The New York Times

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is not expected to return from a hamstring injury until the middle of December while Cristian Romero is also sidelined and will miss the game with Manchester City on Saturday.

Van de Ven, 23, suffered the injury in the 10th minute of Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on October 30. The 23-year-old was in tears as he walked down the tunnel and had to be consoled by team-mate Yves Bissouma.

He missed Tottenham’s next three matches in all competitions and was left out of Netherlands’ squad for their Nations League fixtures against Hungary and Bosnia.

Speaking before Spurs’ defeat to Ipswich Town on November 10, head coach Ange Postecoglou said the centre-back would return after the international break but it appears he will be out for a little longer.

“Micky’s still a good couple of weeks away,” he told Sky Sports. “He’s out on the grass training, but he’s still a couple of weeks away. We’re hoping by the middle of December he’ll be back and available to play.”

Van de Ven previously missed two months of the 2023-24 campaign due to a hamstring injury.

“We’ll get the advice from the medical team and the people working with him,” Postecoglou added. “I think there’s always a natural cautiousness with somebody who has a reoccurring problem but at the same time you don’t want to treat him with too many kid gloves around him because otherwise he’s still go to go out there and play at some point.

“But it’s fair to say we’re taking all the appropriate steps and Micky will be a good judge of that as well and where he’s at.”

Spurs will be hoping the defender recovers in time to feature in their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United on December 19.

Postecoglou has also revealed that fellow central defender Romero will miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening while young winger Mikey Moore “will still be out for a little bit of time” after picking up a virus before the international break.

“Romero won’t be right for tomorrow’s game,” he said. “We are hoping he will be right for next week.”

‘Huge blow for Spurs’

Analysis by Jay Harris

This is a huge blow for Tottenham ahead of a busy few weeks which includes difficult fixtures against Manchester City, Roma, Bournemouth and Chelsea.

Van de Ven instantly became a fan-favourite after he joined them from Wolfsburg in July 2023 for his crunching tackles and ability to powerfully drive forward with the ball out of defence. His exceptional recovery speed is also crucial to the success of Postecoglou’s high defensive line.

With both first-choice centre-backs unavailable against City, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin will be expected to contain Erling Haaland. Davies is naturally a left-back but has played in the middle of defence on multiple occasions under Postecoglou.

Dragusin’s performances have been mixed since he arrived from Genoa in January for £25million but this is a huge opportunity for the Romania international to play regularly and become more familiar with Postecoglou’s style of play.

(John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have appealed against Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban for comments he made about team-mate Son Heung-min.

Bentancur was given a seven-game ban from domestic games and fined £100,000 ($127k) by an independent commission after he was found to have used “insulting words”, and that it was an ‘aggravated breach’ of the FA’s rules, as his words referred to “ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality”. Bentancur had said, with reference to Son, “Sonny, or one of Sonny’s cousins, as they all look more or less the same” in an interview on Uruguayan TV in June.

Tottenham were informed of the FA’s decision on November 12 and they had 14 days to decide whether to appeal against the decision itself or the sanction imposed, so until 27 November. Tottenham have decided to accept the decision but to appeal against the sanction, in the hope of getting the ban reduced.

There is likely only scope for a reduction by one game to Bentancur’s ban, given that the FA Standard Minimum ban for using discriminatory language is six games, a guideline that was introduced in 2020. While a regulatory commission can give a shorter ban in situations where the comments were made in writing or via the use of a “communication device” — such as when Edinson Cavani got a three-game ban in 2020 for a comment he made on Instagram — this is not the case here, as Bentancur’s comments were spoken in a TV interview.

Decisions on the length of the ban, within the framework of six and 12 games, are made with reference to aggravating and mitigating factors. “We consider that, in terms of culpability and consequences, this breach falls towards the lower end of the guideline range but not the lowest point,” the commission wrote of Bentancur’s offence. “Cases can easily be envisaged which are less serious than this, but nevertheless subject to the minimum suspension of six matches.”

