Aston Villa vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League latest updates as John McGinn sent-off after Spurs score twice


(Getty Images)

Aston Villa host to Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon in the Premier League early kick off in what should be an interesting encounter between two teams in solid form.

Unai Emery’s Villa come into the match sitting fourth in the table, one spot and five points ahead of Spurs though the north London side have a game in hand. They are a team full of confidence with an able goalscorer in Ollie Watkins who should prove a threat to the visitors this afternoon.

Tottenham, meanwhile, will do all they can to upset Villa’s flow. Ange Postecoglou has an almost full squad to choose from with his key personnel all back ahead absences through injury. Follow all the action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the match right here:

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE

Aston Villa host Tottenham in the Premier League with kick off at 1pm

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Lenglet, Torres; Digne, Cash, McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Bailey, Tielemans; Watkins.

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.

Goal – Maddison scores after brilliant Sarr cross from the right (0-1, 51’)

Goal – Son then immediately frees Johnson to double the lead (0-2, 54’)

Sent off – McGinn shown straight red card for awful challenge on Udogie (66’)

Aston Villa FC 0 – 2 Tottenham Hotspur FC

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:38 , Chris Wilson

78 mins: Maddison finds Son on the wing, but Spurs are in no rush to attack in this case. They do eventually work it to the other side of the pitch, and Kulusevski plays a great cross to Johnson, who controls well but has his shot blocked.

Spurs are keeping the ball fairly easily at the moment.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:35 , Chris Wilson

76 mins: Douglas Luiz delivers a corner that barely makes it off the ground, and is quite reminiscent of Villa’s day so far. Nothing comes from the Spurs attempt at a counter.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:34 , Chris Wilson

75 mins: Spurs are finding a lot of space now. Son sends Bentancur down the middle, and the Uruguayan passes wide to Kulusevski. He drives diagonally to the edge of the box, but his shot is wild and well over.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:32 , Chris Wilson

73 mins: Unsurprisingly, it’s Spurs with all the ball now. They have a decent opportunity to make it 3-0, with Bissouma doing well to win the ball, but Son can’t make the most of the chance. Villa counter, but Diaby’s shot is straight at Bissouma.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:29 , Chris Wilson

68 mins: Spurs fans are in fine voice now, cheering every completed pass.

Even Unai Emery looks defeated, and he brings off Leon Bailey for Tim Iroegbunam. Spurs take off Sarr for Rodrigo Bentancur.

RED CARD! Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:26 , Chris Wilson

65 mins: Oh wow. A ridiculous challenge from John McGinn – he completely takes out Udogie as the Italian runs past him, with no real intent to get the ball. There’s a scuffle between the two benches and some players, and the Scot is shown a straight red for the challenge!

He has lost his head completely there – that is really not acceptable from the captain of a team in their position. Could he have cost his club even more in the long run?

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:24 , Chris Wilson

64 mins: CLOSE! Villa are in need of a lift and they almost get it. They press well deep into the Spurs half, and McGinn spins through and into the box, but his cross in is intercepted by Vicario.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:22 , Chris Wilson

63 mins: Spurs have just one clean sheet in their last 17 games, so Villa can take some encouragement from that. The home side surge forward, but Diaby is offside. From the free-kick, Son is almost through after a long ball over the top, but it’s swept up. Spurs continue to look the more threatening of the two, and Villa look a little shellshocked.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:19 , Chris Wilson

60 mins: Spurs continue to dominate possession, and they win a corner, but it’s easily cleared. Dragusin is booked for blocking a quick McGinn free-kick.

Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:17 , Chris Wilson

56 mins: A real sucker punch for Villa there, who would have had more hope after van de Ven came off, but they were punished for careless play in their own half.

The home side have to produce something now, which may leave gaps for Spurs.

In response, Villa make a triple change. Lenglet, Tielemans and Digne come off for Zaniolo, Diaby and Moreno.

GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

14:13 , Chris Wilson

53 mins: GOAL! Villa haven’t even had time to recover and they’re now 2-0 down! It’s really sloppy from Villa; they lose possession after a poor pass is intercepted, and Kulusevski lays off Son. He drives into the box and has options to his left and right; he lays it off to Brennan Johnson, who side-foots it past Martinez and into the roof of the net.

GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur

14:10 , Chris Wilson

50mins: GOAL! Kulusevski does well to receive the ball from a one-two and he plays through Sarr on the wing. His cross is inch-perfect, and it finds the outstretched foot of Maddison in the six-yard box. The Englishman could barely miss.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

14:07 , Chris Wilson

47 mins: Torres plays a lovely ball to Bailey from the edge of the box, and the Jamaican is clean through near the penalty area. He drags it wide and his shot is deflected over, but he was offside anyway.

Micky van de Ven is down now, and he’ll becoming off. He looks bitterly disappointed, having suffered a long injury setback earlier in the season. He is replaced by Radu Dragusin. How could that change the game?

