It was far from easy for Aston Villa, as the final 2-0 scoreline may suggest. Unai Emery's side did what was needed on the day and got the task done. AVFC earned a crucial set of three points, and they can continue to build pressure on other Premier League teams surrounding them in the standings.
Although not on the score sheet with a goal or an assist, Marco Asensio was spectacular for the Villans against Spurs. The Spanish attacking midfielder had a couple of great moments of individual skill that did nearly allow him to find the back of the net.
His runs, creativity, and consistent pressure on the Tottenham backline set the tone for the hosts on Friday. While the first half was frustrating, the second half saw Emery's men grow into the match and ultimately see out the win in their final Villa Park fixture of the season.
The first score came as a result of Ian Maatsen's efforts. The left-back pressured Tottenham and ultimately won the ball back, as he had throughout the evening. Off the ensuing John McGinn corner, the ball was knocked down into the path of Ezri Konsa by Ollie Watkins.
Watkins, who had earlier eclipsed Gabriel Agbonlahor's club record, is now also the all-time Villa player in the Premier League competition for goal involvements.
The second goal came off a good run with the ball from Boubacar Kamara, whose left-footed strike found the bottom corner of the net.
Needed result from Aston Villa
Overall, it was a strong performance from Villa. Tottenham proved difficult to break down. Outside of forcing Emiliano Martínez to make one save, however, AVFC did well to mostly limit the visitors' chances while keeping a lot of the action toward the opposition end of the pitch.
Amadou Onana also put in a good shift in the midfield, at times being called into the fray to prevent a Tottenham chance from becoming too much of anything serious. He and Asensio stood out for Villa during the win.
Now with Villa doing their part, they'll need to ensure they finish with one more win when they finish the season at Old Trafford against Manchester United.