Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has been hailed by Sky Sports’ Roy Keane over his cross for the opening goal.
It took Spurs until the second half to find the back of the net against Aston Villa, but once they did, the goals were flowing.
Three big points and a real statement sent out to Unai Emery’s men will have left Ange Postecoglou as one satisfied manager on Sunday evening.
Keane hails Pape Matar Sarr’s cross
James Maddison returned to the scoresheet for the first time since October at Villa Park and he will have Pape Matar Sarr to thank for the stunning cross.
It is usually the 27-year-old who is providing the inch-perfect crosses into the box for Spurs, but this time he was on the recieving end of one.
Maddison made no mistake with the finish, but it is Sarr who came away from the move with a lot of the credit.
Speaking after the game on Sky Sports’ coverage, Keane admitted he was blown away by the delivery from the 21-year-old. He said: ‘Sarr makes a good run and we’re thinking, ‘now can he deliver?’ And he certainly can, one of the balls of the season. You cannot defend that. Maddison gets on the end of it – brilliant first goal.’
Pape Matar Sarr stats vs Aston Villa
Many may have presumed the Senegal international would have featured on the bench again following Postecoglou’s comments after the Crystal Palace win.
The Australian admitted Sarr had been struggling with a back issue which was restricting him physically.
However, he started on Sunday at Villa Park and any back issue would never have been known through the incredible display he put on.
- 70 minutes played
- 1 assists
- 42 touches
- 30/36 successful passes
- 1x was fouled
- 1 interception
Statistics via SofaScore.
It was a sensational display from the 21-year-old who has taken to life under Postecoglou like a duck to water.
The youngster has clearly impressed those at Hotspur Way with the club recently tying him down to a new long-term deal which will extend his stay through till 2030.
But for a Premier League legend like Roy Keane to praise him so highly, it shows that he is doing something right.
Keane has been renowned as a pundit for not being shy about criticising players, however, he only had glowing things to say about Sarr.
The game against Villa was Sarr’s 19th Premier League start of the season and it looks like he could be set to keep Rodrigo Bentancur watching from the bench for the trip to Craven Cottage.
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