Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham – Premier League: Live score, team news and updates as James Maddison pokes home the opening goal

From bad to worse for Villa and they really were their own worst enemy there, giving the ball away 40 yards from their own goal.

It’s worked well to Son Heung-min, who opts not to shoot but to find Johnson to his left and his rising finish find the top of the net.

Terrific few minutes for Spurs and their Champions League ambitions.

James Maddison’s trademark celebration is out at Villa Park because he’s handed Spurs what could be a crucial advantage in this game.

Maddison stretching out to guide the ball home after Pape Sarr broke free down the right to deliver an inviting cross. Maddison doing really well to get in front of two defenders and finish the job.

There was a VAR check for offside against both Sarr and Maddison but both were on.

As it stands, Spurs just two points behind Villa with a game in hand.

Spurs do have an injury concern, but it’s Micky van de Ven who has gone down. He is going to be forced off and Dragusin, who we mentioned a couple of minute ago, will come on after all.

Leon Bailey gets in behind the Spurs defence and blasts a shot high and wide. He must have known he was standing offside.

Or possibly not, but he missed in either case.

Matty Cash gets forward in the opening seconds of the half but instead of whipping it straight across looking for Watkins, he cuts back inside and the move break down.

Watkins makes his frustrations known.

The teams are back out for the second period. No changes at the break despite Radu Dragusin very consciously warming up during the interval.

Villa get us going again, we await the first goal.

West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Cresswell, Soucek, Phillips, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta, Bowen.

Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Zouma, Antonio, Ings, Alvarez, Ogbonna, Earthy, Mubama.

Burnley: Trafford, Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor, Vitinho, Berge, Cullen, Odobert, Fofana, Bruun Larsen.

Subs: Cork, Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Rodriguez, Benson, Amdouni, Ndayishimiye, Delcroix, Muric.

Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire)

Brighton: Verbruggen, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Baleba, Moder, Adingra, Gross, Fati, Ferguson.

Subs: Barco, Lamptey, Igor, Webster, Enciso, Lallana, Welbeck, Steele, Buonanotte.

Nottm Forest: Sels, Williams, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo, Dominguez, Danilo, Yates, Origi, Wood, Gibbs-White.

Subs: Turner, Sangare, Kouyate, Awoniyi, Hudson-Odoi, Felipe, Niakhate, Elanga, Boly.

Referee: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)

A little snippet from our reporter Matt Barlow at Villa Park:

Pape Sarr looked in pain on the half time whistle. Crashed onto the floor at the end of the half and was dragged up back up onto his feet and limped off looking uncomfortable.

Perhaps we were guilty of building this game up too much. It’s been a real let-down so far in terms of entertainment, all tight and cagey.

We didn’t really see a clear sight of goal for either side until the very end of the half.

It cane only get more exciting in the second period.

Villa break as we approach half-time and Watkins ignores options on either side to shoot, but it’s a blocked after he cut onto his stronger right boot.

Villa do win themselves a corner and Digne stoops to meet McGinn’s cross following the short corner routine. He tries to loop the header home but it comes off his shoulder instead and it drops wide.

Does that count as a shot on target?

Johnson takes on Cash again and attempts to cross into the Villa six-yard box. He doesn’t get that right but it goes towards goal and Martinez easily claims.

Brennan Johnson is picked out down the left but Matty Cash does a fine defensive job on him and Villa repel the danger. Johnson tried to pick out Son’s overlap but again the Poland International clears.

Cries for a penalty from the Villa fans as Leon Bailey goes down in the box under Bissouma’s challenge. But the referee is unmoved, looks like the Spurs man got a touch to the ball.

VAR concurs. Replays showed that Bissouma did stand on the ball, albeit a bit clumsily, before there was a tangle of legs.

We’re beyond the half-hour mark but still no shot on target for either team…

It’s been something of a chess match so far.

Villa threatening now and Matty Cash can’t quite squeeze the ball home at the near post as James Maddison gets back to perform some defensive duties.

Nice work by Leon Bailey to provide the original cross, but Spurs survive.

The temperature rising now and there’s a bit of pushing and shoving after Spurs won a free-kick.

From their next attack, Kulusevski carelessly strays offside when in a good position on the right.

It’s been a fascinating contest so far but few chances of any note.

Villa in the ascendancy now having settled into the contest. Lucas Digne swings in a cross from the left, looking for claret shirts in the middle, but Vicario is off his line quickly to claim.

Villa’s turn to swing in a free-kick from a position of promise, with Vicario coming out and punching away John McGinn’s ball.

Pape Sarr picked up the game’s first yellow card in conceding that free-kick. He challenged Youri Tielemans.