The aggravating factors considered were that Bentancur is a “high-profile international footballer” in the Premier League and that his comments were made to a well-known journalist with a big online following. “It was reasonably foreseeable that the remarks would be widely distributed via posts and re-posts on the internet, as they were,” the report states.

Tottenham have the right to ask for the sanction to be set aside pending the outcome of the appeal, which in theory could allow Bentancur to face Manchester City this Saturday. But if that is not the case, and Bentancur’s ban is active already, and if it is reduced from seven to six games, then he could return to face Liverpool in the Premier League on December 22.

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Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-game ban explained: What the Spurs player did and what he'll miss

(Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The FA has announced Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches for comments he made about his team-mate Son Heung-min earlier this year.

The Athletic explains what he did, how all parties reacted, and the implications for the player and club.

What happened?

In June, Bentancur appeared on television show Por la Camiseta in his native Uruguay. Talking about his Tottenham captain Son, also captain of the South Korean national team, Bentancur said: “Sonny, or one of Sonny’s cousins, as they all look more or less the same.”

Bentancur then apologised to Son on social media, writing: “Sonny, brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste. You know that I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!”

Bentancur also apologised to Son directly, and again in person when the players next met when the Uruguayan returned from the Copa America for pre-season training. Son later said that Bentancur “almost cried” while doing so.

The FA asked Bentancur for his observations on June 26 when Bentancur was at the Copa America. Tottenham submitted observations on Bentancur’s behalf on August 19. The FA sent Bentancur a formal letter on September 11, charging him with a breach of Rule E3, and Bentancur denied the charge.

Rule E3.1 states participants in football must not use “insulting words”, while E3.2 defines an ‘Aggravated Breach’ as being one that refers to “ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality” along with other characteristics.

The three-member regulatory commission met on November 12 and found Bentancur had breached Rule E3.1, and that it was an aggravated breach. The commission unanimously decided Bentancur should be banned for seven domestic games, fined £100,000 ($125,000) and must take part in a face-to-face education programme.

How did Spurs initially respond?

Tottenham issued a statement on June 20: “Following a comment from Rodrigo Bentancur in an interview and the player’s subsequent public apology, the club has been providing assistance in ensuring a positive outcome. This will include further education for all players in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives. We fully support that our captain Sonny feels that he can draw a line under the incident.”

When manager Ange Postecoglou was first asked about it in a press conference in July, he said: “The most important person in that whole process is Sonny, so he’ll guide us and direct us. It’s easier to jump in and make judgments. The most important people are the ones affected and in this case, it’s Sonny.”

The day after the FA announced it would charge Bentancur. Postecoglou said the midfielder had made a “big error” and that “he has got to take the punishment”.

“We all make mistakes,” Postecoglou added on September 13. “It is not just about punishment but it is an opportunity for people to atone and learn. If we’re talking about having a society that is understanding and tolerant of everything, we must also show that to people who make mistakes as Rodri has made in this time.”

What did Son say about it?

Son spoke about the incident soon afterwards, confirming Bentancur had apologised and he had accepted. “He made a mistake,” Son said on Instagram on June 20, “he knows this and has apologised. ‘Lolo’ (Bentancur) would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.”

Three months later, following Bentancur’s FA charge, Son spoke about it at more length during a press conference on September 25, the day before Spurs’ Europa League game against Qarabag. He revealed Bentancur “almost cried” when he apologised and reiterated how close the two players were.

“The process is with the FA and that’s why I can’t say much about it, but I love Rodrigo,” Son said. “I repeat: I love him, I love him. He apologised straight afterwards, when we had a holiday. I was at home and I didn’t even realise what was going on. He just sent me a long text message that you could feel was coming from his heart. Afterwards, when he came back to the training ground for pre-season, he just felt really sorry and almost cried when he apologised publicly and also personally as well. It felt like he feels really sorry.”

