Aston Villa vs. Tottenham: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game

Tottenham came from behind to beat 10-man Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, as substitute Harry Kane grabbed a 90th-minute winner—his first Premier League goal of the season.

The home side—which had not scored in its last five league games—broke both the game's deadlock and its own drought after barely 15 minutes thanks to forward Andreas Weimann, who took advantage of some questionable Spurs defending to latch onto Charles N’Zogbia’s low cross.

Villa appeared relatively comfortable after that until Christian Benteke was shown a straight red card shortly after the hour mark, after he got involved in a shoving match with Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason. That moment seemed to change the flow of the contest—Nacer Chadli grabbed the equaliser from close range in the final 10 minutes to lift the gloom of the away supporters, before Kane clinched all three points with a deflected free-kick that left Brad Guzan completely wrong-footed.

"Without a doubt one of the best moments of my career in a Spurs shirt so far," Kane told Sky Sports afterward. "It is a moment I won’t forget."

The win leaves Spurs eighth in the table with 14 points after 10 games, level with Liverpool. Villa remain 15th with 10 points—having picked up none from a possible 18 in their last six games.

"There were things on that pitch that were a bit nasty," Villa boss Paul Lambert said. "I’m not condoning what Christian has done, he cannot react … but he was provoked.

"It had a massive [impact] because I thought we looked comfortable. It changed the game. We didn't deserve to lose the game but the way things are going at the minute that's what happens."

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A better angle of Harry Kane's free kick. https://t.co/FUiW3gT4eO

— The Footy Arena (@thefootyarena) November 2, 2014"

Both managers made changes to their lineup for this game, with Pochettino opting for two strikers at the expense of Erik Lamela—who was left on the substitutes’ bench as he was for the Capital One Cup match with Brighton in midweek. Lambert also made a change to what has been an anemic forward line in recent weeks, starting Charles N’Zogbia behind Benteke at the expense of Gabriel Agbonlahor.

That change seemed to have a tangible impact almost from with the off, with Villa lively even if it was Soldado—who fired narrowly wide from 25 yards out—who actually took the game’s first shot.

Both sides looked dangerous in the opposition penalty area, with Christian Eriksen and Chadli both seeing chances from dangerous positions blocked out by diligent Villa defending. At the other end, Benteke was a constant threat, the Belgian hitting the post with one particularly brilliant piece of individual play that appeared to have Hugo Lloris beaten.

Villa continued to threaten, however, and N’Zogbia would be pivotal when the deadlock was finally broken after 16 minutes. The Frenchman robbed Danny Rose down the right before sprinting into the box and looking for a team-mate. Both Jan Vertonghen and Younes Kaboul were slow to react to the danger, as Weimann edged in front of the latter man to slide N’Zogbia’s pass into the net in somewhat unconventional fashion.

After that moment, the high tempo of the game continued, although neither goalkeeper was forced to do a great deal of work, as both defences worked hard. Guzan made the standout save—denying Adebayor an equaliser with a brilliant low save as the striker went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper after Soldado’s smart pass.

At half-time, Pochettino decided a change was needed, bringing on Lamela for the subdued Eriksen. Adebayor would soon follow the Dane back to the dressing room, as Kane was brought on—much to the delight of the travelling support.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

The second half was a stormy affair, with a number of heavy challenges being put in from members of both sides. Jan Vertonghen was perhaps lucky to escape with just a booking for a lunge that Ashley Westwood perhaps thought deserved more, creating some bad blood that was perhaps to play a role in what was to come.

Just after the hour-mark, another flashpoint arrived, this time involving Lamela, Benteke and Mason. The three players got involved in some strong challenges for the ball, with Mason and Benteke ending up squaring up to one-another near the two substitutes’ benches. Benteke raised his hand to the Englishman—with the referee taking his time before deciding to show the striker a straight red card.

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The Benteke red card incident http://t.co/TFYTTegkvI

— Football Vines (@FootballVines) November 2, 2014"

From that moment, Spurs were emboldened, although initially, they struggled to turn their numerical advantage into chances and goals as the physical side of the contest threatened to take hold. Weimann and Chadli were both booked for unnecessary challenges that had an air of retribution about them.

In terms of chances on the pitch, Kane had made an immediate impact—forcing Guzan into a smart save—but the away side were struggling to break down Villa’s defence, as Mason and Lamela both resorted to speculative efforts from range.

Spurs had to wait until the 84th minute to finally grab their equaliser, a goal Villa will be particularly disappointed to concede. Lamela’s delivery from a corner was sent long and deep, but no Villa man seemed to pick up Chadli as the Belgian ghosted in at the far post to beat Guzan from close range.

Six minutes later, Spurs would claim the three points. Carlos Sanchez was clearly flagging in the heart of Villa’s midfield, and he was guilty of a poor challenge on Andros Townsend that gave Spurs a free-kick in a central position just 25 yards from goal.

Lamela showed interest in taking the shot, but Kane ignored his overtures, focusing intently on the opportunity himself. And the striker got a bit of luck to go with the confidence of his recent goalscoring run, as his free-kick clipped Nathan Baker on its way past a completely wrong-footed Guzan.

The 21-year-old ran off in elation, having clinched a crucial win for Spurs just as the pressure was really beginning to mount around the club.

"He wanted it," Kane added. "He took the one before so I said this one is mine.

"They had a man sent off, and we were able to take advantage of that. It's great to send [the travelling fans] home with a win and the three points."

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Brad Guzan	7
Matt Lowton	6
Ron Vlaar	7
Nathan Baker	6
Aly Cissokho	6
Carlos Sanchez	6
Ashley Westwood	7
Tom Cleverley	7
Andreas Weimann	7
Charles N'Zogbia	7
Christian Benteke	6
Substitutions
Gabby Agbonlahor	6
Kieran Richardson	6
Darren Bent	n/a

Player	Rating
Hugo Lloris	6
Kyle Naughton	6
Younes Kaboul	6
Jan Vertonghen	6
Danny Rose	6
Ryan Mason	7
Etienne Capoue	6
Nacer Chadli	7
Christian Eriksen	5
Roberto Soldado	6
Emmanuel Adebayor	5
Substitutions
Erik Lamela	7
Harry Kane	7
Andros Townsend	7

What's Next?

Aston Villa travel to face West Ham next weekend, while Tottenham host Stoke City on Sunday. Prior to that, however, they have a Europa League trip to face Asteras Tripolis to contend with.

All quotes taken from Sky Sports' live post-match broadcast.