Goals and highlights will be available here soon.
Thank you for joining me here on Vavel UK's live text coverage of Tottenham's thrilling 2-3 win at Villa Park!
FULL TIME: ASTON VILLA 2-3 TOTTENHAM
It's Son who will receive man of the match in dramatic fashion as Spurs continue to revive their Champions League hopes! A late winner broke Villa hearts but what a game!
I think I need a nap now!
90+5' SUB: Vertonghen on for Bergwijn
90+5' Engels tries to clear but completely misses the ball and Son is away! He is through on goal and puts it past Reina to win the game for Spurs in dramatic fashion!
GOAL!!! ASTON VILLA 2-3 TOTTENHAM (SON 90+4')
UNBELIEVABLEEEEEE
93' That's a waste from Lo Celso after Bergwijn wins the header in the air from the clearance. The Argentinean skies his effort wide too.
92' Bergwijn skips past Nakamba who wipes him out. The Dutchman again causing problems.
92' Another save from Reina who denies Lo Celso! I think man of the match must go to the keeper.
91' Burst of pace from Gedson allows him to pickpocket Targett and earn a corner.
89' Aurier is found in a dangerous position but his cross is easily dealt with by Targett.
There may be any number of candidates for man of the match, but the worst player of the match only has one candidate for me.
87' Engels is down holding his head. Play is stopped. Looks like Guilbert catches his own teammate while trying to win a header.
86' ANOTHER BIG SAVE FROM SON BY REINA. Pressure is not off here as Guilbert takes out Bergwijn and gets a yellow card for his troubles.
85' Pepe Reina is definitely throwing his name into the mix for man of the match with another fantastic save from Son.
Corner Spurs.
84' Lucas finds some room from the corner to connect with the cross but his header is dismal.
83' Time to switch it up a bit. Corner to Spurs.
SUBS: Gedson Fernandes on for Dele Alli
Borja Baston on for Mbwana Samatta.
81' Grealish plays a sublime ball to Trezeguet but Aurier manages to cover in time.
80' Lloris punches the corner clear.
79' I've got this on my copy and paste now: Corner to Villa.
78' Villa pressing Spurs again. Lo Celso has struggled to contribute to the game so far.
76' Poor ball and Spurs get the free-kick away.
75' Grealish wins a free kick on the edge of the area out wide from Winks.
73' Talking of man of the match candidates, Samatta has been fantastic today, so has Konsa, Hause and Grealish.
74' Konsa however almost dashes his hopes of winning man of the match by giving the ball away sloppily before Reina saves brilliantly from Alli.
72' Bergwijn now helping out with the defensive work to stop a Villa counter. Man of the Match candidate.
69' The corner is well cleared by Sanchez.
SUB: Trezeguet on for El Ghazi
68' Deja Vu? Corner Aston Villa.
67'Aurier again loses out against Targett. Very poor performance from the right-back.
65' Villa have won almost every single aerial battle from a corner they are attacking. Spurs really are struggling to defend them.
64' Engels knocks the ball down for El Ghazi who cannot get his effort beyond Lloris.
El Ghazi is down and dazed and receiving treatment.
63' From one end to the other as Grealish wins another corner for Villa. Spurs need to find a way to stop the ball going out for corners.
61' That is so unlucky from Son who nutmegs Engels before shooting towards the far corner but Reina saves well.
60' SUBS!
Nakamba is on for Drinkwater
Lo Celso is on for Dier
59' Lucas robs the ball from Hause and sets Bergwijn on his way but his shot is straight at Reina.
58' Hause heads the corner over but Spurs are struggling to defend these corners.
57' Spurs need to get Bergwijn on the ball more, he looks a class above everyone on the pitch except maybe Grealish.
58' Another Villa corner.
56' Spurs have a corner up the other end which is cleared but Winks sends it back in towards Alli who cannot set up Dier with a header. This is end to end now!
54' Well Alderweireld made a mistake leading to a goal in the first half and then made up for it with a goal of his own, and Engels has just done the same! It's a fantastic header from the corner by the big Belgian!
GOAL!!! ASTON VILLA 2-2 TOTTENHAM (ENGELS, 54')
ITS ALL EVEN!