“We’re all human and make mistakes, and we learn from it,” Son also said. “But I love Rodrigo. I love him, I love him. He made a mistake. But I have no problem at all. At all. We just move on as team-mates and friends and brothers, move on together. I hope. We just have to wait for the FA’s process. I can’t say much. But one thing I can say is that I love Rodrigo. There is nothing more to say.”

What did the commission say and why seven games?

The three-person regulatory commission was in clear agreement with the FA charge. The report says it is their “firm conclusion” that the breach under Rules E3.1 and E3.2 was proved.

The report says that in Bentancur’s submissions to the commission, he argued his comments were “intended to be a light-hearted and jocular manner of chiding the journalist for his use of a generalisation that was wholly inappropriate”.

Rafa Cotelo, the Uruguayan journalist conducting the interview, had just referred to Son as “the Korean”. Bentancur’s statement claimed that his remarks were meant to “gently challenge” Cotelo, and a “gentle rebuke” to his comments. The report said Bentancur’s apologies afterwards were not for what he said, but for the fact the incident had been reported without reference to Cotelo’s preceding words. This argument was not accepted. “However, we cannot accept that submission, which flies in the face of the evidence,” the report says. “It does not sit with the content or form of the player’s apologies or the response of the club or Son.”

The report also said the commission was not “impressed” by another argument Bentancur made, that he had a “reasonable expectation of privacy” and a reasonable expectation “that the journalist would show more common sense in what he posted”. “We do not accept that the player could reasonably have been surprised at the publication of anything that he said in the interview,” the commission said, “including the remarks at the heart of this charge.”

Explaining why Bentancur was banned for seven games, the report states the suspension had to be between six and 12 games, with six being the standard minimum punishment. The commission’s view was that this breach “falls towards the lower end of the guideline range but not the lowest point”, which is how they arrived at seven.

What is Tottenham’s position now?

It remains to be seen whether there will be an appeal from Tottenham or a separate internal disciplinary process. Tottenham have not commented since the FA ban was announced on Monday morning.

How does this seven-game ban compare to previous bans?

In December 2020, Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani was given a three-game ban and a £100,000 fine for using an offensive Spanish phrase on social media. He was also made to attend a face-to-face education programme. Cavani pled guilty to the FA charge, which was also considered an “aggravated breach”, in that his words “included reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race and/or ethnic origin”.

In 2019, Bernardo Silva was given a one-match ban and a £50,000 fine after a tweet about team-mate Benjamin Mendy. In 2016, Burnley forward Andre Gray was banned for four games and fined £25,000 for homophobic comments he had made on social media in 2012.

How important has Bentancur been to Spurs this season?

Bentancur had a difficult time last season as he struggled with injuries and a lack of rhythm. He did not start until November 26, got injured again and did not have a run of games until the new year. It was only at the end of the season that he started to look like his old self.

This season, Bentancur has looked sharper, playing in the No 6 role, and appearing to have the edge over Yves Bissouma. He has started 10 of Spurs’ 17 games and has played the bigger games recently, not least the two standout wins over Manchester City and Aston Villa the week before last.

Last Sunday, he started against Ipswich Town and scored a second-half header, although Spurs could not get back into the game. It was his first Spurs goal since January.

What are the on-pitch ramifications?

It will have a significant impact on Postecoglou’s Spurs at a crucial time. Bentancur will miss the Premier League trip to Manchester City on Saturday, Fulham at home on December 1, Bournemouth away on December 5, Chelsea at home on December 8, Southampton away on December 15, Manchester United at home in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on December 19, and Liverpool at home in the league on December 22.

The next domestic game he will be available for will be the trip to the City Ground to play Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.

Bentancur can still play in the Europa League in Spurs’ league phase games against Roma at home (November 28) and Rangers away (December 12).

Postecoglou will likely lean on Bissouma in the seven domestic games Bentancur will miss. Bissouma and Bentancur have rotated the No 6 role this season. Postecoglou could also turn to 18-year-old Archie Gray, who has impressed this season, but has played more often at full-back than in his preferred midfield role. Gray has yet to start a Premier League game.

