EPL: Tottenham Hotspur suffer 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa at home

London: Emiliano Buendia and Douglas Luiz found the back of the net as Aston Villa added to Tottenham's misery, stunning the hosts to their fourth Premier League defeat in six games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Sluggish performance

Spurs, who needed to win to reclaim fourth place from Manchester United, produced another sluggish first-half performance and trailed in a game for the tenth time in a row when Emiliano Buendia pounced on a Hugo Lloris blunder just after the break.

Aston Villa defended valiantly, holding Spurs at bay throughout, and increased their lead when Luiz, whose long-range effort had caused Lloris' error for the opener, finished off a brilliant team goal from John McGinn's pass.

Spurs, who were missing Dejan Kulusevski owing to a minor ankle injury, could manage next to nothing in return, failing to even register a shot on target in the second period, with Harry Kane a peripheral figure, Heung-Min Son lacking sharpness once more, and the home crowd booing at the final whistle.

Pressure on Antonio Conte

The result increases the pressure on head coach Antonio Conte and lets former Arsenal manager Unai Emery extend his unbeaten streak against Spurs to four Premier League games, with the win upholding Villa in 12th place in the table.

Tottenham will face Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Wednesday and will look to return to winning ways while Aston Villa will square off against Wolves at Villa Park on the same evening.

Earlier, table-toppers Arsenal consolidated their lead at the top of the English Premier League after a comprehensive 4-2 victory over Brighton.

Published on: Monday, January 02, 2023, 08:30 AM IST