Andres Villas-Boas: 'We face the league leaders next, who are unbeaten, and that can help motivate us and move into the top four'

Published: 7 October, 2012
By DAN CARRIER at White Hart Lane

Premier League
SPURS 2, ASTON VILLA 0

SPURS are homing in on a top-four spot – and Andres Villas-Boas reckons they can take Chelsea's scalp to get it.

Speaking after a 2-0 home win on Sunday against Aston Villa, pushing Spurs into fifth with four straight victories, the manager said he was looking forward to meeting his former employers – the next side to visit the Lane after the two-week international break.

He said: “I felt we started the season well but did not quite get the results we wanted.

“But we are now getting some consistency. We have good levels of confidence. We face the league leaders next, who are unbeaten, and that can help motivate us and move into the top four.”

Two second-half goals sealed the points and AVB said he was pleased by the domination his players had shown. He praised his team's work rate – particularly impressive after playing on Thursday night in the Europa League in Athens.

He added: “It was an extremely big effort. They got back from Greece at four in the morning on Friday but still managed to play today with tremendous power.”

Spurs started by far the livelier: by the opening two minutes both Bale and Defoe had signalled their intent with bursts forward and efforts on goal.

It set the tone, but while the home side had all the possession in the first period, they found it difficult to get the final ball right. Demspey, Defoe, Bale and Sandro drove chances high and wide with regularity: such wayward shooting meant despite bags of the game, Villa's keeper Brad Guzan had a pretty spotless kit at the break.

The second half got under way in much the same fashion: Spurs having much of the ball but having to be patient as the breaks just did not come. Then, on 58, as murmurs of frustration went around the terraces, Spurs got their noses in front. A corner went deep, fell for Defoe to shoot and his snappy stab from close range walloped off Steven Caulker's shins and in.

The second came on 66: a flowing move started on the left with Vertonghen and the ball was carried forward with neat passes that saw it strung along by Dembele and Dempsey before Lennon got space and drilled home from an angle.

So a fourth win in a row and the first clean sheet of the season. No wonder AVB is relaxed and smiling.

Spurs: Lloris, Dempsey, Vertonghen, Lennon, Bale, Gallas, Defoe, Dembele, Walker, Sandro, Caulker.
Subs: Friedel, Huddlestone, Adebayor, Dawson, Sigurdsson, Falque, Townsend.
Man of the Match: Big performances across the team, but Sandro steals it as his bravery and determination was a vital aid to the more creative around him.
Attendance: 35,802

SPURS COMMENT by Dan Carrier

IT was a big decision on AVB's part to drop the faultless Brad Friedel and end a run of over 200 consecutive Premiership performances.

But Hugo Lloris repaid the bravery with the side's first clean sheet of the season in one of those games where he had little to do for long spells but kept his concentration levels at Def Con One throughout. He commanded his box, caught whatever was hoofed his way, raced to the 18-yard line as if he was also well versed in playing the Franz Beckenbauer sweeper role, and when he did have a shot to save, he did so with a greed for the ball that essentially must mean the gloves are now his. Friedel has been immense, an inspired signing by Harry Redknapp. We love Gomes for his fan-friendly eccentricity and his Dr Octopus-style shot-stopping ability. But it was going to be hard to genuinely challenge when you had someone who would drop a proper clanger three times a season.

Friedel reminded us that you want your showmen up front and not between the sticks. He steadied the ship and gave the team the foundations needed. AVB said afterwards Fridel took the change well and that it made 'sense' to play Lloris as he'd turned out in the Europa and then had two games coming up back to back for France.

As we see less of him this term, his contribution has been appreciated and he will be remembered fondly.