Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane, Frank Lampard and Jamie Redknapp were ready to dish out praise on Tottenham rather than drag Aston Villa over the coals after a stunning second-half turnaround in North London.
Morgan Rogers had put Villa 1-0 up by half-time on Sunday afternoon but Brennan Johnson, a brace from Dominic Solanke and a late James Maddison free-kick delivered Spurs to a 4-1 home win.
Keane picked out the equaliser four minutes after the break, highlighting the cross put in by Son Heung-Min that was too good to defend once Villa were unable to block him getting the ball over.
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“It was a brilliant reaction from Spurs," he said. "They needed to score early in the second half and the delivery (for that first goal) is fantastic. We can question Villa’s defending but once Son gets it, someone has to get tighter because know his quality. Johnson just drifts in at the back like all good wide players do but the delivery – absolutely fantastic. Almost impossible to defend once it leaves his foot. A great reaction from Spurs and they played some beautiful football.”
Lampard had sympathy with how Villa were caught for the second, caught on the break as they were trying to break themselves.
He said: “Sometimes you’re at your weakest when you try to counter and the ball breaks again. It’s nice play from Spurs. We’re not sure if Brennan Johnson means to set that for the pass through but it works out perfectly. Aston Villa are sometimes not kind of organised. They think they’re going to counter attack and Spurs are good at playing vertical, quick combinations through the middle of the pitch. It’s a lovely diagonal run and a diagonal pass is really hard to deal with and then the finish – the keeper kind of makes his mind up slightly but it’s a great finish.”
It was a similar story for the third which took the game away from Villa.
Redknapp said: “(Spurs pressed) better in the second half. (Yves) Bissouma getting up to the ball, Pape Sarr going to win it – then all of a sudden you’re at an Aston Villa defence that’s all over the place. Sarr picks out the right pass, as does Richarlison, and Solanke gets his reward. He gets in the box. If you get into that six-yard you’re going to score goals. He hasn’t scored of late but that’s a big one.
“Second half Spurs were just so much better, so much more aggressive. They’re a joy to watch.”
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