Definitive Days No.9
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
3 May 2026

Thanks to Andy Park for this picture

This was Roberto De Zerbi's fourth game in charge. It provided the biggest improvement in performance between two games.

Spurs played far better than they had done against Wolves and won two successive Premier League games for only the second time this season, the other occasion being the first two games of the season.

De Zerbi has been working hard on improving the confidence of the players and it really was evident against Villa. Spurs scored two goals in the first twenty-five minutes. Against Brighton two weeks ago they took the lead twice but couldn't hold out to win. This time they preserved their lead for the remaining sixty-five minutes against probably the best side they have faced under De Zerbi.

From Villa's perspective this match was sandwiched between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest and Villa had lost the away tie 1-0. Unai Emery prioritized the return leg and rotated his players for the Spurs game. It was a poor decision.

Spurs totally dominated the first half and led by two goals. Villa were unable to respond. The Spurs players displayed both confidence and commitment. Spurs used a high press and never let Villa dwell on the ball. The team entire played very well. Conor Gallagher and Joao Palhinha were outstanding.

Gallagher scored a fine opening goal, his first for the club and really cemented his place in the team. Palhina's tackling and commitment were key ingredients in the victory.

Spurs are now a point ahead of West Ham United and out of the relegation zone. They control their own destiny. Their fixtures are probably marginally easier than West Ham's. Also for two of the remaining three set of fixtures Spurs play later than the Hammers. They will thus know what they need to do to preserve their advantage which is a bonus.

De Zerbi deserves great credit for the improvements he has extracted from the team over the last four games. If he can maintain the standard displayed against Villa for the three remaining matches Spurs should be able to preserve their Premier League status.

. Spurs Odyssey match report

. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part One
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Two
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Three
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Four
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Five
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Six
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Seven
. Declan Mulcahy's series "A dozen definitive days" - Part Eight

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