Behold the new steely, ever-so-slightly more pragmatic version of Angeball. From opting for the powerful runs of Pape Matar Sarr in midfield, to finding the right motivational words when all seemed lost at half-time, this was a good day for Tottenham’s romanticist of a manager. Ange Postecoglou’s tactical choices were right, his substitutions worked and the margin of victory was no more than Spurs deserved after they made light of their latest set-piece wobble and overwhelmed Aston Villa with a stirring second-half display.
It had looked ominous when Villa, who missed the chance to go third, smuggled a lead through Morgan Rogers. By the end, though, Spurs were running riot, James Maddison coming off the bench to add the fourth in added time. Brennan Johnson had scored the equaliser and a touch of class from Dejan Kulusevski had sent Dominic Solanke through to score the first of two quickfire goals. Unai Emery, who had succeeded in squeezing the life out of Spurs in the first half, merely watched in disbelief.
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