53' Sanchez turns El Ghazi's cross behind for a corner.
51' Guilbert's cross is chested down in the area by Samatta and the ball is struck by El Ghazi but that is straight at the keeper.
At the other end Bjorn Engels makes a fantastic challenge to deny Son.
50' Spurs have started much better in this second half and are now looking for a third.
48' Bergwijn breaks with pace and flies past Drinkwater but Guilbert makes a fantastic challenge that goes behind for a corner.
47' Lucas slides in late and wipes out Grealish in the process.
Second Half begins!
46' Son will be okay to continue! We are back underway.
Pen or no pen?
There is some debate on twitter whether the penalty decision was correct or not.
🤔 Was VAR correct to award Spurs a penalty here?
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2020
Tottenham lead at HT thanks to Son's rebound finish after Reina saves his spot kick
📺 Watch on Sky Sports Premier League
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📲 Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/T9Wh1ZGW9r
Re-watching the footage, it is clear that Engels goes through Bergwijn.
I am no referee, but that is one of the more clear and correct VAR decisions there has been.
Injury alert
Son was receiving medical treatment as the referee blew for half-time and looked to be in some pain - it is not yet known whether he will be okay to continue.
HALF TIME: Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham
45+3' Son scores his 50th Premier League goal for Spurs and his 5th in five consecutive games! Reina saves the penalty but it falls back to Son who makes no mistake on the rebound.
More on the foul, Winks plays a fantastic over the top ball to Bergwijn who is onside as he is in his own half when the ball is played. Engels initially looks like he has played the ball but he goes through Bergwijn who is about to shoot or cross across the face of goal for an easy tap-in! The Dutchman has been fantastic again so far.
GOAL!!! ASTON VILLA 1-2 TOTTENHAM (SON 45+2')
PEN MISSED! SON SCORES ON THE REBOUND!
45+1' PENALTY!!!! BERGWIJN IS FOULED BY ENGELS!
44' Another VAR check on Engels vs Bergwijn.
43' No penalty! You have to say though Bergwijn is very unlucky, his goalbound shot is almost blocked on the line by Engels and while it looks like it is on his arm, it is struck so hard and sweet that it is near impossible to tell whether or not it hit the Villa defender's arm or not.
42' Bergwijn is causing all kinds of trouble here for Spurs and his shot may have been blocked by an arm, VAR check going on.
40' Drinkwater is caught in possession again. Spurs are targeting him when he receives the ball.
37' Luiz picks out El Ghazi whose strike is thunderous but Lloris is equal to it.
36' Big chance for Alli again! It's a great run from him assisted by Son as the Englishman breaks behind the Villa backline but his shot from a wide-angle glides past the far post and out.
34' What a challenge from Hause! Lucas breaks with speed but slows down as he is about to pull the trigger in the box allowing Hause to get back and make a brilliant recovery challenge.
33' Another corner for Villa now, some of these deliveries have been exceptional and Spurs are hanging on here.
32' Sanchez turns behind Targett's cross for another Villa corner. That goal has not halted their rhythm.
The corner drops to Hause but Lloris claws the ball away for another corner.
28' Going back to the build-up to the corner, Bergwijn again is involved heavily with some great play from him before releasing Aurier with a beautiful ball who's cross is blocked by Targett.
Exceptional from the Dutchman.
GOAL!!! ASTON VILLA 1-1 TOTTENHAM (Alderweireld 27')
27' WOW WHAT A GOAL! The corner comes in and it drops to Alderweireld at the front post who swivels and hits it on the volley! Unstoppable!
25' Grealish's cross is too deep and Spurs survive again.
24' Every now and then Aurier will drop a 3/10 performance and I'm guessing today is the day he will do that. Another mistake from him almost gives Villa a clear cut chance but the ball is blocked and turned away for a corner.
22' Samatta heads El Ghazi's ball way over. The new boy has caused plenty of problems so far for the Spurs defence.
22' Aldeweireld is back on the pitch.
20' Bergwijn counters for Spurs who delivers a fantastic ball in to the back post for Alli but his header is way wide. Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch Alderweireld is down and in a lot of pain.
