COOL KANE TAKES HEAT OFF JOSE
Captain slams home penalty to finish off Villa as Spurs hit back after Europa League meltdown
JOB done, as they like to say in Joe Hart’s social media team. Only this time, without the need for a bleary-eyed, morning-after apology from Tottenham’s back-up goalkeeper.
This time, Jose Mourinho ensured his team remained firmly focused on the task in hand. They went about it with urgency and aggression typical of Mourinho’s teams, yet absent in large parts of their previous two games.
They were tight at the back — albeit it against an Aston Villa side losing its way as a creative force without Jack Grealish — and displayed great desire when they had to fight to keep a clean sheet as the home team belatedly rallied.
Spurs took their chances when Villa made defensive mistakes with a first-half opener from Carlos Vinicius and a penalty won, then converted by Harry Kane.
Victory brings relief for Mourinho after defeat at Arsenal and a shocking exit from the Europa League at Dinamo Zagreb. It also keeps alive fading hopes of finishing in the top four when they return after the international fixtures.
‘That’s sad,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘Okay I am really happy with that, but it is sad we need such a bad defeat to have this kind of reaction.
‘This should not be a reaction, this should be a permanent state of mind, permanent soul in the team, I think that is our next challenge — to have this standard in terms of effort, commitment, sacrifice. Independent of results, this has to be always there to dignify our jobs, the people that love us, the club and the fans.
Mourinho’s anger focused on attitude in the aftermath of defeat in Zagreb and he seemed to wield his axe on the basis of mental fortitude and reliability.
Kane settled into a deeper role in support of Vinicius and saw plenty of the ball as Spurs made a positive start in terms of possession without threatening Emiliano Martinez in the Villa goal.
Moura and Sergio Reguilon flickered on the left but Villa had grown into the game by the time they went behind in the 29th minute.
The problem started from a poor clearance by goalkeeper Martinez, aimed low in the direction of rightback Matty Cash. Moura read it and nipped ahead to steal possession.
He accelerated forward, covered the ground quickly, exchanged passes with Kane and, as he approached the goal from an angle on the Spurs left, had the vision and awareness to cut the ball square.
His disguised pass took Martinez out of the equation and all Vinicius had to do was beat Lo Celso in a race and tap into an empty net. Although it was his tenth goal for Tottenham, it was his first in the Premier League.
Mourinho had spent almost the entire first half stalking the touchline, cajoling and barking instructions, determined not to allow his players to coast as they have a tendency to do. Kane climbed above John McGinn at a corner and Tanguy Ndombele sliced a volley onto the roof of the net.
Tottenham punished Villa for another lapse at the back. Cash, sprinting back, was fooled as Kane feigned to cross only to check back, made sure he was clipped by the full-back and crashed to the turf.
The contact was minimal but the Villa defender was in trouble as soon as he launched into the challenge. Mike Dean pointed to the spot without hesitation and Kane picked himself up to send Martinez the wrong way with his penalty kick, his 27th goal of the season in all competitions.
Martinez made a fine low save to deny Pierre Emile Hojbjerg before Villa’s flurry of adventure but Spurs held on comfortably.