Tottenham Hotspur made a return to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday as they came from behind to beat 10-man Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.
The hosts took the lead on 16 minutes when Andreas Weimann ended their recent goal drought by poking past Hugo Lloris, but Christian Benteke was sent off for Villa midway through the second half for raising his hands to Ryan Mason.
Spurs made the extra man count on 84 minutes thanks to Nacer Chadli's instinctive finish from a corner, and the turnaround was complete with just a minute of normal time remaining when substitute Harry Kane's deflected free kick found the net.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action following a dramatic victory for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Match statistics
Aston Villa
Shots: 12
On target: 1
Possession: 39%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 12
Tottenham
Shots: 18
On target: 7
Possession: 61%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Villa will feel unlucky to have conceded two goals so late on, but they were on the back foot for much of the second half following Christian Benteke's red card. It felt as if Spurs were going to get an equaliser sooner rather than later, though a draw would have probably been the fairest outcome considering how fortunate they were with Kane's winner.
Aston Villa's performance
The hosts were lively in the first half and were rewarded by going in ahead at the break thanks to Andreas Weimann's goal. Paul Lambert's side moved the ball around well and played at a good tempo during the opening 45 minutes, giving Spurs plenty to think about in the final third while controlling the midfield.
However, all of that changed when Christian Benteke was dismissed in the second half. From that moment on it was a case of containing Tottenham. Villa did an admirable job for much of the second period, but a late collapse saw them come away with nothing to show for their efforts. They are sure to be kicking themselves because they were dominant for so much of the afternoon before allowing Spurs a way back in.
Tottenham's performance
Spurs were very, well... Spurs in the first half as their sluggish, sloppy and unfocused performance saw Villa take control of the game. There was no bite in midfield, while Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen looked unable to cope with the likes of Benteke and Charles N'Zogbia in the Villa attack.
They were far more positive after the break and their hopes of getting something from the game were boosted further by their opponents going down to 10 men. Tottenham made the extra man count after that, pinning Villa back and stretching the home team as much as possible with some varied play across the pitch. They left it very late indeed to turn the match around, but Mauricio Pochettino will be pleased with how his players stayed persistent to the last.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Danny Rose: Harry Kane is likely to receive many of the plaudits after coming off the bench to score the winning goal, but plenty of Tottenham's attacks throughout the match came down the left through the tireless Rose. The full-back was a model of energy, bombing up and down the flank and showing great positional awareness high up the pitch as the visitors pushed further forward the longer the game went on.
Biggest gaffe
Christian Benteke really should know that raising your hands to an opponent is likely to get you sent off. His scuffle with Mason was innocuous enough, but the Belgian's decision to push him in the face contributed significantly to his team's eventual downfall.
Referee performance
Neil Swarbrick had a busy afternoon, particularly in the second half, as the two sets of players grew increasingly hot under the collar. However, the official showed good authority to keep things under control on a couple of occasions when they could easily have boiled over. The red card for Benteke was greeted with shock at the time, but it was ultimately the correct decision.
What next?
Aston Villa: The Villans are back in Premier League action on Saturday when they travel to high-flying West Ham United.
Tottenham: Spurs continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday against Asteras Tripolis in Greece.
Jack Prescott