(Top photo: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Injury-hit Spurs were forced to make a host of changes for their Europa League trip to Galatasaray, and at times looked certain to suffer a heavy defeat.

The hosts spurned a host of chances, many of which were presented to them on a plate by sloppy Spurs passing.

One bright spark came from youngster Will Lankshear, who scored his first senior goal for the club… then followed it with his first senior red card.

It was only when more of the regular first XI was added to the mix in the second half that Spurs got a real foothold and, in the end, it was the Turkish side clinging on as Ange Postecoglou’s team sought an unlikely equaliser.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris mulls some of the key talking points…

A mixed night for Lankshear

Richarlison’s latest injury is a significant blow to Postecoglou who could finally boast two senior strikers in his squad. The Brazilian’s assist for Dominic Solanke in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Aston Villa is a prime example of what they are capable of when fielded together.

This latest setback should afford more opportunities to 19-year-old Lankshear and his first senior goal for Spurs was one of the few silver linings to emerge from a difficult first hour in Istanbul — a spell that ended when he was sent off for two yellow card offences. This was only Lankshear’s second senior start, having come close to scoring on his first against Ferencvaros, only to fail to connect properly with Timo Werner’s cross.

Lankshear’s biggest asset is his movement and he always finds a way to peel off defenders to sneak into good positions. That is exactly what happened with Tottenham’s equaliser as he effortlessly slipped away from Abdulkerim Bardakci to volley home Brennan Johnson’s cross. To make things even sweeter, he celebrated directly in front of Galatsaray’s riotous home fans.

The youngster struggled for the rest of the evening — but that is not a reflection on him but the fact that Spurs’ midfield, especially in the first half, failed to support him. Lankshear was coming up against three centre-backs and needed players running off him.

Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he got sent off. Filled with adrenaline but frustrated his team was playing poorly, Lankshear was booked twice in seven minutes.

The forward’s memories of this game will be decidedly bittersweet, but there were certainly a few glimpses of what he could offer in future.

Dragusin does not yet look like an able deputy…

A couple of weeks ago, Postecoglou said that nobody is guaranteed a place in his starting XI but it is fair to say that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are his preferred centre-back partnership. With both players out injured, this was an opportunity for Radu Dragusin to stake his claim for more minutes in the Premier League. He has only made 12 appearances in the top flight since he joined Spurs from Genoa for £30million ($39m) nearly a year ago.

The 22-year-old handled the threat of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran well against Aston Villa on Sunday but he struggled against Victor Osimhen, who admittedly is one of the world’s best strikers.

For Osimhen’s first goal, the striker snuck in between Dragusin and Pedro Porro far too easily. And for Osimhen’s second, Dragusin took a heavy touch under pressure and lost the ball in the build-up.

This is one of the issues with Dragusin which causes the most concern. Postecoglou needs his defenders to be calm and composed on the ball, but the way Dragusin threw away possession felt similar to when he got sent off after seven minutes against Qarabag. There was another moment in the first half when his under-hit pass to Johnson resulted in Fraser Forster making a close-range save from Osimhen.

Playing alongside Ben Davies — not a natural centre-back — probably didn’t help the Romania international, but this was not a performance that will have supporters relishing the prospect of Van de Ven and Romero being sidelined for the long term.

Maddison fails to leave his mark

This time a year ago, James Maddison was the creative linchpin for Spurs under Postecoglou but his limelight has been stolen by Dejan Kulusevski this season. Maddison did not feature in last week’s Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City and only came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of the 4-1 win against Aston Villa.

He was supposed to provide creativity against Galatasaray, along with Lucas Bergvall, but they both struggled. In the first few minutes, Lankshear tried to play a quick one-two with Maddison but his more experienced team-mate stopped running. Postecoglou was furious on the touchline and made his feelings towards Maddison clear.

Bergvall was shrugged off the ball too easily throughout and Postecoglou spoke afterwards about how this was a valuable lesson for the 18-year-old, who may just have got a better understanding of what is required to compete at the top level. Yves Bissouma was the only starting midfielder to emerge with any credit as he constantly demanded the ball and made a few crucial interceptions.