19' How has Douglas Luiz not scored? Grealish again though is at the heart of it as he skips past Alderweireld and passes to Luiz arriving into the box but Davies turns it over for a corner.
17' Lucas is given time on the ball on the edge of the area but he drags his shot wide. Spurs beginning to get into the game now.
15' Huge chance for Spurs goes begging! El Ghazi's poor ball is intercepted by Lucas Moura who drives but fails to release the ball at the right time to Son.
He finds Alli later though who's shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
13' This time Aurier mis-hits the ball giving Samatta the chance to shoot but instead he finds Grealish who finds him again but his effort is blocked.
Villa win a corner.
11' Grealish is loving it here today and he goes for goal again but is wide of the mark. Spurs are shell shocked.
10' The slippery surface has played a part but this is poor from Alderweireld who cannot divert the ball away from goal and instead prods it past Lloris.
Villa come back again and Grealish's shot takes a deflection off Dier but referee does not see it and goal kick is given.
GOALLL! ASTON VILLA 1-0 TOTTENHAM (Alderweireld Own Goal 9')
WOW!
6' Grealish looks like he is going to enjoy playing against Aurier today although he won't enjoy that foul given away by the Ivorian against Grealish.
5' El Ghazi fires the free-kick well over the bar.
4' Dangerous free-kick for Villa after Aurier tags down Grealish.
2' Good challenge from Konsa on Son to stop the Korean from breaking away. The forward has stayed down.
Kick Off!
1' The game is underway here at Villa Park!
Teams are out!
10 min warning!
10 minutes until kick-off so grab a drink and strap yourselves in for what might be a fantastic game of football.
Last time between the two sides
A reminder of what happened last time between the two sides in what was their first games of the campaign.
A stunning strike from debutant Tanguy Ndombele and two from Harry Kane sealed the win for Spurs after John McGinn initially put Villa ahead.
Stage is set
Villa Park is ready for what will be an important clash for both sides - Spurs needing a win to keep their Champions League hopes alive while Villa need a win to keep them in the race for safety.
📍 Villa Park
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 16, 2020
🔜 #AVLTOT #AVFC pic.twitter.com/FNvEURExFg
It's a wet one this afternoon so let's hope the weather does not affect the game too much.
Villa to break their top 6 duck?
Having not beaten any of the top 6 sides in 20 Premier League games, today will be a tasty fixture.
Aston Villa are looking for their 1️⃣st win in 21 @premierleague games v ‘big 6’ sides. Their last win was 1-0 at Tottenham in April 2015
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 16, 2020
Mbwana Samatta is looking to become the 1st @AVFCOfficial player to score in their first 2 PL apps since Dion Dublin in Nov 1998 pic.twitter.com/k5kXlf0MJk
Mbwana Samatta is also striving to score, in order to become the 1st Villa player to score in both of their first two games since Dion Dublin.
Double landmark day for Spurs?
Both Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son are one goal away from 50 Premier League goals.
Ben Davies makes his 1st app since Mourinho’s 1st game at West Ham on Nov 23.
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 16, 2020
Dele Alli & Heung-Min Son are both looking for their 5️⃣0️⃣th @premierleague goals@SpursOfficial are unbeaten in their last 2️⃣2️⃣ PL away games v newly promoted sides (W18, D4) since Apr 2012 pic.twitter.com/vMPtVkMznc
Can they do it today?
Not confident Villa fans?
With Mings out, some fans are even jokingly calling for the game to be postponed!
Postpone the game until Mings is back
— Eli🥶🥶🥶🥶 (@EliAVFC) February 16, 2020
Postpone the game until Mings is back
Postpone the game until Mings is back
Postpone the game until Mings is back Postpone the game until Mings is back
Postpone the game until Mings is back
Not sure if that's how it works!
Team News
Aston Villa will have to defend against Spurs without star defender and England international Tyrone Mings. Not sure as to yet why, but it is certainly a huge blow for Villa! Borja Baston is on the bench while new signing Mbwana Samatta retains his place.
Steven Bergwijn meanwhile starts his second match for Spurs and Ben Davies also returns, while Eric Dier keeps his spot over Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso. Oliver Skipp and Gedson Fernandes are also on the bench.
Teams are revealed!
