Tottenham 0 – 2 A Villa

Aston Villa compounded Tottenham’s woes as goals from Emiliano Buendia and Douglas Luiz at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium condemned the hosts to their fourth Premier League defeat in six matches.

Spurs, needing a win to jump back above Manchester United into fourth place, produced a disappointing first-half display and fell for a 10th game in a row when Emiliano Buendia was fouled by Hugo Lloris who returned after the break.

Aston Villa defended resolutely, keeping Spurs at bay, and doubled their advantage when Douglas Luiz, whose long-range effort forced Lloris’ mistake for the opener, completed a fine team goal from John McGinn’s pass.

Spurs, without Dejan Kulusevski due to a minor ankle injury, could not react, even failing to register a shot on target in the second period, with Harry Kane a peripheral figure, Heung-Min Son again lacking sharpness, and the home fans. air their frustrations with boos at the final whistle.

The result added to the pressure on head coach Antonio Conte and allowed former Arsenal boss Unai Emery to extend Spurs’ unbeaten run to four Premier League games, the win moving Villa two points clear of the top half.

How the Spurs suffered another setback

Conte urged his team to make a quick start after a sluggish first-half display, but once again, he made a big offer for the fans.

Ollie Watkins threatened for Villa when he got in behind the Spurs defense from a routine ball over the top and dragged a shot wide, while his opponent Kane didn’t have a touch of the ball until the 20th minute.

Son, however, best wraps up Spurs’ frustration. The South Korean could be seen throwing away his protective face mask in the opening stages, but his recent sloppiness continued inside the opposition box.

On one occasion, a loose first touch prevented him from capitalizing on Villa’s poor clearance and, later in the first period, he had a chance to put Kane through, but sent the pass too close to Robin Olsen, who kept his position in goal. Villa previously returned Emiliano Martinez, who was named on the bench.

Spurs finally created their first meaningful chance when Ivan Perisic latched on to Clement Lenglet’s ball over the top and crossed to Kane, whose downward header was denied by Ashley Young.

However, Olsen was well covered but Villa should have taken the lead just five minutes after the break when Lloris parried Douglas Luiz’s long-range effort, allowing Watkins to steal the ball and cut back for Buendia to finish.

Perisic was dismissed with one of Spurs’ few chances as Conte’s men worked hard to respond, the second-half improvement that salvaged a point against Brentford in the last game on this occasion failing.

Villa continued to look the more threatening of the two teams and they got the second goal a performance they deserved when Douglas Luiz expertly controlled McGinn’s perfectly-measured pass and clipped a good finish beyond the desperation of Lloris.

Emery’s side continued to frustrate the hosts and looked more likely to score in the closing stages, with many of the home supporters walking out before the final whistle, prompting further dissent from those still in the seats.

Spurs run bad – Opta stats

• Spurs have conceded at least twice in seven consecutive league games for the first time since November 1988 (eight).
• Spurs have conceded the first goal in each of their last seven Premier League games, the first time since September-November 2010.
• Each of Aston Villa’s last four wins against Spurs in the Premier League have come away from home.
• Tottenham players have made a combined five mistakes that have resulted in opposition goals in the Premier League this season, at least two more than any other team, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris responsible for three of those five.

What’s next?

Tottenham away for Crystal Palace in the next Premier League game, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 19:30 on Saturday, with kick-off at 20:00.

Villa Aston Kab Welcome wolf to Villa Park in the evening, the game also kicks off at 8pm.