Sam Stone

Sun 1 January 2023 17:14, UK

Unai Emery’s fine start as Aston Villa manager continued with a marvellous 2-0 away win against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur.

Second-half goals from Emi Buendia and Douglas Luiz saw Villa stun their hosts to secure their third league win under the Spaniard.

It was a sensational performance from a number of Villa’s players and her Villa News takes a look at three things we learnt from the win in North London.

Cohesive

Although there were a number of players who stood out for Villa, it’s clear Emery is eager to install a collective work ethic within the group. Villa’s midfield four were completely dominant in and out of possession. Without the ball, they made life extremely hard for Spurs and didn’t allow their creative players the opportunity to dictate the game in the way they would’ve liked.

The togetherness of this group is clearly demonstrated by Buendia managing more tackles than any other Villa player during the match (Whoscored). The Argentine was an important part of Emery’s midfielder quartet and was selfless in the way he pressed throughout the match. One key characteristic of Villa under the Spaniard having energetic and defensively capable attacking midfielders.

In games against the better teams in the division, preventing them from dictating the play can go a long way in determining the outcome and the likes of John McGinn and Buendia caused Conte’s side plenty of frustration.

Luiz masterclass

Luiz’s midfield performance was about as good as we’ve seen so far this season. He was levels above any of Spurs’ midfield occupants and deserved to seal the win for the Villans. The Brazilian has been a big part of Villa’s defensive success since Emery has taken charge, but the 24-year-old showed that he is more than capable of being an attacking force for the Villans.

Against Spurs, Luiz managed five shots (Whoscored) whilst operating in a deeper-lying role and managed two key passes. He’s clearly a top-quality player and has rightfully been linked to the Premier League’s top clubs. Villa have struggled for goals at times this season, particularly under Steven Gerrard and if Luiz can continue to shine under Emery, it could provide Villa with another string to their bow in the coming weeks and months.

Composure Ollie

Ollie Watkins’ poor finishing is becoming a theme of his game and it’s something he must improve quickly. It didn’t impact Villa today, but in previous games, the striker has missed some guilt edge chances which have prevented Emery’s side from getting back into games.

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the striker had four shots but failed to hit the target once. He offers so much for the team in terms of his running and pressing, but his failure to put the ball in the back of the net is becoming a real issue.

It’s an area he has to work on, and if he can, Villa would have a top-tier striker on their hands.

In other Aston Villa news, Ludwig Augustinsson is surely done at Villa Park under Unai Emery