Maddison was shifted out to the left wing in the second half but remained ineffective. It tells you everything you need to know about Tottenham’s first-half performance that they looked far better after the break when Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke were introduced, even though Spurs had by then been reduced to 10 men.

Postecoglou said their first-half issues were “self-inflicted” and that they needed to keep the ball better.

After missing out on England’s squad for the European Championship in the summer, this was supposed to be a big season for Maddison. There have been some promising moments but this display underlines his struggles for consistency.

What did Ange Postecoglou say after the game?

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing result. The first half wasn’t great; we just didn’t handle things well at all, particularly with the ball, we were just really wasteful and gave it away way too many times, unnecessarily. That allows them to get a foothold in the areas that they’re good at.

“They’ve got some good players in the front third and we just allowed that to happen way too often and ultimately paid a price for it because, I thought, we always finish strongly and I knew we would in the second half.

“Going down to 10 men didn’t help — but even with 10 men, I thought we probably played the best football we did all game and got our second goal, had some opportunities to get a third there, but I thought we were looking the better side.

“So disappointing outcome, unfortunately, brought on by a disappointing first half.”

(Top photo: Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Moments before scoring his second goal, Osimhen was denied by a superb save from Forster, but there was nothing the Tottenham goalkeeper could've done there.

The ball into the penalty area was delicious from Mertens and all it needed was a deft left-footed touch from Osimhen. A brilliant goal from the home side but the defending, particularly from Dragusin, has been awful from the visitors.

The momentum swings in this game are absolutely fascinating.

That equaliser had given Tottenham renewed hope but Galatasaray have stolen it back emphatically. All of a sudden, Spurs are on the ropes with their hosts suffocating them every time they get the ball.

There was a brief VAR check for a red card on Bissouma a moment or two ago, but it didn't come to anything.

Dragusin will want the ground to swallow him up.

He was caught in possession 30 yards from goal and Osimhen smelt blood. Mertens played a sharp pass through to the Napoli loanee who took one touch before stabbing the ball past Forster and into the bottom corner.

To compound Dragusin's misery, he was shown a yellow card for a foul after losing the ball.

One to forget for Tottenham's Romanian centre-back, that.

A huge roar inside Rams Park as the home supporters thought Osimhen had restored their advantage from close range. But the Nigerian's celebrations are very quickly cut short by the linesman's flag.

A swift VAR check followed and confirmed the on-field decision.

This has been a really enjoyable opening half hour.

Spurs struggled early on but have found a foothold since levelling through Lankshear. But as they started to grow into the game, Osimhen had that big chance that I just told you about.

Both teams carrying a real threat in attack with two less-than-impressive defences — I'd be shocked if this stays 1-1!

A couple of big chances for Galatasaray.

Victor Osimhen skipped into oceans of space left behind Radu Dragusin, but Forster got down well to keep out his low, curling effort. On the rebound, Mertens fired wide on his left foot from the edge of the box.

Osimhen will be disappointed with himself that he didn't find the back of the net there, but it was a decent stop from Tottenham's 36-year-old goalkeeper.

What a moment for the 19-year-old in such a hostile atmosphere!

The credit has to go to Archie Gray who floated a brilliant pass into Brennan Johnson at the far post. He kept his composure well to centre the ball for Lankshear who had the simple task of poking into the empty net from a few yards out.

Excellent football from the visitors who have responded perfectly to going behind early on.

I can barely hear myself think let alone have a conversation with the other journalists sat next to me.

It must be overwhelming to be on the pitch which means it is understandable Spurs have started slowly. They are having trouble playing out from the back and at times are just hitting it long for Will Lankshear or Brennan Johnson to chase.

They need Bissouma, Maddison and Bergvall to show more composure in midfield.

The Galatasaray tails are up and Akgun's eyes lit up again when the ball dropped to him just outside the penalty area.

