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New Aston Villa manager Remi Garde watched his team lose 3-1 at White Hart Lane on Monday night as Tottenham moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.
Villa remain bottom of the table after their seventh straight Premier League defeat, and despite showing the fight for a battle against relegation they need a dramatic turn around after taking only four points from their first 11 games.
Mousa Dembele fired Tottenham ahead after only three minutes and Dele Alli made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time. Villa surprisingly pulled one back when Jordan Ayew's 79th minute shot was deflected but a fine strike from Harry Kane in stoppage time made sure of the win for Spurs.
So who impressed for Tottenham at White Hart Lane? Who will Garde have liked? And which players might not be in the side next week when the Frenchman properly takes over? We take a look at the individual performances...
Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratingsShow all 6 1 /6Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings TOTTENHAM DEFENCE Hugo Lloris: 6 out of 10 Had very little to do aside from one cracking save from Sinclair early on. Also guilty of one nervous moment but was a safe pair of hands. Kyle Walker: 6 out of 10 Far from convincing when Sinclair ran at him with pace, but pushed forward well and also and was involved in some encouraging defensive work. Toby Alderweireld: 7 out of 10 Dealt with Agbonlahor's pace and passed with precision. Jan Vertonghen: 6 out of 10 Largely untroubled, but a composed presence when called upon. Gestede's physical proved to be a problem as Vertonghen struggled to contain the striker's aerial presence. Danny Rose: 7 out of 10 Claimed an assist early on, which appeared to give him a confidence boost. Gave his opposite number Hutton plenty of problems. Withdrawn through injury.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings TOTTENHAM MIDFIELD Eric Dier: 6 out of 10 A reliable, if not remarkable, contribution. Had little defensive work to do as Spurs controlled possession but also proved, once again, he is capable in attack. Dele Alli: 7 out of 10 Although it initially threatened to be a quiet night for the teenager, he made his presence felt with a composed finish just before the interval. Unfazed and oozing confidence. Reaplced by Josh Onomah, who made his Premier League debut, late on. Mousa Dembele: 8 out of 10 The Belgian took his goal well early on as he bulldozered past Ciaran Clark and finished confidently. A peg that can fit several holes; the midfielder is enjoying a rich vein of form.
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Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings TOTTENHAM ATTACK Christian Eriksen: 6 out of 10 His set piece delivery was not as impressive as we know it can be, but his ability to spot runs and makes space is invaluable to the Spurs front line. Erik Lamela: 6 out of 10 Worked tirelessly for the team but had little end product to write home about. Flied into tackles like they were his last. Harry Kane: 7 out of 10 The striker did not have the luxury of many sights of goal but ran his socks off for the team's cause. Deserved his goal.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings ASTON VILLA DEFENCE Brad Guzan: 5 out of 10 Will not have been pleased with himself when Dembele put the ball through his legs at the front post for the opener. Could do little about the second or third Tottenham goals. Alan Hutton: 6 out of 10 Made a few tackles and some useful clearances and helped his side get forward in the second period. Ciaran Clark: 5 out of 10 Was all over the place at one stage when trying to halt Kane and was culpable of a couple of loose clearances in a defence rattled by Spurs during periods. Joleon Lescott: 5 out of 10 Tussled with Kane throughout the match, giving as good as he got. Could have been more help for the opening Tottenham goal. Kieran Richardson: 5 out of 10 Spurs had more joy down the middle than the flanks, which suggests Richardson was doing something right, but the 31-year-old blended in to a frail looking backline. Booked.
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Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings ASTON VILLA MIDFIELD Carlos Sánchez: 5 out of 10 His shocking attempt at clearance summed up a sometimes panicked performance. Ashley Westwood: 5 out of 10 Took a nasty hit to the face from Dembele, forcing him off. Was replaced by Ayew. Leandro Bacuna: 6 out of 10 Struggled to keep possession with too many passes going astray. But at least showed a bit of grit in midfield and came close to scoring with his curling effort from range hitting the post. Jack Grealish: 5 out of 10 Struggled to find space but was at least willing to take a shot with a few from range. None of them troubled Lloris though. Replaced by Carles Gil.
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Tottenham vs Aston Villa player ratings ASTON VILLA ATTACK Scott Sinclair: 6 out of 10 Managed to ping off a couple of shots but struggled to get the better of Walker down the wing with more dribbles failing than succeeding. Gabriel Agbonlahor: 4 out of 10 Couldn't get into the game and was taken off at half-time. Replaced by Gestede. BEST OFF THE BENCH - Jordan Ayew: 7 out of 10 Didn't take long to get booked and tried to do too much when in possession and consequently ended up doing little... Until he saw his shot take a hugely fortuitous deflection off Vertonghen and go into the net. He then came incredibly close with another shot from range that went just over. If at first you don't succeed...
Who was your man of the match? Let us know in the comments below.
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