BIRMINGHAM, England, May 3 : Tottenham Hotspur eased their Premier League relegation fears with a vital 2-1 victory at Aston Villa to move above West Ham United and out of the bottom three on Sunday.
West Ham’s defeat by Brentford the day before opened the door for Tottenham and they took full advantage with Conor Gallagher’s low shot and Richarlison’s header punishing a lacklustre Villa inside the opening 25 minutes.
Fifth-placed Villa were poor as they appeared to have one eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final, second leg against Nottingham Forest and their only effort on target was Emiliano Buendia’s consolation header seconds before the final whistle.
Tottenham had gone 15 games without a league win and were careering towards their first relegation since 1977 before they finally stopped the rot at Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.
Despite a host of injuries they returned to the West Midlands to produce a display that was unrecognisable from most of what they have served up this season.
New manager Roberto de Zerbi has now taken seven points from his first four games in charge and while Tottenham are far from safe, they have momentum and belief heading into their final three games of the season.
The win moved them into 17th place with 37 points from 35 games with West Ham on 36 from 35. They also have a far superior goal difference to their London rivals. Nottingham Forest are 16th with 39 points.
“The season is not finished yet. We have to play another three games starting on Monday night with Leeds, they are playing very well,” a cautious De Zerbi said.
“We can’t forget what the situation was before Wolves. It was very sad and these memories must stay in our heads.”
Villa stay in fifth place with 58 points and remain in a strong position to ensure Champions League qualification.
The suspicion that Tottenham were heading to Villa Park at a good time was confirmed as home manager Unai Emery made seven changes to his line-up with the likes of Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne all on the bench and John McGinn not risked because of a muscle injury.
PERFECT TIME
Tottenham’s intensity overwhelmed the hosts in the opening stages and they got the start they wanted when Gallagher chose the perfect time to score his first goal for the club.
Controlling a high ball on the edge of the area in the 12th minute, he took a touch and fizzed a shot just inside the post past a diving Emiliano Martinez.
It was almost 2-0 minutes later as Joao Palhinha’s drive rebounded off the post.
Villa could barely get a touch as the home fans vented their frustration and things got worse for the hosts in the 25th minute when Mathys Tel swung in a cross and Richarlison met it with a powerful header past Martinez.
Tottenham looked in control thereafter and Buendia’s reply came far too late to create any nerves amongst the visiting fans who celebrated wildly at the final whistle.
They face Leeds at home a week on Monday, the day after West Ham host leaders Arsenal.
After three successive defeats in all competitions, Villa will need to rediscover their verve quickly if they are to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home to Forest next week.
“In the first half we didn’t perform well, in the second half we reacted but it was not enough,” Emery said. “(Thursday) is a different match, a different competition.
“We’re in the semi-finals and of course we are going to enjoy the match and enjoy the process.”
