Tottenham Hotspur had a Premier League Super Sunday to remember as they emerged victorious against Aston Villa.
Dominic Solanke stole the show vs Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with two goals from the England striker ensuring all three points went to the Lilywhites.
Tottenham players were excellent against the Villans, but credit also goes to Ange Postecoglou for his tactical decisions at the right time.
To outwit a boss like Unai Emery is an impressive feat – as noted by the Spaniard at full-time.
Unai Emery explains why Tottenham Hotspur beat Aston Villa
Emery gave immense credit to Spurs for how they performed. He told Sky Sports: “We won two times here and we knew how to win here but they are a good team.
“We had to keep going and try to focus again on our way [after conceding] because in the league the most important thing is to keep the position we are in.”
Emery then went on to explain that Tottenham won the game due to their fabulous transition in play, and ultimately, their clinicalness in front of goal.
“They scored so quick in the second half. When they scored the second goal it is difficult because their transition is so, so strong. Winning was more difficult. If we score the second goal maybe it is a possibility to win here.
“When you are losing you have to try and get one step forward to try and change the result. But we know how difficult it is against Tottenham. 4-1 is a tough result but the match we played was more or less in line with the expectation I had before the match.
“We are disappointed, frustrated but we are accepting it. We know our way, it is 38 matches, the league is very tight.”
Postecoglou is often questioned for his tactics, but he deserves plaudits for his decisions in this fixture. He got it spot on.
Tottenham clinical on the day, says Emery
The Villa boss also said that once Solanke’s second hit the back of the net – his Villa side accepted that a defeat was on the cards.
“We started the match like we were planning,” Emery told BBC Sport. “At half-time, the plan for the second half was to try to keep it. They scored the first goal. We had chances to score a second goal but they were pushing.
“We accepted the result.
“We have to try to be consistent. We had our chances in our transition and set-pieces. But they were clinical today.”
Spurs were lethal in front of goal, which hasn’t been a regular occurrence this season, but the Villa performance was a massively promising sign.
Ipswich awaits next week in the Premier League. We will see more of the same from Postecoglou’s side?
Receive a digest of our best Spurs content each week direct to your mailbox