This time, though, his effort was wild and never troubling Forster.

Certainly can't blame him for having another go after seeing his first shot.

Of all the places you can go a goal behind in the first few minutes, this isn't one of the better ones.

The last thing these Tottenham players need is the home fans in full voice and that opening goal has turned the volume up a notch.

This is now a real test of Postecoglou's young side as they look to strike back quickly.

I'm not sure how some of these fans in Europe do it — the home supporters are violently whistling and booing every time a Tottenham player touches the ball.

Only one way for the visitors to shut them up...

Hugo Lloris has revealed the concerns Tottenham Hotspur players had with the club’s decision to allow an all-access documentary to follow them during the 2019-20 season.

The six-part All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur followed the team for the duration of that campaign, a year where manager Mauricio Pochettino was sacked and replaced with Jose Mourinho.

It also covered the club’s first season at their new stadium and took in the shutting down of football entirely following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spurs had reached the Champions League final the previous season, a high-point of the hugely successful Pochettino era at the club.

Lloris has revealed in his newly-published autobiography that the squad struggled to recover from defeat to Liverpool in that final, a situation that the players felt was only made more difficult by the introduction of a film crew to document almost every aspect of their professional lives.

“Everything was hard after that, for Mauricio and for us,” he writes in Hugo Lloris: Earning my Spurs.

GO DEEPER

All or Nothing? Filling in the blanks in Amazon’s Tottenham series

“When the film crew placed little microphones on some of the canteen tables, we went and sat at other ones. We had to be careful all the time,” he says adding that the training ground dressing room was the only area agreed to be out of bounds for filming.

“Otherwise, they had mics and cameras everywhere — even at some practice sessions, which was no small matter: it was a constraint and it had consequences.”

Lloris made 444 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions after arriving from Lyon in 2012. He was made club captain in 2015 and held the role until being replaced by Son Heung-min in August 2023 ahead of his departure in the following December.

The former France international joined LAFC in Major League Soccer and has gone to make 44 appearances, keeping 17 clean sheets. LAFC are next in action against Vancouver in the MLS Playoffs on Friday.

GO DEEPER

Hugo Lloris: 'Tottenham didn't have the same energy as before - Ange had a positive impact'

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

West Ham United forward Mohammed Kudus’ suspension has been upgraded to five games by the Football Association (FA) after his red card against Tottenham Hotspur in October.

The 24-year-old was shown a straight red card for violent conduct following a video assistant referee (VAR) review in the second half of West Ham’s 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on October 19.

The suspension means, in addition to the games against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest that Kudus has already missed, he will also be unavailable for West Ham’s upcoming fixtures against Everton (November 9), Newcastle United (November 25), and Arsenal (November 30).

Kudus had initially been shown a yellow card by referee Andy Madley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after appearing to kick out at Spurs defender Micky van de Ven before pushing the Netherlands international in the face.

He then went on to push opposition midfielder Pape Matar Sarr in the face before VAR official Chris Kavanagh recommended Madley reviewed the incidents on the screen.

Kudus was issued a three-game suspension, of which he has already served two games, but after an FA hearing, where it was alleged he acted in an improper manner and/or used violent conduct, he will miss a further three games.

The independent commission agreed the two offences should be treated as two separate incidents and therefore deemed an additional ban was necessary.

As stated in the FA’s written reasons, Kudus submitted a letter to the FA on October 24, where despite believing Van de Ven had exaggerated the altercation, he apologised for the incident and stated that he was “deeply embarrassed” by his behaviour. The independent commission deemed his apology sincere, and also noted his acceptance of the charge and his previously clean disciplinary record when determining the length of his ban.

Kudus also stated that his preparation for the game against Tottenham had been “physically and mentally challenging” after playing 90 minutes in Ghana’s 2-0 defeat to Sudan in Libya just four days before, a defeat that left Ghana on the brink of failing to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, the FA said that because the game was a high-profile London derby, the “sustained and public nature” of Kudus’ “aggressive behaviour” as well as the level of force used by the Ghana international, a two-game suspension was a necessary punishment. Kudus has also been fined £60,000 ($77,294.69)

West Ham are 14h in the Premier League with just three wins from their opening ten league games of the season. They return to action against Everton on Saturday.