14:05 , Chris Wilson

46 mins: Cash gets in-behind early, and Watkins looks free in the middle, but Cash cuts back in and his shot is blocked. Watkins is evidently annoyed.

KICK-OFF! Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

14:03 , Chris Wilson

The teams are coming out again. Dragusin was warming up at half-time, though there are no substitutions so far.

Villa get us underway in the second half.

Half-time stats

14:01 , Chris Wilson

The half ends with six shots overall – five for the home side, and just one for Spurs. There were zero on target for either side, which tells some of the story of the game so far.

An interesting stat is the possession; Spurs have had 69 per cent to Villa’s 31. Villa have looked to go long on several occasions, trying to take advantage of Spurs’ high line, while Spurs have certainly been more patient. Despite the stats, neither side has been ‘dominant’ – especially in terms of chances created – though Spurs are a little more in control.

13:54 , Chris Wilson

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

HALF-TIME! Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:49 , Chris Wilson

HALF-TIME! Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

The first half comes to an end with a whimper, much like many of the attacks. Neither manager will be happy with that – too many wasted attacks and soft losses of possession.

Sarr was down as the half ended, so that’s one to keep an eye on too.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:47 , Chris Wilson

44 mins: Spurs are having the better of it as the half ends, but a Villa counter threatens. Spurs give it away cheaply and Bailey sends Watkins through with a simple through ball, but the Englishman hesitates, tries to cut back inside and has his shot blocked. There’s half a chance from the resulting corner, but Digne heads a difficult opportunity wide.

13:44 , Chris Wilson

42 mins: Johnson surges into the box and takes on Cash. He manages to get past him, but the cross is straight to Martinez.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:43 , Chris Wilson

40 mins: Only three shots so far this half, and all have come from Villa. There have been no shots on target, and an awful lot of play in and around the centre circle.

You wonder if a goal may come from a mistake in trying to play from the back, as both teams are pressing high (and doing it well). Either that or a counter is how it looks at the moment, as both teams continue to lose the ball cheaply when trying to build attacks.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:40 , Chris Wilson

37 mins: Maddison is briefly playing in his own half as he looks to make something happen. Udogie tries to play through Son, but it’s intercepted.

Spurs are back with more of the possession but no real cutting edge so far. Maddison tries to send Johnson clear but again it’s just short, and the ball is back near halfway once more.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:36 , Chris Wilson

34 mins: There are shouts for a penalty as Bissouma makes a challenge in the box, but he just got a touch to it.

Spurs counter but they’re forced to go backwards, and they win a corner.

In truth this game is very reflective of the side’s league positions: both clearly good sides, but they are cancelling each other out at the moment. It seems like a game that may be decided by the star quality of either side’s leading men.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:32 , Chris Wilson

30 mins: A lack of communication almost gives Kulusevski a great opportunity, but Villa do well to clear. Spurs do well to press and suffocate Konsa, who has no option but to hit it into Johnson and win the throw. It’s been far from exciting, but it’s certainly interesting.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:30 , Chris Wilson

29 mins: Villa fans sound a little frustrated as Bailey’s pass to Watkins is intercepted by van de Ven. Shortly afterwards, Bailey makes a lovely run in-behind and is found by Cash, but the right-back shoots behind after receiving the one-two pass.

13:29 , Chris Wilson

27 mins: Neither side has had a clear-cut chance, with opportunities being wasted from overhit or easily clearable crosses.

Spurs do counter very effectively, with Maddison sending Son through with a lovely through ball, but Kulusevski is offside from Son’s subsequent pass. There’s been little risk-taking so far.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:27 , Chris Wilson

23 mins: Udogie does well to intercept a Bailey pass and prevent a dangerous Villa opportunity. Vicario then catches a ball in and Spurs have the ball again, but it’s almost lost after Romero sells van de Ven short.

Spurs move up the pitch after the throw and some nice link play from Udogie, but play has briefly been stopped after an altercation between Luiz and Maddison.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:23 , Chris Wilson

21 mins: McGinn delivers a free-kick from the left which Vicario punches away. Villa retain meaningful possession for the first time in the game, and a Cash long-throw creates some pinball in the Spurs box. Villa have their first corner of the game.

13:20 , Chris Wilson

17 mins: Porro’s ball in is easily cleared, and Villa counter.

McGinn skips through a couple of challenges and soon Watkins is racing through one-on-one. Bizarrely he opts to square it, and Spurs clear, but the Englishman was offside anyway.

13:19 , Chris Wilson

16 mins: Some sloppy passing from both sides has robbed them of potentially good opportunities.

