Aston Villa had their top four hopes dented against Tottenham on Sunday afternoon with John McGinn’s second-half red card a decisive moment in the fixture.
Aston Villa’s push to claim a fourth-place finish was handed a blow on Sunday afternoon as Unai Emery saw his side lose 4-0 at Villa Park to Tottenham.
The Lilywhites were five points below the Villans prior to kick-off, with the gap now narrowed to two points with Ange Postecoglou’s squad having a game in hand.
It was far from the fixture that Villa would have hoped to see unfold, as things seemed to go wrong for the hosts from the kickoff, with the manager’s formation choice questioned throughout the first half.
That being said, the Villans made it to half-time with the score at 0-0, with all their hard work in keeping Spurs at bay undone after the interval as James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Heung-min Son and Timo Werner secured the three points for the visitors.
What went wrong for Aston Villa against Spurs
From team selection to tired legs to formation, Emery’s side suffered against Spurs in what was their second significant test of the week.
Unfortunately for the Villans, the similarities to the Ajax game went beyond their inability to score, as John McGinn followed Ezri Konsa as being the second Villa player to receive a red card in the week.
After a formidable display, the Villa skipper was dismissed in the 65th minute due to a reckless challenge on Spurs defender Destiny Udogie, with his performance quickly forgotten due to the cynical foul.
What was said about John McGinn’s red card against Spurs
Speaking on Sky Sports’ coverage of the fixture, commentator Don Goodman branded the Scotsman’s challenge as “ugly” as he was shown a straight red card.
“It’s ugly, it’s cynical, it’s a horrible tackle. Is it dangerous? It’s open to interpretation.”
The decision to show a straight red card was checked by VAR, who saw no error made by the referee, making the Villa skipper’s case impossible to argue.
It was a great shame for the Villans to lose their captain at that point in the game, as he was playing at a level that inspired those around him, with his exit ultimately opening the floodgates.
The immediate issue is that Villa have lost their ground in the race for fourth place, with the next problem being that they will be without their captain for the next three games.
West Ham United, Wolves and Manchester City will be the opponents in Villa’s next three fixtures, making the challenge even more difficult for Emery’s side, who will be without their influential skipper.
