The numbers behind Zion Suzuki vs Tottenham as 'phenomenal' quality lauded at Aston Villa
Zion Suzuki continued to capture the attention as Aston Villa sealed a 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The Japan international made his presence felt on the global stage throughout the World Cup.
He made sure everyone knew who he was and that prompted the Villans to swoop in and land his signature.
That move has already proven to be worth its weight in gold after an excellent start to life in B6.
The 24-year-old continued that on Saturday as Unai Emery's men secured a memorable 3-2 win away in North London.
Suzuki was key to the victory and has now been met by high praise from Danny Murphy.
Why was Danny Murphy stunned by Zion Suzuki?
The Villa Park faithful have been singing the praises of the keeper since his debut outing against Arsenal.
He may have tasted defeat that day, but seriously proved himself as the Emi Martinez replacement.
That sort of quality has since been seen on a weekly basis and was certainly on show in the capital.
His shot-stopping was superb against Spurs and was certainly noticed.
That was picked up on by Murphy but he had to mention the Japanese keeper's ability with the ball at his feet on Match of the Day on Saturday.
He said: "I mean he looks impressive. The first job you want your keeper to do is make saves and he did that really well when Spurs were having their best spell. His confidence is there. This is the best one of the lot [save from Archie Gray shot], he stays nice and big and gets a foot to it.
"When he comes for crosses, he tries to take command. His distribution with both feet is phenomenal, short and long. I think the tactic today was to go long, more quickly, to feed Manzambi and Jackson because of Tottenham's press.
"He gave a few away in the first half because he's brave and tries to play some intricate ones, but that's ok. The technical ability he has with both feet and the trajectory of some of the balls is really good and of a real high level. It's going to be a real weapon for Villa this season."
That sums up the general feeling surrounding the keeper in B6 as his quality continues to shine.
How good was Suzuki in Aston Villa win vs Tottenham?
The Villans may have grabbed a 3-0 lead on 79 minutes, but things would have been so different without the keeper.
The 24-year-old racked up five top saves and was able to prevent 0.32 expected goals on target in the process.
His two punches and four high claims also made a difference in calming the away side down when the pressure was rising at times.
The thing that seriously impressed Murphy was his 21 accurate passes and nine successful long balls.
That tied in with five throws and 12 recoveries just shows how comfortable he is almost featuring as a quarterback between the sticks.
Suzuki looks to be arguably the signing of the summer at Villa Park and long may his superb form continue.
Emery will be delighted, with one of his star signings more than arrived.