Matty Cash gives away a foul for a poor challenge on Johnson, and this will be Spurs first real set-piece opportunity.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:16 , Chris Wilson

14 mins: van de Ven does well to dispossess Bailey, but Sarr then passes straight to Watkins on the edge of the Spurs box. He lays it off to Tielemans, but Porro blocks the shot and Sarr looks a relieved man.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:15 , Chris Wilson

13 mins: Son is taking up the mantle of Harry Kane, dropping deep to try and link play. Johnson sidesteps McGinn and tries to create something, but the runners aren’t there and the ball goes backwards once more.

Villa briefly regain possession but Martinez looks long for Watkins and its easily swept up by Romero. That long ball tactic will be difficult to pull off with van de Ven present.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:13 , Chris Wilson

11 mins: Spurs are dominating possession now, though they haven’t created a real clear-cut chance. Villa have started slow considering the circumstances and home advantage, with Watkins looking a little isolated. The Englishman fouls Romero and Spurs have another chance to build from the back.

13:11 , Chris Wilson

8 mins: Watkins is struggling a little after that challenge from van de Ven. He’s definitely running gingerly.

Spurs remain on top in the first 10 minutes, having forced Villa into losing the ball on several occasions. The away side are keeping possession fairly easily too, with a ball into the box towards Maddison cleared at the last minute.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:09 , Chris Wilson

6 mins: Udogie and Son combine well to work it on the edge of the Villa box, with the ball arriving at the feet of Porro on the right wing. The Spaniard hits a poor cross which loops onto the top of the goal.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:07 , Chris Wilson

5 mins: The first time Villa do go long, they nearly fashion a chance. The ball is hit towards Watkins, who gets there ahead of Romero. Luckily, van de Ven is there to recover to stop the Englishman getting a shot away.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:05 , Chris Wilson

3 mins: Spurs are pressing very high at the moment, and Johnson almost wins the ball in a dangerous area but it goes out for a goal kick.

Villa are refusing to go long, but have lost the ball a couple of times.

Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:03 , Chris Wilson

2 mins: The home fans are in fine voice as the game begins. Neither team has been able to form a real attack so far, with a little bit of pinball around the centre of the park.

KICK-OFF! Aston Villa 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

13:02 , Chris Wilson

KICK-OFF! After a minute of remembrance for former Villa defender Chris Nicholl, Spurs get us underway.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE

12:58 , Chris Wilson

The teams are coming out of the tunnel now, with the usual pre-match light and fire show welcoming them onto the pitch.

It seems a good atmosphere at Villa Park, with the fans undoubtedly aware of the eight-point gap they could open up on Spurs, and what that would do for their bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

Pre-match preparations

12:52 , Chris Wilson

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

12:46 , Chris Wilson

According to Sky, this is Villa’s highest points tally at this point of any Premier League season. The Villans are only nine points off Arsenal, who start the day in first, and they have a game in hand on the London side, though the result in today’s 3.45pm kick-off will change things at the top.

Spurs are on the hunt for a return to Champions League football, having lost the 2019 final against Liverpool. They were last in the competition in the 22/23 season, when they lost to AC Milan in the round of 16.

Pre-match interviews

12:36 , Chris Wilson

Unai Emery spoke to Sky earlier, and the Spaniard praised Spurs’ “very offensive” style, calling them “fantastic”.

“We have to try manage the 90 minutes because the physical aspect is going to be important as they [players] demand a lot of what they are facing.

“We are being more consistent. We lost two matches to Manchester United and Newcastle United. It’s important to analyse ourselves and develop ourselves.

“We have to try show our potential and capacity against this team.”

Pre-match interviews

12:30 , Chris Wilson

Ange Postecoglou is speaking to Sky Sports.

“We know it’s a big game and it’s a team directly above us, they are a good side and these games are a good challenge – there is plenty of football still to be played,” he says.

“They try to condense the pitch. If we can sort of play the game in their half it negates that a little bit.”

Regarding his decision to replace Werner with Brennan Johnson, the Australian says: “I think we need the balance today and Brennan has done well for us recently”.

Some pre-match stats

12:24 , Chris Wilson

Villa frontman Ollie Watkins has been directly involved in 26 Premier League goals this season, which is the most of any player in the competition so far.

Spurs meanwhile are on a club record run of scoring in 38 consecutive matches, which stretches back to 4 March 2023 (a 1-0 defeat to Wolves).

Approaching kick-off

12:15 , Chris Wilson

Team News

12:10 , Chris Wilson

The home side make three changes to the side that started the 0-0 draw against Ajax.

John McGinn, Leon Bailey and Matty Cash all start for the hosts, taking the place of Moussa Diaby, Morgan Rogers and Tim Iroegbunam.

Spurs make three changes to the team that started the comeback win against Crystal Palace.

Pedro Porro starts for the first time in a month after a muscle injury, while Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr also come back in. Emerson Royal, Rodrigo Bentancur and Timo Werner drop to the bench.

Team News

12:04 , Chris Wilson

Here’s how the two sides line up this afternoon.

