Premier League 2019/20 - Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Aston Villa: 5 Talking Points
Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the new season at home and got their campaign off to a winning start, beating newly promoted Aston Villa 2-1.
In what was expected to be a regulation victory for the hosts, the Villains gave a good account of themselves as the Champions League finalists were a given a run for their money.
Aston Villa retained the core of their promotion-winning team and made as many as 12 new signings.
Only Manchester United spent more money on transfers in the summer transfer window, a clear indication of Villa's intentions for the forthcoming season.
New recruits Mahmoud Trezeguet and Wesley Moraes feature from the start for the Claret and Blue Army and Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs' record signing, also made his competitive debut for his new team.
Villa got the better of their opponents in the opening exchanges and scored a well-deserved goal early in the first half, as John McGinn latched on to a brilliant Tyrone Mings long ball to slot coolly past Hugo Lloris.
Spurs were made to wait for their equalizer and it came in the form of new signing Tanguy Ndombele, whose sweetly struck shot from the edge of the penalty area gave Tom Heaton no chance.
Talisman Harry Kane proved once again that his August hoodoo is nothing more than a myth as his late brace sealed the victory for the hosts.
In a tightly contested game, it was a tale of two halves for Aston Villa as they struggled to get a grip on the game in the closing stages despite giving a good account of themselves in the first half.
On that note, let's look at some of the talking points from the game.
#1 Tyrone Mings proves why Villa paid the big bucks for him
Aston Villa signed Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth for a fee believed to be in the region of £25 million and the Englishman impressed at the back against a quality side like Spurs.
Despite being on the wrong end of the scoreline, Mings was one of the standout players of the game as he made decisive contributions on both ends of the pitch.
His wonderfully lofted post got Villa on their way as McGinn applied the finishing touch for the opening goal of the game.
Mings marshaled the Villa back-line as they kept Spurs at bay for large parts of the game and the club's decision to pay the big bucks for him has been vindicated in the first game of the season.