With Arsenal losing at home to Brighton adding to the previous defeats to the Wolves and Manchester United, the Spurs had the opportunity to boost their access to fourth place and did so emphatically. Heung-Min Son’s hat-trick helped open the scoring to a three-point lead over the Gunners and Conte was thrilled by the mentality shown by his team as he withstood a lot of pressure in the first half. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player FREE ATTENTION: Highlights from Tottenham’s win over Aston Villa in the Premier League “A strong team needs character and personality to be strong mentally, because during a game you can have a period when you suffer because the opponent puts a lot of pressure on you. “Today, the first half was difficult, but we knew it because when we play at Aston Villa away at this stadium with this fantastic atmosphere, I do not think there is a team that wins easily. “For this reason, I was happy with the attitude of the players, the composure. They decided to stay strong. And then in the second half, I think we won the game in a significant way. “Certainly, we have to be better when there is this kind of pressure and try to keep playing. Because every time we had the ball we had chances to score. “If you have an opponent who plays with high pressure, the space will be open for attack. In the second half we were much better I think because the intensity of Aston Villa was slower. “It was a great victory for us. Especially when you play a game after your opponents for a place in the Champions League – Wolverhampton, Manchester United and Arsenal – have lost. “Right now you are starting to feel the blood. It is important at this time not to fail. We work a lot on the mentality and the players give me satisfaction. “Certainly, seeing this improvement makes me proud. It gives me great satisfaction. At the same time, I know we have to work on this improvement. “Because there are not only tactical, technical and physical aspects, but there is also a mentality. There is a lot of room for improvement. But today they have shown me that they have improved this aspect.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Tottenham boss Antonio Conte said he was pleased with his side’s “commitment, attention and accuracy in every situation” after watching it win 4-0 against Aston Villa.
The terrible trinity of Tottenham
Heung-Min Sean now has 17 goals in the Premier League this season and in this form he can compete with Mohamed Salah for the golden shoe. This connection with Harry Kane looks as deadly as ever, with the assist of the England captain for the third goal highlighting his excellent vision. But maybe it’s time to talk about being a magic trio at Tottenham as well as a perfect collaboration. Dejan Kuluszewski ran to score another assist Kane and then provided Sean with the fourth goal. The Swede is a revelation from his arrival. Kane and Sean were not missing much, but he has added them. A natural left-footer, he knows when to slow down the game and speed it up, and this calm in the final third sets him apart from the other contenders for this third place in Tottenham’s attack. Gareth Bale’s return to the club on loan from Real Madrid last season briefly hinted at a dream attacking line-up – and the Welshman scored. But Kulusevski was better. This time, it seems that may be enough to bring the Spurs to the places of the Champions League.
Gerard’s view on the front three
Asked if Tottenham had the best three-pointer in the Premier League, Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard was ambitious, but disagreed. “They are definitely top players. I would say two of them are world class and I think Juventus youngster Kulusevski is a potential top player. “This is my view of it, but I think you have to remember that there are City and Liverpool and Chelsea who also have world-class players. “So I’m not sure where Tottenham are in the league, but usually the team that wins the league has the best forward line.”