ASTON VILLA XI: Martinez; Konsa, Lenglet, Torres; Digne, Cash, McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Bailey, Tielemans; Watkins.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.

A reminder of the teams’ positions

11:58 , Chris Wilson

Before the teams are released, a reminder of each side’s league position.

Villa sit in fourth – in the last Champions League qualification place – while Spurs sit five points behind them in fifth.

The home side have 55 points and Spurs have 50, though the North London side have a game in hand. Both sides have a comfortable lead on Manchester United and West Ham, who are in sixth and seventh on 47 and 42 points respectively.

Spurs’ next three games are against Fulham, Luton and West Ham, while Villa face West Ham, Wolves and Manchester City.

Odds and predictions

11:50 , Chris Wilson

Villa are favourites for the game with the bookies, with a home win offered at 31/20. A draw is offered at 3/1, while an away win is at 8/5.

Villa are also favoured in the top four race, priced at 4/5 compared to Spurs’ 11/10.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham predictions: Premier League betting tips, odds and free bets

How the teams fare head-to-head

11:45 , Chris Wilson

Villa have beaten Spurs in three successive Premier League meetings for the first time since between 1994 and 1996. Villa won home and away last season, and won 2-1 away in November 2023, with goals from Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins.

Spurs will be hoping to avoid back-to-back away league defeats against Villa for the first time since 2004.

11:40 , Chris Wilson

One particularly pertinent question for these two teams regards how many places the Premier League will receive for Champions League qualification.

Currently, the top four sides all qualify for Europe’s premiere cup competition – though fourth placed has to win a play-off round – and it has been this way for several years.

However, with the Champions League being expanded to 36 teams from next year, two of the extra four places will be awarded to countries whose teams perform best in this season’s European competitions.

England currently sits third in the race, behind Italy and Germany, which would mean Serie A and the Bundesliga receive a fifth Champions League place next season.

Premier League’s hopes of gaining extra Champions League spot dealt blow

How the teams are playing

11:33 , Chris Wilson

The home side have won four and lost one of their last five league games, that loss coming at home against Manchester United. Villa drew 0-0 away at Ajax in midweek in the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16. They sit on 55 points, five ahead of Spurs.

Spurs have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five games. Postecoglou’s side drew away at Everton in early February, and lost 2-1 to Wolves on 17 February. They have a game in hand on Villa, and two games in hand on Manchester United, who sit below them on 47 points.

Postecoglou says Champions League qualification not a ‘golden ticket’

11:27 , Chris Wilson

While revenge might not be on Postecoglou’s mind, Champions League qualification certainly will be.

Spurs are five points behind fourth-placed Villa ahead of Sunday’s game, but their manager has emphasised that qualification alone is “not a Willy Wonka golden ticket”.

“It just gets you a year in the Champions League, but if you don’t build on that or grow from that, it is meaningless, I think anyway, because we’re not in it for participation, we’re in it to win things.

“Yes, if we make Champions League this year it means we’ve progressed from last year, but has our football progressed?”

Ange Postecoglou says Champions League qualification not a ‘golden ticket’

Ange Postecoglou not out for revenge as Spurs prepare for Villa clash

11:20 , Mike Jones

Ange Postecoglou will not entertain talk of revenge when Tottenham visit Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs travel to Villa Park for what will be a crucial match in the battle for Champions League qualification with the hosts currently occupying fourth spot in the Premier League.

Villa have also won the last three meetings with Tottenham, but the narrative of revenge surrounds an incident from the previous clash on November 25.

Ange Postecoglou not out for revenge as Spurs prepare for Villa clash

Aston Villa vs Tottenham predicted line-ups

11:15 , Mike Jones

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Moreno; Bailey, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey; Tielemans, Watkins

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son

Aston Villa vs Tottenham early team news

11:10 , Mike Jones

Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey is a doubt and will be assessed after missing their Europa Conference League game against Ajax on Thursday over a foot issue. Pau Torres and John McGinn are available while Clement Lenglet could face his former club.

Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined.

Tottenham are boosted by the return of Pedro Porro who missed the last two matches through injury. Richarlison (knee), Fraser Forster (foot fracture), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Manor Solomon remain out.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham

11:05 , Mike Jones

The match takes place at Villa Park and will kick off at 1:00pm GMT on Sunday 10 March.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with coverage starting from 12pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham

11:00 , Mike Jones

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Premier League action as Aston Villa host Tottenham in one of Sunday’s early kick offs.

This match promises to be a fascinating clash with both teams heading into the game in good form and challenging to finish inside the top four.

In Ollie Watkins, Villa have a striker with an eye for goal but Spurs’ creative playmaker, James Maddison, is back on reaching his best levels for the London club.

We’ll have all the team news, updates and match action throughout the afternoon so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 1pm.



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