The half-time whistle has blown in the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hitspur, and it’s time for our player ratings.
Tottenham Hotspur head into the break leading 2-0 at Villa Park after a display of high intensity and purpose, and are now out of the bottom three, sitting in 17th place as they look to capitalise on West Ham’s defeat on Saturday.
Let us take a look at how the individual players got on:
Antonin Kinsky – The Czech international has barely been tested in this encounter, with Villa not managing a single shot at goal. 6.
Pedro Porro – The rotation on display in the first half has been impressive. While Porro is lined up as a right-back, he often drifts into central areas to give Tottenham more bodies in the middle. He has been tidy with the ball, always looking to progress the ball with forward passes. 7.
Kevin Danso – The centre-back’s long throw led to the opening goal as Spurs won the second ball. He also helped Tottenham maintain their high press, often applying pressure as high as the halfway line, and has covered for Porro when he ventures forward. 7.5.
Micky van de Ven – The Dutchman has had little to do defensively, but he is not afraid to push up and apply pressure high up the pitch. 7.
Destiny Udogie – The full-back was superb when marshalling Sancho on Spurs’ left, not giving him a sniff, while showing good strength and pace. He also looked to contribute to attacks, overlapping and inverting when needed. 7.
Joao Palhinha – The Portuguese could well have made it 2-0 for Spurs after he let fly from range, only for Martinez to push his strike onto the upright to keep the scoreline at 1-0. 8.
Rodrigo Bentancur – He has played his midfield role to perfection in the first half, keeping things ticking in the middle of the park with minimum fuss. Superb from the Uruguayan. He did pick up a booking late in the half. 8.
Conor Gallagher – We saw exactly why he continues to be selected ahead of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, as his pressing from the front forced Villa into an early mistake, although Tottenham failed to make it count. The Englishman then opened the scoring with a low, driven strike from range, leaving Martinez with no chance. 9.
Mathys Tel – The Frenchman is in for Xavi Simons on the left and is operating as a traditional winger. He has looked really good in his role, although he often holds onto the ball for too long. He did get the assist for Richarlison’s goal with a wicked delivery following a corner. 8.
Richarlison – Had a good chance early on after Tottenham pinched the ball high up following a loose pass from Emi Martinez, but his effort was blocked. He eventually found the back of the net with a thumping header following a wicked delivery from the right by Tel. 8.
Randal Kolo Muani – The forward has looked very positive in this match, playing with real directness – beating his man and driving into the Villa half with purpose whenever Spurs attack. He came close to making it two after meeting a cross at the back post, but his effort was saved, leading to the corner that resulted in Spurs’ second. He also picked up a booking in the first half. 7.