, brought to you here in one handy view. For more stories like this please subscribe to our RSS feed.

Click here to read fan reviews of new Spurs gifts.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Latest transfer rumours and football stories brought to you every minute of every day. For more stories like this subscribe to the RSS feed or sign up to the newsletter.

Today only, in partnership with the club, we have a one-off special offer on new Spurs away kit.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Have you signed up for the newsletter. Every signup or comment left gets another entry into the draw. This week win Spurs-branded football boots.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Help support your site by browsing the club shop. You might find something you like. This week only we have a huge discount available on signed Spurs shirts.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Latest football news and rumours brought to you every minute of every day. For more like this subscribe to the RSS feed. To get a great offer see here for more Spurs merchandise.

Turn the clock back to November 2, 2014 and the striker, who had impressed up until then in cup competitions, stepped off the bench just before the hour mark with us trailing 1-0 against Villa at Villa Park.

Nacer Chadli equalised with five minutes left and then the grandstand finish as Harry struck a free-kick that clipped off the wall and nestled in the top corner, sparking great scenes of celebration in the away section as he raced over to the fans.

You cannot underestimate how important that moment was in the Academy graduate’s career.

Harry has started every match in the Premier League since that day- and racked up 37 league goals in in those 56 matches.

“I took the free-kick, it took a deflection and I could see the goalkeeper going one way and the ball heading towards the other corner,” he reflected.

“As soon as it went in it was pure emotion, I ran over to the fans, slid on my belly and everyone jumped on top. It was an amazing feeling.

“I’ve started every Premier League game since then. It definitely got the ball rolling and I’ve managed to score a few goals after that, so it’s definitely a game and a stadium where I’ll look back at where it all started.

Below: Flashback as Harry speaks to Spurs TV after his winner at Villa last season

“It was amazing game for me and the start of the journey. It will be great to go back and the most important thing is to go and get the win on Sunday.”

We travel to Birmingham in a determined mood after recent results against West Ham, Arsenal ans Borussia Dortmund.

Villa, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. “They are fighting against relegation so they will be up for this game,” stated Harry.

“They are at home so they will try to get the fans onside and we have to be ready for that, make sure we’re on our game and try to come away with a win.

“All games are difficult, especially when teams are fighting for points at the bottom of the table. We have to make sure we’re ready for that and try to get the result.”

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Latest transfer rumours and football stories brought to you every minute of every day. For more stories like this subscribe to the team RSS feed. For the comments there is a Comments RSS feed too. Amazing views that you wont get anywhere else.

Today we have a one-off special offer on new Spurs clothing.

First-half goals from Jamal Lewis and Ray Grant set the Canaries on the way to a 2-1 victory as we struggled to get going after an early miss from Will Miller in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League contest.

Chances were few and far between and after Benny Ashley-Seal hit the post for the visitors, we were reduced to 10 men when captain Kyle Walker-Peters picked up two bookings within 45 seconds of each other.

Miller did hit the target two minutes from time after good work from substitute Marcus Edwards and that lifted players and fans alike as we sought a late leveller, but it wasn’t to be.

“Unfortunately we were second best on the night,” reflected Under-21s Coach Ugo as he summed up the performance. “The biggest thing was that we didn’t play like we know we can – there was no penetration, not enough control and not enough passes strung together.

“In the last 10 minutes we had a go, scored, but it’s an extremely disappointing day at the office. We’re privileged to play at White Hart Lane in front of the fans, but it’s disappointing for the boys because we didn’t respond and we couldn’t find that extra level.

“The boys have worked hard, they’re an honest bunch but we weren’t smart enough when it came to a competitive battle against our opponents and we came out second best.”

Young attacking midfielder Edwards was influential in the build-up to our goal, having come on as a half-time substitute for centre-half Christian Maghoma. Ugo explained the thinking behind the switch: “It was a bit of both – tactical and medical. We needed to change, we never looked like scoring and we looked vulnerable so something had to be done. There could have been four or five that we could have changed but Mags also had a wound that opened up.

“We looked more of a threat after the break and Marcus has made an impact when he’s come on. There’s still some off-the-ball work that Marcus needs to do but that’s an ongoing project for him. He had an effect on the game but I think that’s probably just a quarter of what he’s capable of.

“It’s got to be a big learning curve for the boys tonight. We go again, though. The players have got to get rid of the disappointment and try to find another level of performance.”

