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Harry Kane’s late winner gives Tottenham three points at Aston Villa Harry Kane’s leaves the bench to give Tottenham late win at Aston Villa
(about 2 hours later)
For Aston Villa it was a case of what might have been and the inquest will inevitably focus on that moment, midway through the second half, when Christian Benteke raised a hand towards the face of Ryan Mason and invited a red card. There was no real malice or force behind Benteke’s actions but the striker was playing with fire and the consequences for Villa were dire. For Aston Villa it was a cruel case of what might have been as the post-match inquest inevitably focused on the flashpoint midway through the second half when Christian Benteke raised a hand to the face of Ryan Mason and invited a red card. There was no real malice or physical force behind Benteke’s actions but the striker was playing with fire and the consequences for Villa were dire.
Tottenham Hotspur had looked desperately poor for so long here but, aided by their numerical advantage after Neil Swarbrick sent Benteke off, the visitors turned the game around with two goals in the final six minutes to cancel out Andreas Weimann’s early strike. Nacer Chadli got the first, volleying home Erik Lamela’s corner at the far post, before Harry Kane, who again started on the bench despite his excellent form in cup football, scored the winner in the 90th minute with a free-kick that took a deflection off Nathan Baker. Neil Swarbrick had little option but to send the Villa striker off – only the referee knows why Mason escaped similar punishment for putting his head into Benteke’s face in the lead-up to that incident – and the complexion of the game completely changed. Tottenham Hotspur, who were trailing to Andreas Weimann’s first-half goal and looked desperately poor for long periods, accepted the lifeline and struck twice in the final six minutes, first through Nacer Chadli and then courtesy of their man of the moment.
The outcome felt particularly cruel on Villa, who have now lost six consecutive league games – their worst run of results for 47 years. Spurs were running out of ideas in the second half until Benteke’s sending off gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side some fresh impetus but even then it was hard to see where a goal would come from. The result brings Pochettino some respite but it will not paper over the cracks of a woeful performance. Harry Kane, who has yet to start a Premier League game this season despite scoring eight times in cup football, came off the substitutes’ bench to hit the winner and further endear himself to the travelling supporters who had been singing his name as early as the first half. Érik Lamela must have fancied his chances when Spurs were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal in the 90th minute but Kane took charge of the situation and his right-footed shot deflected off Nathan Baker to leave Brad Guzan stranded.
Villa had got off to the best possible start when Weimann ended a goal drought that had lasted nine hours and seven minutes. Cue some ironic humour. “We’re Aston Villa, we’ll score when we want,” reverberated from the Holte End. It was the first goal that Villa had scored since Gabriel Agbonlahor got the winner at Anfield on 13 September and exposed the defensive limitations in a Spurs defence that looked vulnerable throughout. There was no way back for Villa, who have now lost six consecutive league matches, their worst run since 1967. This latest defeat was particularly hard for Paul Lambert to stomach because of the way the match slipped through his players’ fingers as a result of the Benteke dismissal. The Villa manager said that while he understood Benteke’s reaction, given the striker had been provoked, he could not condone his player’s actions. A three-match suspension will now follow.
Danny Rose, the Spurs left-back, was guilty of making a weak challenge on Charles N’Zogbia and the Villa midfielder was able to escape before sliding a low cross into the area that appeared to be intended for Benteke. Weimann, charging into the area, got their first, sliding on the wet surface and sticking out a leg to steer the ball inside Hugo Lloris’s near post. It was an incident that had been brewing in a match that became tetchy and fractious early in the second half as the challenges started to fly in and tempers boiled over. Jan Vertonghen incensed the Villa players with a two-footed tackle on Ashley Westwood that earned the Spurs defender a yellow card.
As strange as it sounds in the context of Villa’s recent problems, that goal had been coming. Benteke was proving to be quite a handful and had already gone close twice by that stage. A diving header from Matt Lowton’s cross should have been buried but drifted wide, and two minutes later the Belgium international struck a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area against the angle of crossbar and post. Alarmingly for Pochettino, there was no Spurs defender anywhere near Benteke on both occasions. Another Benteke chance arrived in the 43rd minute when the striker, towering about Younès Kaboul, headed Aly Cissokho’s deep free-kick over the bar. Not long afterwards came the Benteke red card. The Belgian was initially tangling for the ball with Lamela close to the touchline and there was some shoulder-barging going on before Mason got involved. The Spurs midfielder took exception to Benteke’s behaviour and squared up to him, going head to head. It was at that point that Benteke snapped, lifted his right hand and swiped Mason in the face. A mêlée ensued before Swarbrick eventually brought some order and dismissed Benteke.
If there was one comfort from Spurs in a desperately poor first half, it was the fact that Villa also looked vulnerable at the back. Roberto Soldado and Kaboul both failed to score from close range, although the best opportunity for Spurs in the opening 45 minutes fell to Emmanuel Adebayor. Afterwards Mauricio Pochettino was asked whether he understood the expression “to get out of jail”. The Spurs manager had done well to keep a straight face a few minutes earlier when he claimed that his team deserved to win. Vulnerable at the back, where Benteke caused Younès Kaboul no end of problems in the first half, devoid of ideas in midfield – Pochettino withdrew Christian Eriksen at half-time – and toothless up front before Kane’s introduction, Spurs have plenty of work to do on this evidence.
Released by Soldado’s astute pass, and aided by a Villa defence that had gone AWOL, Adebayor sprinted clear but his shot lacked conviction and Guzan, to his credit, got down low to his right to turn the ball behind. Pochettino threw his water bottle down in disgust and Spurs fans made their own feelings known by singing Kane’s name. Those travelling supporters got their way in the 58th minute when Kane replaced Adebayor and the substitute almost had an instant impact with a header that Guzan was well-placed to save. Villa had got off to the best possible start when Weimann scored in the 16th minute. It was Villa’s first goal in nine hours and seven minutes of football and brought no little relief. Charles N’Zogbia rode a weak challenge from Danny Rose on the Villa right before delivering a low cross into the area that Weimann, sliding on a greasy surface, stuck out a leg to steer inside the near post.
There were signs that the game was getting a little feisty when Jan Vertonghen was booked for two-footed tackle on Ashley Westwood that prompted a melee, but things boiled over a few moments later. Benteke was involved in an altercation with Erik Lamela, who barged him after taking a kick from the Belgian. Mason then got involved and put his head towards Benteke, who responded by pushing the Spurs player in the face. Swarbrick will feel that he had little option but to show a red card but it was soft. Benteke had already gone close on two occasions. A diving header from the marauding Matt Lowton’s cross should have been buried but drifted wide and two minutes later Benteke struck a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area against the angle of crossbar and post. Later in the half he towered above Kaboul but headed Aly Cissokho’s deep free-kick over the bar.
Villa looked like they might still hang on but Chadli, arriving at the far post unmarked, was able to turn in Lamela’s corner from inside the six-yard box before Kane, with a deflected free-kick from 25-yards, secured Spurs only their second league win in eight matches. Spurs, however, should have levelled when Emmanuel Adebayor sprinted clear in the 28th minute but the Togolese, who started alongside Roberto Soldado forthe first time this season, did not hit his shot with any conviction and Guzan got down low to his right to turn the ball behind.
Pochettino threw his water bottle down in disgust and Spurs fans made their own feelings known by calling for Kane.
Even with their numerical advantage, Spurs were struggling to make much impression but then came the breakthrough when Chadli arrived at the back post unattended to turn in Lamela’s corner. It was left to Kane to twist the knife with his deflected free-kick.