Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Aston Villa: 5 talking points as Matt Targett own goal hands Spurs the win | Premier League 2021-22
Tottenham Hotspur head into the international break with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League.
An own goal from Matt Targett in the 70th-minute canceled out Ollie Watkins' equalizer for the visitors. This ended Spurs' three-game losing run in the league.
After struggling to find an opening during the initial exchanges, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fired Tottenham in front. He made an excellent finish from the edge of the box that whizzed past a stream of claret shirts.
Villa were on the ropes even after the break as the hosts started the second-half brightly. But they slowly worked their way back into the match in the 67th minute when Watkins turned home a cross from Targett.
Tottenham, having lost each of their last three league games, were supposedly headed towards another disappointing result. But just four minutes later they regained their lead after Targett accidentally converted a cross from Son into his own net.
Nuno Santo's men had few opportunities to extend their advantage. But wastefulness by some of their players kept the tie in the balance until the end, but eventually took home all three points.
FULL-TIME Spurs 2-1 Aston Villa
Spurs return to winning ways thanks to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's first-half stike and a Matt Targett own goal
#TOTAVL https://t.co/5csFNaEGOA
Spurs won for the first time in four league games and moved up to eighth in the standings, while Villa remain rooted on 10th.
Here are the major talking points from the match:
#1 Tottenham's finishing still not the best
Despite the victory, Tottenham Hotspur were not impressive going forward. The side created some good chances in the match, especially in the second-half, but struggled to put them away.
Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min all could've bagged goals during that period.
Yet the best chance fell to Giovani Lo Celso. He, after a neat one-two with Kane and Son, got in behind the Villa defense. He had the entire frame of the goal to shoot, but his shot was blocked right in time by Tyrone Mings.
Really unfortunate there, but it merely summed up their afternoon as Tottenham endured a frustrating spell in front of goal today. This was a stark contrast to their free-scoring form in Europe on Thursday.
#2 Son impresses again with his creative wizardry
Son may have been guilty of wasting a few chances himself. But he's the very reason Tottenham clinched a three-pointer in the match. The South Korean magician was the creative inspiration for them, the source of everything good coming from the side.
Industrious and visionary, Son regularly broke open the Lions with his expansive passing range and proficient crossing ability. He created quite a few good chances for his teammates, including the one which forced the own goal.
🇰🇷 Tottenham Hotspur have scored four Premier League goals at home this season:
⚽️ Heung-Min Son
⚽️ Heung-Min Son
🎯 Heung-Min Son
🎯 Heung-Min Son
🌍 It’s Heung-Min Son World We Are Living In!
#THFC | #COYS | #TOTAVL https://t.co/lER8mcT8tt
He worked hard to win the ball too, winning five of his nine ground duels. He also tested Villa with his boisterous dribbles on the flanks as their back-three were hardly ever given a moment's rest.
It was a wonderful performance. A goal or two would've topped it off perfectly.