(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Tottenham handed Aston Villa only their second Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, with Ange Postecoglou’s side coming from behind to thump Unai Emery’s team 4-1.

The first half was a slow burner but it was the visitors who crafted the clear-cut chances (three of them in fact) and the only goal — Morgan Rogers poking home a close-range, high-xG chance from a corner.

Television stations dream of broadcasting half-time team talks because sometimes that 15-minute discussion really can make a difference. And so it proved in this game, with a revitalised Spurs equalising just four minutes into the second half via a trademark back-post Brennan Johnson finish.

And things only got better from there, Dominic Solanke scoring a four-minute brace and James Maddison adding a fourth from an added-time direct free kick to take Spurs up to seventh, just two points behind both Villa and Arsenal.

Jay Harris and Mark Carey analyse the game.

Dominic Solanke’s decisive impact

Dominic Solanke had not registered a shot on target in his previous three league games for Tottenham before they faced Aston Villa on Sunday. He works incredibly hard off the ball and likes to drop deep to set up his team-mates but Ange Postecoglou was asked on Friday if he was concerned about Solanke’s lack of goals.

“I am delighted with him, mate, I couldn’t be happier with the way he is leading that front line,” Postecoglou said.

And everything came together for Solanke in the second half against Aston Villa. He is an intelligent and selfless runner who will often open up gaps for other Spurs players to exploit.

He was the biggest beneficiary of his own hard work in the 75th minute when he made a brilliant curved run behind Villa’s defence. Nobody followed him and the England international delicately chipped the ball over Emiliano Martinez. It was a tense and fractious contest but Solanke remained composed to provide the match-turning moment.

When Pape Matar Sarr intercepted Pau Torres’ pass to initiate a counter, Solanke burst into the box again to score from Richarlison’s cross. It was the forward’s fourth goal in the top flight since joining Spurs in August from Bournemouth.

Solanke scored the third goal in September’s victory over Manchester United but this was the first time he had acted decisively to win his side the game.

His tackle on Torres in the 93rd minute just underlined how hard he works for this team, and he even managed to win the free kick from which James Maddison made it 4-1. It was a fine day’s work.

Jay Harris

That Tottenham back-post threat

Tottenham came flying out of the blocks in the second half after an opening 45 minutes that failed to meet expectations. Brennan Johnson’s back-post finish bagged the equaliser on 49 minutes, and it was a goal that will be familiar to Spurs fans.

Back-post goals have has been a theme of Ange Postecoglou’s methods long before he joined Spurs. With the focus on his striker occupying central areas between the width of the goalposts, it is the job of his wingers to ensure they are occupying the opposite side when a team-mate is crossing. They are the sort of positions that can get you double figures in your goal tally by making such runs consistently.

Johnson has developed a knack for popping up in those areas well under Postecoglou, and it was another well-timed run that saw him finish first time from Son Heung-min’s teasing cross from the left flank — much in the same way that he arrived in the perfect place to finish against Manchester United this season.

A right-footed right-sided winger can look jarring at times, given that the player is unlikely to drive inside onto his weaker foot.

There were long periods where Johnson was barely involved in Spurs’ attack, but his consistent off-ball runs to the back post are a key reason why he is in the team.

Mark Carey

More defensive injury concerns

Cristian Romero wiped out Morgan Rogers in the 60th minute with a heavy challenge as Aston Villa tried to counter. Rogers picked himself up seconds later but Romero stayed down on the floor. He eventually limped off the pitch and threw his right boot onto the floor as he walked down the tunnel.

It was a nightmare moment for Tottenham who were already without Micky van de Ven until after the international break due to a hamstring injury.

