Tottenham 2-1 Aston Villa: Nuno Espirito Santo relieves pressure with win

Tottenham got back to winning ways in the Premier League and relieved the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo by beating Aston Villa.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put Spurs ahead in the first-half and then, after Ollie Watkins had equalised in the 67th minute, a Matt Targett own goal moments later gave Nuno side’s all three points.

The victory was a big one for Nuno, who had come under pressure after losing his previous three Premier League games - including last week’s north London derby.

The win moves Tottenham back up to eighth in the Premier League and lifts the mood at the club ahead of the upcoming international break.

Following last week’s defeat to Arsenal, Nuno opted to make three changes for this clash with Aston Villa.

Dele Alli was one of those to make way and that allowed Tanguy Ndombele to play further forward as a No10.

The Frenchman did well, but in the end it was fellow midfielder Hojbjerg who gave Spurs the lead by finishing cooly from the edge of the box.

Villa had looked bright before that, but Spurs should have gone further ahead as Son Heung-min caused problems out left.

The South Korean was at the heart of Tottenham’s best play, but it looked as though it could be in vain when Villa equalised.

Targett fizzed in a cross from the left and Watkins was there to slide it home and setup a tense finish.

Spurs responded well, however, and Son created the winner by dancing down the left and sliding the ball to Lucas Moura.

The Brazilian looked set to tap the ball in, but a deflection off Targett saw the Villa defender have the misfortune of scoring an own goal.

Read More

Spurs’ South American quartet free to play after international duty

How Nuno’s tactical switch helped cure Tottenham’s ills in Villa win

Tottenham player ratings: Hojbjerg, Son and Emerson shine in key win