Tottenham Hotspur travelled to Villa Park this afternoon, where they not only competed but dominated in a huge six-pointer in the race for Champions League football.
Ange Postecoglou’s team picked up an impressive 4-0 victory, putting them just two points behind Aston Villa with a game in hand.
The first half was extremely tight with no shots on target, reinforcing the fact that this game was one that both teams were desperate to not lose.
However, a quick-fire double from James Maddison and Brennan Johnson after the break, followed by a red card for John McGinn, handed the visitors all three points.
Heung-min Son was the star of the show, but there was one player who was absolutely phenomenal yet again.
Heung-min Son’s performance against Aston Villa
Spurs’ captain was on hand once again to lead his side to victory with a fantastic second-half performance.
The Evening Standard handed Son a 9/10 rating for his influence in front of goal, describing his game as “a captain’s performance.”
The number 7 started up front, and was extremely sharp throughout, but it was his decision-making that was so impressive, always making the right decision in key moments.
This saw Son pick up two assists, setting up Johnson and Timo Werner for their goals, and capping off an almost perfect performance with a goal just before the final whistle.
However, there was another gem who played just as big a role as the South Korean, keeping Ollie Watkins quiet.
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ByAngus Sinclair Feb 24, 2024 Cristian Romero’s game in numbers
Cristian Romero seems to get better as each game goes by, whether it’s scoring the winner against Crystal Palace or pocketing arguably the most in-form striker in the Premier League.
Before even looking at the Argentine's statistics, you can tell how secure he was alongside both Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin by the fact that Watkins and Leon Bailey made 14 passes and won just three of their 12 ground duels between them.
Romero was handed an 8/10 rating by the Evening Standard for his showing, and the table below highlights his key statistics from the game.
Goals conceded
0
Clearances
2
Interceptions
3
Tackles
3
Ground duels won
4/4
Last man tackle
1
Touches
98
Pass accuracy
93%
As you can see, the 25-year-old was dominant from the first whistle to the last, taking an aggressive approach as always while also showing composure and excellent anticipation, as displayed by his three tackles and interceptions.
The World Cup winner also won all four of his ground duels, proving that he didn’t give the Villa attackers an inch to work with in the final third.
The Lilywhites’ number 17 was also immense on the ball, taking 98 touches and controlling the tempo with his 81 passes and 93% pass accuracy. This allowed Spurs to control the game when against the ten men of Villa, as well as against their early press.
Overall, it was another colossal performance from the centre-back, who’s developing into one of the finest defenders in England.