Aston Villa were dealt a harsh reality check at home to Spurs on Sunday afternoon, as the North Londoners dismantled Unai Emery’s side 4-0 at Villa Park.
It was a day that could have been so much more for Aston Villa.
The tension had been building for some time in anticipation of Sunday afternoon’s fixture between Unai Emery’s side and Tottenham, who sat five points apart in fourth and fifth in the Premier League table.
After the midweek stalemate against Ajax in the Europa Conference League, it was expected that Villa would come flying out of the blocks against Ange Postecoglou’s squad, which was a scenario far from reality.
Four goals in the second half saw the three points return to the capital with the Lilywhites, who have not only closed the gap on the top four to two points but have a game in hand on Villa above them.
Aston Villa were taught a lesson by Tottenham
It was a surprise for many to see the selection choices made by Emery prior to kick-off, as the Spaniard opted against his trusted 4-4-2 formation in favour of a back three.
As soon as the first whistle was blown, it was clear to see just how difficult the transition in set-up was for Villa, who looked disorientated at times and struggled to maintain possession.
Getting to the interval at 0-0 made the 4-0 ending even more of a disappointment for the hosts, who were blown away by goals from James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Heung-min Son and Timo Werner in the second half.
The dismissal of captain John McGinn just after the hour mark left the hosts with little inspiration to try and navigate a way back into the game, with the majority of Emery’s players performing way below par on the day.
How Pau Torres performed against Tottenham
One player who had a difficult afternoon against Spurs was Pau Torres, who has been one of Villa’s most important figures this season following his summer arrival.
The Spaniard has had a tough time of late due to injury and missing minutes due to precautionary measures however, Emery opted to start the centre-back from the off on Sunday afternoon.
In his post-match player ratings, BirminghamLive journalist John Townley handed Torres a damning 4/10 match rating, dubbing his display as something ‘to forget’.
“Far from his best performance. A day to forget for the whole squad.”
After seeing just what Torres can offer to this Villa side, it was peculiar to see him play poorly against Spurs, where he won just two ground duels in 90 minutes, as well as losing possession nine times, via Sofascore.
Usually a player who enjoys being on the ball and encouraging the attack, the 27-year-old had just 43 touches of the ball, fewer than goalkeeper Emi Martinez who recorded 48 during the contest.
It’s back to the drawing board for Emery to assess why Villa got it so wrong on what was one of their “most important” games in recent years, as dubbed by McGinn pre-match, with little time to feel discouraged about the defeat.
