Ange Postecoglou praised Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke as “unbelievable” after his impressive second-half brace led Spurs to a decisive 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. Villa, who started the day with a five-point advantage over Spurs and had edged them out for a top-four finish last season, initially took the lead in the 32nd minute through Morgan Rogers’ goal from a corner.
This early goal briefly disrupted the momentum Tottenham had built after their midweek Carabao Cup win over Manchester City. However, Spurs rallied in the second half, overpowering their Midlands opponents. Captain Son Heung-min assisted Brennan Johnson’s seventh goal of the season in the 49th minute, before Solanke added two quick goals in the final 15 minutes, ending a six-match scoring drought.
James Maddison, coming on as a late substitute for Richarlison, finished the day with a stoppage-time free-kick to lift Spurs to seventh place. Yet, the spotlight remained on Solanke, whose consistent efforts were finally rewarded with goals.
Postecoglou remarked, “The effort he put in to help us win on Wednesday was incredible, both physically and mentally. To bring that same intensity today against such a tough opponent is just unbelievable. Yes, the goals are fantastic, but his contribution to the team goes far beyond that. As long as he plays like this, he makes us a stronger team.”
It wasn’t all positive for Tottenham, though, as they had to substitute Cristian Romero and Richarlison, in addition to losing Micky van de Ven to a hamstring injury earlier in the week. Romero exited in the 61st minute with a foot issue, while Richarlison appeared to suffer a muscle injury while setting up Solanke’s goal in the 79th minute. “Richy felt something in his hamstring while assisting the goal, so we’ll have to see,” Postecoglou said, adding, “Romero is tough, so for him to come off, it must be painful.”
Despite this, Postecoglou was pleased with the result. He had planned to sub out Son after 60 minutes, as the forward had missed six of Spurs’ last seven games due to a hamstring issue. “He contributed with a great assist for our first goal and that was what we needed from him today,” he said.
Villa, who had won four of their last six league matches, suffered back-to-back losses this week, following a Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace. Reflecting on the loss, Villa manager Unai Emery said, “The first half was much better, but in the second half we made mistakes and allowed them to capitalize. We’re competing well, but we must work to stay close to the top seven in the Premier League.”
