Danso flops again, Kulusevski stars – Tottenham player ratings v Aston Villa
Tottenham were eliminated from the FA Cup after a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side was knocked out of both domestic cup competitions in the same week after suffering a 4-0 loss against Liverpool in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on 6 February.
The visitors got off to the worst possible start in the West Midlands (9 February) after Jacob Ramsey fired Villa into the lead after one minute of action.
Morgan Rogers doubled the advantage at the midway point of the second half after a back-and-forth contest at Villa Park to dump Spurs out of the FA Cup.
Mathys Tel, who completed a sensational U-turn on Deadline Day (3 February) to sign for Spurs, pulled a goal back for the visitors to set up a nervy ending at Villa Park.
Tottenham News have given their player ratings out of 10:
Antonin Kinsky – 4
The goalkeeper set the tone for the match after he failed to get a strong enough hand behind Ramsey’s opening goal. He did thwart the opposition on several occasions but couldn’t do enough to keep the Villa attack at bay.
Pedro Porro – 5
Porro had his work cut out for him on the right flank and saw his usual attacking influence nullified by the Villa defence. The Spaniard spent most of the game defending his side of the goal, to a relative degree of success.
Kevin Danso fails to impress in the FA Cup
Kevin Danso – 3
The Deadline Day signing has undergone a baptism of fire at Spurs and failed to cut the mustard once again. Danso looked like a fish floundering out of water at times and was caught ball-watching far too often and was susceptible for both goals.
Archie Gray – 5
Archie Gray usually produces a 7/10 performance consistently for the Lilywhites but endured an off-afternoon in the West Midlands. He too, struggled to keep pace with the intensity of the game and looked lost alongside his centre-back partner.
Djed Spence – 6
Undoubtedly the best performer in an underwhelming afternoon for the Spurs backline, Spence kept forcing the question from the left flank. Although his influence faded as the match wore on, his efforts certainly stood out among his defensive teammates.
Lucas Bergvall – 6
A decent return to the starting line up for the young midfielder. Bergvall kept the ball ticking and was strong in the tackle throughout the clash.
Rodrigo Bentancur [off for Pape Matar Sarr 72′] – 6
Bentancur is another who kept his head above water at Villa Park while the opposition swarmed. He did well to help Spurs keep the deficit at only two goals.
Mikey Moore [off for Yves Bissouma 46′] – 5
Moore looked lively on the wings for Spurs throughout the opening 45 minutes but ultimately was sacrificed with Postecoglou wanting more control in the centre of the pitch.
Dejan Kulusevski shines for Tottenham
Dejan Kulusevski – 8
The Swedish international was a bright spark in another abysmal team performance for Tottenham. Any attack the visitors could muster came through Kulusevski, and he was rewarded after he put the ball on a plate to Tel to convert in the dying embers.
Mathys Tel – 6
A disappointing full debut for the Frenchman. Tel struggled to get himself on the ball for most of the contest but did manage to make an impact by halving the deficit to give Spurs hope in injury time.
Son Heung-min – 4
The Spurs captain followed a non-existent performance at Anfield with another at Villa Park. Son missed a golden opportunity to level the tie in the first half and hid into his shadow from that moment onwards. Not a captain’s display by any means.
Substitutes:
Yves Bissouma – 6
Bissouma was introduced to bring stability to the midfield and did exactly that. The 28-year-old kept the midfield tight, forcing Villa to attack the flanks in the second half.
Pape Matar Sarr – 5
Sarr played out the final 18 minutes at Villa Park but couldn’t help turn the tide, with the momentum well in the hosts favour.