Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur: Son Heung-min hat-trick keeps Spurs on track for top four

Son Heung-min’s hat-trick kept Tottenham’s Premier League top-four destiny in their own hands as Spurs produced a masterclass in clinical finishing to thrash Aston Villa.

After the South Korea striker steered the visitors into an early lead, Spurs withstood a Villa onslaught to remain ahead at the interval with veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris making a string of superb saves.

But they cruised to victory with a breathtaking, counter-attacking second-half performance as Son swept home two more fine finishes, either side of an equally elegant strike from Dejan Kulusevski.

A fourth-successive win moved Antonio Conte’s side three points above north London rivals Arsenal – beaten at home by Brighton earlier on Saturday – in the race for the fourth Champions League spot.

Villa, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a fourth-straight defeat, despite dominating long spells of the first half, as returning striker Danny Ings wasted two glorious chances to bring them level.

• Follow reaction to Aston Villa v Tottenham and Saturday’s other Premier League matches

Son shines – but he’s far from alone for Spurs

While the scoreline failed to reflect the overall balance of play – or chances created – in the West Midlands, it was Spurs who possessed the difference-making individual talents.

Chief among them, of course, was Son, who seemingly never ceases to amaze – his first and third goals beautifully struck first-time efforts that both went in off the post, with a composed one-on-one finish to beat Emi Martinez in between.

On-loan Juventus midfielder Kulusevski again impressed, teeing up Son for his hat-trick after firing an accurate finish through the legs of Tyrone Mings and past Martinez to put the result beyond doubt.

Harry Kane took a back seat but was still involved in three of the goals, flicking on headers in the build-up to two, but Lloris was arguably Spurs’ stand-out performer.

The France goalkeeper made excellent first-half stops to thwart Jacob Ramsey’s solo run and shot, John McGinn’s 25-yard thunderbolt and Philippe Coutinho’s cheeky near-post free-kick.

Only three weeks ago, Spurs sat eighth, six points off fourth place – a position they now proudly hold, even if Arsenal do have a game in hand.

Tottenham, though, have a superior goal difference – boosted by this win – and an easier run-in on paper with Brighton, Brentford, Burnley and Norwich among their final seven opponents, while Arsenal meet Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham among their next four.

Ings’ day to forget as Villa’s Spurs curse strikes again

Tottenham are very much becoming Villa’s bogey side – they have won 14 of the past 18 Premier League meetings between the sides and this was their seventh-straight success at Villa Park.

Despite Son’s early opener, it did not look like ending that way for the majority of the first half though as Villa laid siege to the visitors’ goal.

While Lloris deserves the plaudits for his impressive display, the hosts were also guilty of profligate finishing, with Ings – still yet to truly find his feet at Villa with just five goals since his £25m summer move from Southampton – the chief culprit.

Twice he was afforded excellent chances on the volley – one from a dinked Coutinho set-piece and then an Ollie Watkins flick-on – but he scuffed both, one straight at Lloris and the other badly wide.

Watkins also sent a free header over from six yards as Steven Gerrard suffered his heaviest defeat as Villa boss.

Player of the match

Son Heung-MinSon Heung-Min

with an average of 9.23

Aston Villa

1. Squad number23Player namePhilippe Coutinho

2. Squad number1Player nameMartínez

3. Squad number2Player nameCash

4. Squad number41Player nameJ Ramsey

5. Squad number7Player nameMcGinn

6. Squad number11Player nameWatkins

7. Squad number27Player nameDigne

8. Squad number6Player nameDouglas Luiz

9. Squad number4Player nameKonsa

10. Squad number5Player nameMings

11. Squad number20Player nameIngs

12. Squad number10Player nameBuendía

13. Squad number31Player nameBailey

14. Squad number18Player nameYoung

Tottenham Hotspur

1. Squad number7Player nameSon Heung-Min

2. Squad number1Player nameLloris

3. Squad number21Player nameKulusevski

4. Squad number10Player nameKane

5. Squad number4Player nameRomero

6. Squad number30Player nameBentancur

7. Squad number15Player nameDier

8. Squad number3Player nameReguilón

9. Squad number33Player nameDavies

10. Squad number5Player nameHøjbjerg

11. Squad number27Player nameLucas Moura

12. Squad number23Player nameBergwijn

13. Squad number2Player nameDoherty

14. Squad number12Player nameEmerson Royal

Line-ups

Aston Villa

Formation 4-3-1-2

1Martínez

2Cash4Konsa5Mings27Digne

7McGinn6Douglas Luiz41J Ramsey

23Coutinho

20Ings11Watkins

• 1Martínez
• 2Cash
• 4Konsa
• 5Mings
• 27DigneSubstituted forYoungat 80′minutesBooked at 82mins
• 7McGinn
• 6Douglas Luiz
• 41J Ramsey
• 23CoutinhoSubstituted forBuendíaat 70′minutes
• 20IngsBooked at 21minsSubstituted forBaileyat 70′minutes
• 11Watkins

