Tottenham Hotspur suffered a blow to their European hopes after a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, with Harry Kane potentially playing his last home game for the club.
Tottenham Hotspur faced a major blow in their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League after they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Wednesday. The result drags them down to seventh in the league table, with another defeat potentially knocking them out of European action completely next season.
As one could imagine, it was not the best of performances from Ryan Mason’s men, upsetting their fans in their homecoming with a subdued performance over the Villans. Although they did score an early opener through Steven Bergwijn, two defensive errors led to gifted goals for Aston Villa, who led 2-1 at half-time.
It was more of a cat and mouse game in the second half, as Tottenham tried to push for the second equaliser. They ended up conceding a lot of chances on the counter, though and were lucky not to trail by a two goal margin. At the end, Aston Villa somehow managed to keep hold of their slender advantage, thanks to some diligent defending.
Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Tottenham Hotspur players following this disappointing defeat over Dean Smith’s men this midweek.
Hugo Lloris: 6.5/10
Hugo Lloris had to remain alert, as usual, especially in the face of such calamitous defending from the Tottenham camp. The goalkeeper could not do anything to save Sergio Reguilon’s own goal or Ollie Watkins’ strike, but he made a couple of decent saves in the first half before extraordinarily denying Watkins in the second half, though the Aston Villa was later revealed to be offside.
“£60… you’re having a laugh.”
The disrespect from this club is a JOKE. We want our Tottenham back. pic.twitter.com/Iy0D7DxR2w
— George (@georgeachillea) May 19, 2021
Japhet Tanganga: 6/10
Starting ahead of the unfit Serge Aurier, Japhet Tanganga had a difficult time on the right-hand side of the defence, as Aston Villa often overloaded that flank. It made the job harder for the young defender to keep up with his opposition and required additional defensive assistance from his centre-back. Picked up a nasty injury late in the game, in what has been the story of his career so far.
Toby Alderweireld: 6/10
It was certainly not the best of matches for Toby Alderweireld, who simply could not do enough to prevent Aston Villa from causing all sorts of problems defensively. However, the veteran centre-back didn’t particularly make any error like his teammates, although his signature diagonal were indeed missing. Needs to improve in the next game, if he is to play Europa League next season.
Eric Dier: 5/10
Eric Dier had an eventful game in the defensive third, as he was involved in quite a lot of moments. Most of them were not good, however, with Watkins running rings around him. Although the Englishman did put in a couple of impressive blocks, he was simply not competent enough and struggled with the dynamism and mobility of the opposition attackers.
Sergio Reguilon: 1/10
Sergio Reguilon’s awful run of form continues and this time, it was an astronomically horrific performance from the former Real Madrid fullback. He kick-started his game with a bizarre own goal past Lloris to help Aston Villa with the equaliser.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no ?♂️
An unbelievable finish into his own net from Sergio Reguilon! ? pic.twitter.com/gwoa4RehK8
— Goal (@goal) May 19, 2021
Moments later, the defender lost possession that led to Watkins’ second goal, all the while failing to provide anything going forward. It appears the continued absence of Ben Davies is really starting to hurt Tottenham now, especially after the departure of Jose Mourinho.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6/10
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg tried his best to offer control in the middle of the park. Unfortunately, it was a subdued performance from the former Southampton man whose 43rd minute yellow card clearly restricted him from playing his natural game. The Dane was also very uninspiring in possession and could have used some additional support in the second line of press.
Harry Winks: 4/10
Harry Winks’ inclusion in the side, ahead of Giovani Lo Celso or Tanguy Ndombele, was baffling to say the least. The Englishman did not offer anything to the table, losing possession multiple times instead. He was quite slow as well, in dealing with the likes of John McGinn and Marvelous Nakamba. It appears his days at Tottenham could soon be over.
Steven Bergwijn: 7/10
Steven Bergwijn certainly made a positive impact in Tottenham’s attacking game at the start with a slimy run to find the opener. The winger looked determined to make an impression, after struggling throughout the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign. It was refreshing to see, as far as Tottenham fans were concerned, although it was not enough to help the Lilywhites earn a win or at least a draw.
? | Bergwijn is back with a bang!
The #THFC grabs his first goal of the season as fans return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!
? Watch on Sky Sports
? Follow #TOTAVL here: https://t.co/TUXETa0bcC
? Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/PcgISzqQZj— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 19, 2021
Dele Alli: 6/10
Dele Alli received another start in light of his good performances in recent weeks. The playmaker, though, faltered badly, as he wasn’t able to get involved in the game too much. Aside from one or two flashes of his brilliance, Alli had problems even just beating the Aston Villa players, though his work rate was rather impressive.
Son Heung-Min: 6/10
Son Heung-Min was quiet for the most part of the game, perhaps due to little to no support at all from the left flank. Aston Villa, too, deserve credit for cutting off supply for the South Korean international, who could only muster 43 touches while none of his five crosses on target. It was not certainly not the final phase of the campaign Son was hoping for.
Harry Kane: 6/10
Harry Kane also had a quiet game, with only Lloris mustering fewer touches than the English forward. In what could be his final game at Tottenham, he was very underwhelming, struggling to express himself against the Aston Villa defensive line. He was involved a bit during the final phase of the match, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference.
After the game, Kane was seen waving the fans offer alone – potentially bidding his final goodbye before moving on in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Kane making his way around Tottenham's stadium alone, applauding the fans ?
(via @footballdaily)pic.twitter.com/EUIb5UaOiY
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 19, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Gareth Bale: 6/10
Gareth Bale’s introduction in the 72nd minute did cause a roar of excitement among fans. The forward himself was involved in a couple of exciting moments going forward, but neither of them led to a clear cut opportunity.
Tanguy Ndombele: 6/10
Tanguy Ndombele replaced the ineffective Winks during the final phase of the game. The Frenchman didn’t provide anything to the table, though he should have started the game.
Matt Doherty: N/A
A late replacement for the injured Tanganga. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
