Aston Villa booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a deserved 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in North London on Saturday night, extending their impressive momentum across competitions, Softfootball reports.
Unai Emery’s side came into the tie in strong Premier League form, having won four of their last six league matches and losing just once – a heavy 4-1 defeat to leaders Arsenal. That confidence showed early on, as Villa looked sharper and more purposeful from the first whistle.
The breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute when Emiliano Buendía capitalised on smart work from Donyell Malen, smashing the ball home from close range to stun the home crowd. Villa continued to enjoy the better moments of the first half and doubled their advantage late on, with Buendía again at the heart of it. The Argentine produced a clever flick to tee up Morgan Rogers, who calmly fired into the bottom corner to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.
Spurs, who have now won just one of their last six matches in all competitions, were second best before the interval and looked short on ideas. Their struggles this week had already been laid bare following a defeat to Bournemouth, after which captain Cristian Romero publicly questioned the team’s mentality, saying they “only show up when things are going well.”
Tottenham did respond after the restart with a much-improved display. Their pressure finally told in the 54th minute when Wilson Odobert found the net with a smart finish inside the box after being picked out by Randal Kolo Muani. That goal injected belief into Thomas Frank’s side, who pushed hard for an equaliser.
However, Villa held firm. Buendía capped a superb all-round performance by clearing a Pedro Porro effort off the line as Spurs piled on the pressure late on. Despite their improved second-half showing, Tottenham were unable to find a second goal and were eliminated at the third-round stage.
The defeat further underlines Spurs’ difficult run of form, with frustration growing among supporters and scrutiny increasing on Frank ahead of a demanding run of fixtures. Tottenham now turn their attention back to the Premier League, hosting West Ham United next weekend before welcoming Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League – two games that could prove pivotal.
During the game, Aston Villa shared via its official X handle, exclusive highlight of its first goal scored by Emiliano Bunedia. They posted:
For Villa, it was not a flawless performance, but it was a professional one. Emery’s side did what was required to progress in the FA Cup and continue what has already been a highly encouraging campaign. They return to league action at home to Everton on January 18 full of confidence, while Tottenham will hope to quickly regroup when West Ham visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 17.
