We must feel the blood of our rivals
Conte admits his Spurs capitalised on defeats for United and Arsenal
ANTONIO CONTE was delighted to see the ruthless nature of his Tottenham team as they exploited defeats for Arsenal and Manchester United to go clear in fourth.
Conte’s side are now favourites to qualify for the Champions League after surviving a first-half onslaught to thrash Aston Villa.
‘We have to show in this moment that you start to feel the blood of your opponents. It is important in this moment not to fade,’ said the Italian, who admitted that Arsenal’s defeat by Brighton earlier in the day had given his side a boost.
‘Arsenal, West Ham and United are in the same position as us, fighting for a place in the Champions League. To know that your opponents have lost, for sure it has to give you the will to win.’
Given the shambles he inherited, taking Tottenham into the Champions League will have to rival Serie A and Premier League titles in the list of Conte’s achievements.
Spurs were ninth when he took over in November. Now they are three points clear of Arsenal after four wins in a row.
A disjointed squad now have character, as they showed in the first half when Villa dominated possession.
‘A small team would be happy to know even if you lost you stayed fourth,’ Conte added, ‘but if you want to be a big team you have to see it as the right moment to go further ahead. We suffered pressure against Villa in the first half but we showed great desire.’
All of Conte’s big-hitters were in sensational form, none more so than hat-trick hero Son Heung-min, who now has six in three games, and skipper Hugo Lloris, who made seven key stops before half-time.
January signing Dejan Kulusevski got a goal and an assist. Harry Kane wasn’t on the scoresheet but played a part in three of the goals.
No wonder the travelling fans chanted ‘Ant-on-io, Ant-on-io’ without break. Even at 4-0, Conte was his normal hyperactive self in the technical area.
He and the Spurs players knew the final scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection. ‘Without Hugo, we really struggled in the first half. He saved us today,’ said Son.
Amid all the ecstasy, it was hard not to spare a thought for Villa boss Steven Gerrard after a fourth consecutive defeat and the loss of defender Lucas Digne with a serious collarbone injury.
‘We suffocated Tottenham in the first half and had enough chances to win more than one football match. I was scratching my head how we were losing,’ said Gerrard.
‘The second goal was a real blow. It was real quality from their point of view but poor from ours.
‘We are concerned about (Digne),’ he added after the Frenchman departed after 80 minutes holding his arm up as protection.
‘Lucas is in a sling right now. He could be out out for the season. We have to analyse it in the next 24 hours but the doctors are worried.’
The Kane-Son partnership is legendary and they combined for the opening goal after three minutes, though not how they envisaged. When Kane belted a shot from the edge of the box, it was heading wide until it hit Matty Cash in the midriff and bounced down for Son. From 14 yards the Korean fired left-footed before Emi Martinez could set himself.
Villa then ramped up pressure. Lloris produced a brilliant fingertip save to deny Jacob Ramsey and expert reflexes to stop John McGinn. Gerrard’s men weren’t shy about putting their foot in and were fortunate referees are more lenient this season.
Spurs were unhappy when Tyrone Mings caught Kulusevski. The Swede continued after treatment but Matt Doherty wasn’t as fortunate when he limped off after a duel with Cash. The early Spurs substitute Sergio Reguilon had his foot trodden on by Danny Ings.
Philippe Coutinho set up Ollie Watkins, who headed over, and when Ings missed at the far post, both he and Gerrard were left head in hands.
Conte stamped his feet to demand more in attack. Spurs still led at the interval thanks to two more Lloris saves from Cash and Coutinho.
Having survived, Spurs then did what good teams do, took full advantage. After 51 minutes. Kane won an aerial duel with Mings for Kulusevski to reach the edge of the box. The Swede beat Cash and as Mings slid in to block, he placed his finish through the defender’s legs and inside the far post.
Conceding the second goal knocked the stuffing out of Villa.
They were caught upfield when Christian Romero’s long ball after 67 minutes was expertly guided into Son’s path by a flick of Kane’s head. Son’s pace was blistering as he powered down the middle to comprehensively beat Martinez.
Party time was officially declared when Son completed his hat-trick. The hard work was done by Kulusevski, who wriggled to the byline. He then had the foresight to pick out Son, who looped his finish into the corner and brought another fist pump of joy from Conte.