It places a lot of pressure on Radu Dragusin, who started a Premier League game for the first time since September’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United. It was a big test for the Romania international coming up against Ollie Watkins and there was an early warning sign in the sixth minute. John McGinn whipped a cross into the box which Dragusin let go past him only to see Watkins miss it.

Dragusin won plenty of aerial duels but there is room for improvement in possession. The 22-year-old took a free kick deep in Spurs’ half, received the ball back from Destiny Udogie and was then pressured into running the ball out of play. Romero and Van de Ven are far more composed on the ball and if Tottenham are without them both for an extended period, Dragusin will need to improve on the ball.

Ben Davies partnered Dragusin for the final half an hour and there is a strong chance they will start together against Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday. To their credit, the pair did well to cope with the dual threat of Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran in the closing stages.

Jay Harris

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

The Tottenham manager was pleased with how his side dealt with one of the Premier League’s best sides. “You’re playing a top team and you know with Villa that they’re always going to have a real strong performance because they’re very, very consistent. They rarely have off days and you’ve got to be ready for that.

“I thought we had to match it with him in the first half. We had to sort of draw on their energy and make them work really hard. Obviously we concede a goal, but I still felt like we made them work really hard in that first half.

“And, you know, the thing with us is we’ve got another gear in us, two or three gears and we keep going and we felt like we could really break them open in the second half if we just really stayed focused on making sure the football was up tempo and there was intensity in the game and credit to the players after a massive effort on Wednesday night, at least they know that physically they did it again.”

Postecoglou also praised two-goal Dominic Solanke: “I just think the enormous effort he put in on Wednesday night to help us win a game of football, not just physically but mentally and his capacity to help the team in every way he can.

“To back that up today with such a massive effort again against a pretty difficult team to play against in that sense, it’s just unbelievable. Yeah, the goals are great and of course as a striker I am sure he loves the fact he can score a couple of goals, but even if he didn’t, again I can’t speak highly enough of what he is contributing to our team at the moment. And long may it continue because with him playing that way, it just makes us a better team.”

What next for Tottenham?

Thursday, November 7: Galatasaray (A), Europa League, 5.45pm UK, 12.45pm ET

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(Header photo: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has been ruled out until after the international break with a hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old picked up the issue in his right leg during Spurs’ Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City on Wednesday, which booked their place in the last eight of the competition.

“The main one is Micky and he has sort of strained a hamstring,” said Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou. “It is not too serious but probably after the international break for him.”

It means Van de Ven will be unavailable for Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa, their Europa League clash with Galatasaray next Thursday and Ipswich Town on November 10.

Van de Ven, who joined Tottenham from Wolfsburg on a six-year deal in August 2023, missed nine Premier League games last season with a separate hamstring issue.

Fellow centre-back Cristian Romero was also brought off in midweek before full-time but Postecoglou said he was removed as a precaution and still has a chance to feature this weekend.

Postecoglou added Son Heung-min trained on Friday and should be available to make his return from injury on Sunday having missed Tottenham’s last two outings.

Spurs are eighth in the table, five points adrift of Villa, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification spots.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester United in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup, while holders Liverpool travel to Southampton.

United, who won the tournament in 2023, will play Spurs — who eliminated Manchester City in the last 16 on Wednesday evening. Tottenham’s last major trophy was the 2008 EFL Cup.

Southampton, who edged out Championship side Stoke City on Tuesday night, will host Liverpool. The south coast club defeated Liverpool at the semi-final stage in the 2017 tournament.

Elsewhere, there is a London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates, while 2023 finalists Newcastle United — who defeated Chelsea 2-0 on Wednesday — play host to Brentford.

Carabao Cup quarter-final draw in full

Ties will be played across the week beginning December 16.

Arsenal vs Crystal palace

Newcastle United vs Brentford

Southampton vs Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

Carabao Cup 2024-25 dates

Quarter-finals: Week starting December 16

Semi-finals: Weeks starting January 6 and February 3

Final: Sunday, March 16

(Visionhaus/Getty Images)