Roy Keane was impressed with Tottenham Hotspur showing a ruthless side to their game at Villa Park on Sunday.
Tottenham put in a composed display on the road and limited Aston Villa to just a couple of half-chances in front of goal.
While Ange Postecoglou’s side struggled to break down a resilient Villa backline in the opening period, the floodgates opened after the break.
James Maddison broke the deadlock with a simple tap-in after an exceptional delivery from Pape Matar Sarr.
Spurs doubled their lead just three minutes later through Brennan Johnson and their task was made even simpler after John McGinn’s red card.
The Scotsman was dismissed for a cynical tackle on Destiny Udogie in the 65th minute and Spurs would have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas at this point.
Yet, the north Londoners pressed home their advantage and searched for more goals, which ultimately came through Heung-min Son and Timo Werner in stoppage time.
And Tottenham’s intent to score more after McGinn’s dismissal impressed Roy Keane.
Keane impressed with ruthless Tottenham
Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane shared what impressed him about Tottenham’s display at Villa Park.
“I wanted to see that other side of Spurs,” the Manchester United legend said. “They knew there was an opportunity for more goals, particularly for players off the bench and to be a bit more clinical. It was nice to see that side of Spurs.”
While the three points were the most important thing yesterday, it was brilliant to see Tottenham show a ruthless side to their game.
We’ve more often than not been involved in close games this season and to pick up such a statement win against our top-four rivals certainly lays a marker down.
The emphatic win could also prove to be crucial when it comes to Champions League qualification. An eight-goal swing means Tottenham’s goal difference is now two better off than Villa’s.
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