Substitutes

• 8Sanson
• 10Buendía
• 15Traoré
• 16Chambers
• 18Young
• 19Nakamba
• 25Olsen
• 31Bailey
• 33Chukwuemeka

Tottenham

Formation 3-4-3

1Lloris

4Romero15Dier33Davies

12Emerson Royal30Bentancur5Højbjerg2Doherty

21Kulusevski10Kane7Son Heung-Min

• 1Lloris
• 4Romero
• 15Dier
• 33Davies
• 12Emerson RoyalBooked at 74mins
• 30Bentancur
• 5HøjbjergBooked at 29mins
• 2DohertySubstituted forReguilónat 21′minutes
• 21KulusevskiSubstituted forBergwijnat 84′minutes
• 10KaneBooked at 90mins
• 7Son Heung-MinSubstituted forLucas Mouraat 78′minutes

Substitutes

• 3Reguilón
• 6D Sánchez
• 8Winks
• 14Rodon
• 19R Sessegnon
• 22Gollini
• 23Bergwijn
• 27Lucas Moura
• 42White

Live Text

1. Match ends, Aston Villa 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

2. Second Half ends, Aston Villa 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

3. Offside, Aston Villa. Emiliano Buendía tries a through ball, but Ollie Watkins is caught offside.

4. Attempt saved. Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Douglas Luiz with a cross.

5. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

6. Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Cristian Romero.

7. Attempt missed. Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.

8. Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

9. Foul by Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur).

10. Foul by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).

11. Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

12. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Steven Bergwijn replaces Dejan Kulusevski.

13. Ashley Young (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

14. Foul by Ashley Young (Aston Villa).

15. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

16. Foul by Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa).

17. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

18. Substitution, Aston Villa. Ashley Young replaces Lucas Digne because of an injury.

19. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Lucas Moura replaces Son Heung-Min.

20. Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Sergio Reguilón tries a through ball, but Ben Davies is caught offside.

• Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment

Son Heung-min’s hat-trick was his second in the Premier League, having netted four goals in a 5-2 win at Southampton in September 2020Son Heung-min’s hat-trick kept Tottenham’s Premier League top-four destiny in their own hands as Spurs produced a masterclass in clinical finishing to thrash Aston Villa.After the South Korea striker steered the visitors into an early lead, Spurs withstood a Villa onslaught to remain ahead at the interval with veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris making a string of superb saves.But they cruised to victory with a breathtaking, counter-attacking second-half performance as Son swept home two more fine finishes, either side of an equally elegant strike from Dejan Kulusevski.A fourth-successive win moved Antonio Conte’s side three points above north London rivals Arsenal – beaten at home by Brighton earlier on Saturday – in the race for the fourth Champions League spot.Villa, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a fourth-straight defeat, despite dominating long spells of the first half, as returning striker Danny Ings wasted two glorious chances to bring them level. Follow reaction to Aston Villa v Tottenham and Saturday’s other Premier League matchesSon shines – but he’s far from alone for SpursWhile the scoreline failed to reflect the overall balance of play – or chances created – in the West Midlands, it was Spurs who possessed the difference-making individual talents. Chief among them, of course, was Son, who seemingly never ceases to amaze – his first and third goals beautifully struck first-time efforts that both went in off the post, with a composed one-on-one finish to beat Emi Martinez in between.On-loan Juventus midfielder Kulusevski again impressed, teeing up Son for his hat-trick after firing an accurate finish through the legs of Tyrone Mings and past Martinez to put the result beyond doubt.Dejan Kulusevski’s goal was his third in 11 league games since joining Spurs on loan from Juventus in JanuaryHarry Kane took a back seat but was still involved in three of the goals, flicking on headers in the build-up to two, but Lloris was arguably Spurs’ stand-out performer.The France goalkeeper made excellent first-half stops to thwart Jacob Ramsey’s solo run and shot, John McGinn’s 25-yard thunderbolt and Philippe Coutinho’s cheeky near-post free-kick.Only three weeks ago, Spurs sat eighth, six points off fourth place – a position they now proudly hold, even if Arsenal do have a game in hand.Tottenham, though, have a superior goal difference – boosted by this win – and an easier run-in on paper with Brighton, Brentford, Burnley and Norwich among their final seven opponents, while Arsenal meet Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham among their next four.Ings’ day to forget as Villa’s Spurs curse strikes againTottenham are very much becoming Villa’s bogey side – they have won 14 of the past 18 Premier League meetings between the sides and this was their seventh-straight success at Villa Park. Despite Son’s early opener, it did not look like ending that way for the majority of the first half though as Villa laid siege to the visitors’ goal.While Lloris deserves the plaudits for his impressive display, the hosts were also guilty of profligate finishing, with Ings – still yet to truly find his feet at Villa with just five goals since his £25m summer move from Southampton – the chief culprit.Twice he was afforded excellent chances on the volley – one from a dinked Coutinho set-piece and then an Ollie Watkins flick-on – but he scuffed both, one straight at Lloris and the other badly wide.Watkins also sent a free header over from six yards as Steven Gerrard suffered his heaviest defeat as Villa boss.Scoreline is harsh on Villa – GerrardPlayer of the matchSon Heung-MinSon Heung-Minwith an average of 9.23Aston VillaSquad number23Player namePhilippe CoutinhoSquad number1Player nameMartínezSquad number2Player nameCashSquad number41Player nameJ RamseySquad number7Player nameMcGinnSquad number11Player nameWatkinsSquad number27Player nameDigneSquad number6Player nameDouglas LuizSquad number4Player nameKonsaSquad number5Player nameMingsSquad number20Player nameIngsSquad number10Player nameBuendíaSquad number31Player nameBaileySquad number18Player nameYoungTottenham HotspurSquad number7Player nameSon Heung-MinSquad number1Player nameLlorisSquad number21Player nameKulusevskiSquad number10Player nameKaneSquad number4Player nameRomeroSquad number30Player nameBentancurSquad number15Player nameDierSquad number3Player nameReguilónSquad number33Player nameDaviesSquad number5Player nameHøjbjergSquad number27Player nameLucas MouraSquad number23Player nameBergwijnSquad number2Player nameDohertySquad number12Player nameEmerson RoyalLine-upsAston VillaFormation 4-3-1-21Martínez2Cash4Konsa5Mings27Digne7McGinn6Douglas Luiz41J Ramsey23Coutinho20Ings11Watkins1Martínez2Cash4Konsa5Mings27DigneSubstituted forYoungat 80’minutesBooked at 82mins7McGinn6Douglas Luiz41J Ramsey23CoutinhoSubstituted forBuendíaat 70’minutes20IngsBooked at 21minsSubstituted forBaileyat 70’minutes11WatkinsSubstitutes8Sanson10Buendía15Traoré16Chambers18Young19Nakamba25Olsen31Bailey33ChukwuemekaTottenhamFormation 3-4-31Lloris4Romero15Dier33Davies12Emerson Royal30Bentancur5Højbjerg2Doherty21Kulusevski10Kane7Son Heung-Min1Lloris4Romero15Dier33Davies12Emerson RoyalBooked at 74mins30Bentancur5HøjbjergBooked at 29mins2DohertySubstituted forReguilónat 21’minutes21KulusevskiSubstituted forBergwijnat 84’minutes10KaneBooked at 90mins7Son Heung-MinSubstituted forLucas Mouraat 78’minutesSubstitutes3Reguilón6D Sánchez8Winks14Rodon19R Sessegnon22Gollini23Bergwijn27Lucas Moura42WhiteLive TextMatch ends, Aston Villa 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.Second Half ends, Aston Villa 0, Tottenham Hotspur 4.Offside, Aston Villa. Emiliano Buendía tries a through ball, but Ollie Watkins is caught offside.Attempt saved. Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Douglas Luiz with a cross.Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Cristian Romero.Attempt missed. Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner.Leon Bailey (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.Foul by Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur).Foul by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Steven Bergwijn replaces Dejan Kulusevski.Ashley Young (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.Foul by Ashley Young (Aston Villa).Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.Foul by Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa).Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.Substitution, Aston Villa. Ashley Young replaces Lucas Digne because of an injury.Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Lucas Moura replaces Son Heung-Min.Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Sergio Reguilón tries a through ball, but Ben Davies is caught offside.Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment