Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham: Further pressure mounts on Postecoglou as Spurs suffer second cup exit in a week
Two of English football’s sleeping giants faced off for a spot in the FA Cup fifth round.
Aston Villa hosted Tottenham, with both aiming to end their trophy droughts this season—Villa have not won a major trophy in 29 years, while Tottenham’s last win was 17 years ago. Both clubs last claimed the historic domestic cup in 1957 and 1991, respectively.
In terms of momentum, consistency has been an issue for both clubs, making this matchup an even contest. Villa, who are looking forward to playing in the Champions League last 16, suffered a 2-0 loss to Wolves in the Premier League in their last match and have won only one of their previous five games in all competitions.
On the other hand, Spurs were emphatically eliminated from the League Cup at the semi-final stage earlier in the week, suffering a 4-0 loss to Liverpool, which overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
One reason for the inconsistencies in their performances could be attributed to injuries, with Spurs particularly affected, missing 12 first-team players coming into this match. Meanwhile, Aston Villa was without their leading scorer, Ollie Watkins, as well as key defenders Pau Torres, Matty Cash, and Tyrone Mings.
Unai Emery chose to give Donyell Malen, who is on loan from Borussia Dortmund, his first start. However, midfielder Jacob Ramsey ignited the scoring by putting the hosts ahead just one minute into the game. Tottenham’s 21-year-old goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, really should have saved it. The ball slipped through him and into the net despite getting both hands on it.
Contrast that with Emiliano Martinez; teenage forward Mikey Moore breaks free down the right wing and delivers a perfect pass into the middle. It lands at the feet of the player Spurs fans would have hoped for—Son Heung-min—who takes a low shot at goal. He should have scored, but the World Cup-winning goalkeeper made an excellent save to maintain Villa’s lead.
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Before kick-off, and soon after that Anfield humbling, Postecoglou was adamant that he had not even considered whether a defeat by Villa could spell the end of his tenure.
“That doesn’t enter my head space,” he said. “I get that’s obviously a massive topic of discussion because when things aren’t going well you look at the person who’s largely responsible for that and that’s me. It is what it is. You’ve got to get on with it. It doesn’t change the decisions I make, how I feel, how I work today or how determined I am to continue on this path.”
In the opening half, they allowed 11 shots while managing only three themselves. To be fair, Villa were very wasteful in front of goal; at times, it seemed almost too easy for them. More concerning is that Liverpool had already dominated Tottenham’s midfield on Thursday, and Villa did exactly the same.
Morgan Rogers, Ramsey, and Leon Bailey have all been exploiting that space, while Rodrigo Bentancur has appeared slow and passive. Villa even went into the break without a recognised centre-back due to Konsa’s injury. However, Unai Emery likely wouldn’t be overly worried if Tottenham’s attack doesn’t improve in the second half.
It somewhat improved but the vulnerabilities from the first half reemerged soon after the hour mark. Rogers made a late run into the penalty area, taking a risk on a promising Villa attack. Djed Spence attempted to clear the ball but only half-cleared it, allowing Rogers to be in the right place at the right time to poke it home from close range.
Tottenham experienced a brief fightback late in the match when on-loan Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel pulled a goal back in stoppage time. However, their efforts came too late to change the outcome. The final whistle marked Tottenham’s second cup exit in less than a week. Despite this setback, they remain in the Europa League, keeping alive their hopes of ending a nearly two-decade trophy drought.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa advanced to the fifth round and will feel confident, especially after the exits of Liverpool and Chelsea from the competition this weekend, following Arsenal’s elimination in the previous round.
