Tottenham beat Aston Villa to exit Premier League relegation zone
Tottenham Hotspur have moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after securing a crucial 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
First-half strikes from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison put the visitors in total control against a heavily rotated home side.
Unai Emery’s men, who face a pivotal Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday, looked distracted and off the pace from the first whistle.
Emiliano Buendia struck a late consolation deep into stoppage time, but it was not enough to deny the away side successive league victories.
Gallagher rewards De Zerbi faith
West Ham’s heavy 3-0 defeat at Brentford earlier in the weekend meant a win would guarantee safety-chasing Spurs a route out of the bottom three.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has placed Gallagher at the heart of his survival blueprint since the midfielder’s January arrival from Atletico Madrid.
The former Chelsea academy graduate vindicated that trust, opening the scoring after 12 minutes by rifling home a loose ball from the edge of the penalty area.
His relentless pressing set the tone for an aggressive away performance that left the hosts continually coughing up possession.
Tel shines as visitors double advantage
The dominance of the north London club was rewarded once again after 25 minutes of play.
Mathys Tel delivered a precise inswinging cross that found Richarlison, allowing the Brazilian forward to head comfortably into the net.
Opportunities to impress have been carefully managed by the Italian tactician, but the young French winger seized his chance to shine on the flank.
Despite demanding a reaction after the interval, the Midlands outfit were toothless in response and mustered just a single shot on target.
This hard-fought triumph provides a massive psychological boost for a squad desperately fighting to retain their top-flight status.