Tottenham played a fantastic second-half game against Aston Villa as Son Heung-min’s hat-trick helped them to a 4-0 victory on Saturday night, giving them a place in the top four.
Son gave Spurs a good start in three minutes, as the ball bounced off South Korea shooting half-volley at goal.
Villa reacted when Matty Cash unleashed his first shot aimed at Hugo Lloris, while the Frenchman had recently again had to lift Jacob Ramsey’s drive over the bar. Lloris was also required to expel John McGinn’s strike from a distance.
There was blood and thunder from Steven Gerrard’s side, with the likes of Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey making solid slide challenges during the first 25 minutes as they tried to confuse their visitors.
Spurs struggled to gain control as Villa pressured for an equalizer, with Ollie Watkins shaking his head after Philippe Coutinho did well to clear the ball. The England striker has also been denied by Lloris after slipping on Danny Ings.
It was Ings who was the closest after the time when Tyrone Mings threw a cross behind the post, but he did a bit of an end to denying Villa the equalizer they deserved.
Tottenham were included in the squad for the pitch, and although Sergio Reguilon’s replacement saved Emiliano Martinez, he was assisted by the Mings’ block.
However, despite Villa’s dominance, it was Spurs who doubled their lead at the start of the second half. Harry Kane’s turned head fell into Dejan Kulusevski’s path and the Swede put his left hand in the far corner to give his side a respite.
That goal seemed to give impetus to Villa and they were unable to give the same attack they did in the first half before Kane’s ball bounced off the line and sent Son back. The striker ran and calmed down to close the gap on Spurs.
He finished his hat trick shortly thereafter, pulled out by Kulusevski, and rolled the gun into a far corner. That was also his 17th Premier League goal of the season, the equivalent of his campaign in England.
The win gives the Spurs a chance to enter the top four after Manchester United and Arsenal lost on Saturday. They are now four points adrift of the Gunners by a huge margin of goals as they play an extra game, with Villa sitting in 12th place as they look to the last ten.
