Look beyond the frenzied second-half display in which Thomas Frank’s team tried hard but ultimately failed to make up for their inadequacies of the first half and you will find Tottenham’s season virtually at an end.
Here we are, not yet halfway through January, they wallow near the bottom of the Premier League, and we can safely presume they will not win the Champions League.
Now they are dumped out of the FA Cup, beaten on home turf again by Aston Villa, who gave the home crowd a glimpse of what a vibrant and cohesive football team looks like.
Ugly scenes after the final whistle, players brawling, this time with each other rather than in dispute with their own fans, merely added to an overwhelming feeling that this is spiralling out of Frank’s control.
True, nothing much went the way of the home team by way of fortune. Another injury and two goals ruled out for offside, both decisions correct but Villa move on into the fourth round.
Unai Emery’s team won it in the first half when they gulf in class was clear and they dug in to survive the second half fightback when Spurs finally realised they would have to engage in a physical battle to win an FA Cup tie.
Thomas Frank (right) watched his Tottenham side get dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa
The players clashed at full-time, adding to the sense that Frank is spiralling out of control
Emiliano Buendia scored a lovely goal for Aston Villa after a slick team move
Emi Buendia, scorer of a beautiful goal to settle this fixture in the Premier League in October, punished Spurs again midway through the first half. Two simple passes cut the hosts open own the middle and John McGinn found Donyell Malen, who twisted away from Pedro Porro.
It was slick and cohesive, just the sort of football they long to see their own team play here in N17, and the finish slammed in with confidence after Buendia took Malen’s pass on the move.
Spurs were trialling a new singing section in the South Stand, part of an attempt to improve the atmosphere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and they were having a go, but the goal punctured the mood.
There was worse to come for Frank when Richarlison, top scorer for Spurs this season, went off injured. The Brazilian appeared to pull a hamstring muscle chasing a pass down the inside left channel.
It was Tottenham’s fourth muscle injury inside a week. Mohamed Kudus against Sunderland, last Sunday, and both Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur on Wednesday at Bournemouth.
Villa lost Boubacar Kamara very early on. Kamara clashed knees with Joao Palhinha in the opening seconds. He tried to continue but limped off.
Youri Tielemens, who came on, enhanced Villa’s midfield creativity and they didn’t miss the defensive qualities of Kamara because they were so dominant in the first half, but Emery’s frustration was clear. Kamara is so important to his team.
Still, more went wrong for Frank. Randal Kolo Muani found the net but was a yard offside and Villa came with a plan to nullify the Spurs set pieces by leaving three players up front, who had to be marked.
Morgan Rogers continued his superb form with another goal that doubled the lead
Wilson Odobert pulled one back for Spurs but they were unable to find an equaliser
Despite this flash of hope, the visitors were in control. Spurs needed to reach half time only one goal down and they failed. It was in third minute of five added for the injuries that Villa scored for the second time.
Again, it was another intricate passing move, easy on the eye, featuring footballers with flair and a sense of adventure carving through a flimsy defence. Morgan Rogers rolled the ball into the net.
Spurs fans could not hold their feelings in. They booed and many headed for the concourses. Villa fans taunted Frank with a verse about being an Arsenal fan, after he was snapped drinking from an Arsenal coffee cup, at Bournemouth, and blasted out a chorus to claim he was getting sacked in the morning.
Some of the home fans joined in and the booed loudly at half time, but Spurs showed some competitive spirit when they returned. They were aggressive and determined. They found a better tempo and more urgency. They lacked the class to outplay Villa but that does not mean they cannot engage in a scrap.
Joao Palhinha added fire and Kolo Muani won the ball in dangerous areas, forced mistakes and Spurs finally made Marco Bizot, who was deputising for the injured Emi Martinez in Villa’s goal, produce some saves.
In response, the home crowd swung behind them again and Wilson Odobert’s goal reignited the cup tie. Frank’s players were fighting for him and it was Emery who rustled changes from the bench.
Porro scrambled back to clear from his own goal line to deny Buendia a second. Micky van de Ven made a vital block as Villa sought a third. Xavi Simons had a goal offside and Dominic Solanke appeared from the bench for the first time since August, but this was beyond them. So much seems to be. Next weekend’s derby against West Ham looms large.
