The full-time whistle has blown in the Premier League clash between Tottenham and Aston Villa, and it’s time for our player ratings from the 3-2 defeat.
Spurs were the better team in the first half in North London this afternoon, but the likes of Savinho and Dominic Solanke squandered key chances before Aston Villa took full advantage of three of their own.
Despite a late fightback as Tottenham netted their opening two goals of the season through Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke, it wasn’t enough to overturn the three goal deficit.
Let’s take a look at our player ratings from Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa…
Tottenham full-time player ratings vs Aston Villa
Antonin Kinsky – The goalkeeper was well beaten for Villa’s first and third goals with two well-taken strikes. However, for the second, he should have done so much better and got a stronger hand on the ball. Made a superb stop to deny Jackson earlier in the game. 6.
Pedro Porro – Was the best player on the pitch when he was on the field but was forced off after 19 minutes because of an injury. He surely was a big miss. 7.
Jan Paul van Hecke – He managed to win a few aerial balls in the first forty-five minutes, but aside from that, a dreadful display. His duel-winning was poor, especially high up the pitch, he was also easy to dribble past and, overall, a lazy, lazy performance. He grabbed Spurs’ second, but it was a little too late. 4.
Micky van de Ven – The Dutchman had a couple of good moments in the first half, where he limited Jackson, especially when defending the channels. In the second half, it all crumbled, with van de Ven defending poorly for Jackson’s goal. He threw a lazy leg and was beaten far too easily. 5.
Andy Robertson – Questions will be asked about why he just did not let the ball go out for a corner in the build-up leading to Villa’s goal so van de Ven could come in. In the second half, Tottenham looked to attack a lot more from the left, with Robertson offering width. The full-back got into a couple of good positions, but the final ball was often lacking. He managed the assist for Van Hecke’s goal after a good delivery into the box following a set-piece. 5.5.
Rodrigo Bentancur – The midfielder had a quieter first half, where he mostly had to recycle possession and just keep the ball moving in the middle of the park. In the second half, he maintained the same role but was forced into a few timely interceptions to prevent Villa from getting in. It begs the question why the other midfielders aren’t putting in as much effort in tracking back. 6.
Sandro Tonali – In the first half, he showed his ball-carrying ability as he often brought the ball from deep into the Villa half. He came close to getting an assist, but Solanke failed to get the ball under his spell. He also came close with an effort from range that was narrowly wide. In the second half, he looked to bring some creativity from deep, often looking to release runners from deep. Played the pass to get Robertson on his bike for the disallowed goal. 6.5.
Mateus Fernandes – He started the first half brilliantly, when Porro was on, with the two alongside Savio linking up well and Savio looking to underlap and get crosses in. But his influence on the game dwindled in that half. He was eventually taken off at half-time. 5.
Omar Marmoush – In the first half, the versatile forward did have a few half chances and, had his touch been better after van Hecke’s pass, he could have been in, but it was not to be. In the second half, no clear-cut chance as he was moved to the number nine position. 4.
Dominic Solanke – It was a frustrating outing in general for the forward, who did not manage a single shot on target in both halves. He did, however, look to get involved in the overall play across the two halves, dropping deep and linking with his teammates, but when Spurs are searching for a goal, that is far from what they need. He was subbed off for James Maddison after 65 minutes. 4.
Savio – Started the first half brightly and forced a couple of good saves from Suzuki from inside the box – but he should have really scored. He then managed another attempt from the edge of the box with a volley, but again was denied. In the second half, he struggled to beat his man Ruggeri, who grew into the game. He was eventually moved out to the left and won a few free kicks. 5.
Substitutes
Archie Gray – The youngster replaced Porro and brought a lot of energy following his introduction, getting forward and linking well with Savio in the first half. In the second half, though, his influence in the final third did dwindle, and at times Villa found loads of space down on the right of Spurs’ defence. 4.5.
Mohammed Kudus – He came on for Mateus Fernandes as Spurs chased the game. The Ghana international grew into the match and thought he had given Tottenham their first goal of the season after seven hours, his effort, however, was ruled out. He did turn creator for Spurs’ first goal of the season with some moment of magic and trickery in the box. 6.5.
James Maddison – Came on for Solanke and tried his best to clip some balls in behind. Needs to be starting games to have more of an influence, you feel. He definitely should have closed Buendia down quicker when he left fly for Villa’s third to get a block in. 6.
Conor Gallagher – Replaced Sandro Tonali and got Tottenham their first goal of the season with his first touch of the game. 6.5.
Lucas Bergvall – Came on for Bentancur in what was a like-for-like change. N/A.