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Subscribe to our football RSS feed for hourly updates on breaking news. Click here to read reviews of Spurs-branded football boots.

In a battle of two out-of-form sides in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League, neither of which had won in the competition since November, we came up short as first-half goals from Jamal Lewis and Ray Grant proved enough for the Canaries to escape with the points.

Our cause wasn’t helped by the dismissal of captain Kyle Walker-Peters towards the end of the second half after he picked up two yellow cards in the space of 45 seconds but we still managed to find a breakthrough when Miller finished emphatically in the 88th minute after good work from substitute Marcus Edwards to force a save from visiting goalkeeper Jake Kean.

That was as good as it got, though, and we were empty-handed when the final whistle sounded.

Quite how the opening goal didn’t go our way remains a mystery as Emmanuel Sonupe’s low drive from distance was spilled by Kean with Miller dashing in to pick up the pieces but, with his back to goal, he could only hook the ball over the open net with his left foot as he turned in the area with four minutes on the clock.

Less than 30 seconds later the deadlock was indeed broken – but at the other end. Grant picked out the run of Lewis and he rolled the ball low past Tom McDermott in goal from the left angle.

Benny Ashley-Seal then prodded wide on the volley after a looping ball in from the right, although the flag was up anyway, while Anthony Georgiou and Luke Amos had shots charged down as we looked to respond.

If anything, we looked at our most dangerous on the counter-attack in the opening quarter of the game with Georgiou and Zenon Styliandes both working hard down the left side, but the occasional diagonal ball to Sonupe on the opposite flank fell on deaf ears.

Norwich were gifted an opening on 25 minutes when a miscued McDermott clearance quickly found its way back in to Ashley-Seal in the box but, as he tried to get the ball out from under his feet, Christian Maghoma nipped in to take control and bring it clear.

Matters got worse for us on 37 minutes when Grant curled a free-kick over the wall and low inside the near post after Filip Lesniak brought marauding full-back Reece Hall-Johnson down 20 yards out.

Miller took the initiative as we approached half-time, collecting the ball and driving forward with purpose on a couple of occasions – the first almost leading to a goal on 42 minutes. He laid the ball off to Amos who in turn found Sonupe on the right, he was twice denied by left-back Arinse Uade who got blocks in but, after the second one went behind for a corner, the flag kick was taken short and Sonupe drove a dangerous low ball across the face of goal from the right but nobody was able to steer it home.

We made a change at the break as midfielder Marcus Edwards replaced Maghoma with Lesniak dropping in at centre-half, but it took 20 minutes for either side to have a real shot at goal. That was when Norwich’s Glenn Middleton teed up Grant to try a curler from the edge of the box but his effort sailed wide.

Five minutes later, Ebou Adams fired one towards goal from 25 yards but it was straight at McDermott and easy for the custodian to gather.

At the other end, Walker-Peters sent in a menacing low ball from the right which was turned away by Hall-Johnson before the Canaries went close to a third on 77 minutes when Ashley-Seal latched onto a through ball and fired beyond the advancing McDermott, but his effort crashed off the post.

Two minutes later we were reduced to 10 men as Walker-Peters was adjudged to have fouled Adams and, having been booked less than 45 seconds earlier, was shown a second yellow card and subsequent red.

McDermott then made two key saves in two minutes to deny Canaries substitute Louis McIntosh, first turning his low shot beyond the far post and then standing tall at his near post to block a fierce drive from the midfielder seven minutes from time.

We were thrown a lifeline on 88 minutes, though, when Edwards drove down the right and forced a save from Kean, with Miller quick to latch onto the rebound and strike home from eight yards.

Five minutes of stoppage time followed but neither goalkeeper was really troubled and Norwich claimed the points.

Spurs U21s: McDermott, Walker-Peters, Stylianides (Goddard 78), Lesniak, Walkes, Maghoma (Edwards 46), Sonupe, Amos, Miller, J Pritchard (Loft 54), Georgiou. Substitute (not used): Whiteman (GK).

Norwich City U21s: Kean, Hall-Johnson (c), Uade, Grant, Crowe, Efete, Middleton, Adams, Ashley-Seal, Eaton-Collins (McIntosh 46), Lewis. Substitutes (not used): Coker, Ramsay, Awuah, Beauchamp (GK).

Attendance: 972.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

Dont miss out on the new Spurs photos (autographed).