Aston Villa Line-Up: Reina, Guilbert, Konsa, Engels, Hause, Targett, Luiz, Drinkwater, Grealish, El Ghazi, Samatta
Subs: Nyland, Nakamba, Taylor, Hourihane, Trézéguet, Baston, Elmohamady
Tottenham Line-Up: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Dier, Winks, Bergwijn, Alli, Son, Moura
Subs: Gazzaniga, Vertonghen, Lo Celso, Skipp, Fernandes, Tanganga, Ndombele
Team news in 20 minutes
Team lime-ups will be revealed in 20 minutes!
Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Last meeting
The last time that the two played back in August, Spurs were 3-1 victors over Aston Villa in London courtesy of two late goals from Harry Kane and one earlier by Tanguy Ndombele. Here are the highlights from the previous tie:
Spurs players feeling refreshed
Speaking to tottenhamhotspur.com, Jose Mourinho told the club's media about how he feels his squad has benefited from the winter break:
“They needed it so much. They were really in physical and psychological need of a little bit (of rest). I’m not saying every player but many of them, they are playing so much and some of them were really on some limits – we could see the way we finished the game against Southampton, an extra game we were not expecting to have, so it was good for them and they’ve come back really well and happy and the week of work has been very good.”
Dean Smith believes Villa have to concentrate on themselves
The Aston Villa gaffer spoke to the media this week:
"It’s going to be a different team than we played against on the first day of the season because they’ve got a new head coach.
"Obviously Jose’s in there now and he’ll have different ideas to Mauricio Pochettino. They’re without Harry Kane, which is a big loss, but they’ve got an awful lot of quality within that team.
"Bergwijn, Son, Moura and Dele Alli, who’s scoring goals now. They’ve got enough of a threat. They were Champions League finalists last season and they’ve been regular top four finishers, but we’ve got to concentrate on ourselves and that’s the most important thing."
Preparing for Sunday. 😤
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 15, 2020
🔜 #AVLTOT #AVFC pic.twitter.com/zzJ4Cd8Tuh
How to watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur Live TV and Stream
If you want to watch the game on TV, your options are: Sky Sports Premier League
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Tottenham Hotspur: Predicted Lineup
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Tanganga; Lo Celso, Winks, Ndombele; Lucas, Son, Bergwijn
Aston Villa: Predicted Lineup
Reina; Hause, Mings, Engels; Guilbert, Nakamba, Luiz, Targett; Grealish, Samatta, El Ghazi
Tottenham Hotspur: Team News
Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane are both still out for Spurs with long term injuries. Ben Davies returned to training after the winter break, but both Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela were absent.
Aston Villa: Team News
Keinan Davis, John McGinn, Jed Steer, Wesley and Tom Heaton will all be unavailable for selection for Sunday's game at Villa Park
Spurs mounting charge for Europe
The news that Manchester City have been banned from UEFA competitions for the next two seasons could present new opportunities for Spurs to find an easier route into European football for the 2020/21 campaign. They are currently five points off Chelsea for a Champions League spot who have a game in hand, and two behind Sheffield United.
However, if Pep Guardiola's side finish in the top four of the Premier League, then those between first and fifth will achieve the UCL. This new factor will give fresh inspiration for Spurs to compete for a space in the top four and be in the premier European competition next year.
Villa looking for league security
In their first season back in the Premier League, Aston Villa currently sit in seventeenth place in the division, one above the relegation spots. If Dean Smith's side manage to muster up three points in Sunday's game, then they will rise to fifteenth, and have a four-point cushion from relegation.
In their final game before the winter break against Bournemouth, Villa lost 2-1. They will be hoping that the fortunes fall in the opposite way in Sunday's tie.
Now into the second half of fixtures over the winter break, both Villa and Spurs have the advantage over their opposition with a game in hand. A win for the Midlands-based side could help to push them above Watford towards safety, whilst if the three points go the other way then Tottenham would sneak into 5th place.
Kickoff time
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur will be played at Villa Park, in Birmingham, England. Kickoff is scheduled at 14:00 GMT
Welcome
Welcome to VAVEL.com’s LIVE coverage of the 2020 Premier League match: Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur!
My name is name of Daniel Huggins and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.