Brennan Johnson is fouled on the Spurs left and it offers Pedro Porro the chance to swing in a dangerous ball.

Easily dealt with by Clement Llenglet and Villa break through John McGinn and suddenly Watkins is slipped through on goal.

But Watkins had gone a second too early and was offside, though remarkably he opted to try and square a pass rather than shooting!

Villa haven’t settled as well as Spurs and it was summed up there when Leon Bailey gave up chasing a ball down the touchline thinking it was going out. It didn’t.

But then Yves Bissouma gave the ball away, with Youri Tielemans getting a shot off that was blocked. A follow-up cross looking for the run of Matty Cash on the right was over-struck.

Spurs have settled the quicker here with two dangerous crosses swung into the Villa box in quick succession. Can’t quite get someone on the end of it.

The first cross was by Destiny Udogie from the left, just ahead of Dejan Kulusevski. The second was by Kulusevski, who retrieved it, and James Maddison couldn’t direct his header on target.

Pedro Porro on the ball as Spurs get a sniff of the Villa goal for the first time. But it’s a poor delivery by Porro and it flies harmlessly wide to cheers of derision from the locals.

Great anticipation by Ollie Watkins to seize the ball and momentarily he’s in behind the Spurs defence. Van de Ven comes across and barges Watkins off the ball before he can shoot.

Watkins in agony on the ground and in the end the ball is put out of play. Perfectly good challenge by Van de Ven but Watkins fell quite awkwardly.

Watkins will be fine to continue.

It looks like Unai Emery has set Villa up with a back five, but no doubt Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will be expected, as wing-backs, to get forward at every opportunity.

The Spurs high press in evidence right from the outset as Brennan Johnson scurries about.

A minute’s applause pre-match for former Villa captain Chris Nicholl given this is the first home game since his passing on February 24.

Now we’re underway – Villa in claret and blue, Spurs in all-white, as it should be.

Cracking atmosphere inside Villa Park despite the drab conditions as Spurs get us started.

The flame machines burst into life, warming the cockles of the Villa Park crowd ahead of this eagerly-anticipated clash in the top four race.

As an hors d’oeuvre to Liverpool vs Man City, this isn’t bad at all!

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

Subs: Olsen, Carlos, Moreno, Diaby, Zaniolo, Duran, Rogers, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam.

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

Subs: Austin, Hojbjerg, Dragusin, Royal, Werner, Lo Celso, Bentancur, Davies, Scarlett.

The first of our four Premier League matches this afternoon is about to get underway at a wet and soggy Villa Park.

Can Villa establish an eight-point cushion between themselves in fourth place and Tottenham in fifth, taking pole position in the Champions League race?

Or can Spurs cut that gap to just two points, with a game in hand?

We’re about to find out.

The Villa players today are warming up in shirts with ‘Unite for Access’ on them. It’s a campaign by charity Level Playing Field, who advocate for disabled sports fans in England and Wales.

Their campaign promotes accessibility and inclusion for disabled sports fans.

Aston Villa face the prospect of having to sell at least one key player this summer after losing nearly £120million in the last accounting year.

The Champions League-chasing club posted losses of £119.6m for the year ending May 30, 2023, with the next accounting period expected to end on June 30 this year.

The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) state that clubs can lose no more than £105m over a three-year period, with points deductions among the possible penalties for doing so.

Click the link below to read more

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has also just stood in front of the TV cameras. He spoke about what he expects from today’s contest.

‘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.

‘They try to condense the pitch, we will have to be patient at times and break that down if we can sort of play the game in their half it negates that a little bit.’

Villa boss Unai Emery was chatting to Sky Sports just now. He spoke about wanting his team to continue their progress and that consistency will come as a result.

‘We are being more consistent. We lost two matches to Manchester United and Newcastle United, of course we analyse every matches. It’s important to analyse ourselves and develop ourselves.

‘But, today is a match more of less similar to Man Utd and Newcastle, we have to try show our potential and capacity against this team.’

They have won their last three Premier League meeting with Spurs – their longest in this fixture since four-in-a-row, achieving in January 1996.

Villa have scored 59 Premier League goals this season – their most in a top-flight campaign since the 71 they scored under Martin O’Neill in 2007-08.

It’s their most at this precise stage of a top-flight season since 1932-33 when they had 68 goals!

Villa have won four of their last five Premier League matches, including the last three in a row.

It’s the fourth run of three or more consecutive wins under Unai Emery, something only two mangers had managed for them since O’Neill left in 2010.

They were Dean Smith (2020) and Steven Gerrard (2022).

Pape Sarr likes to know how the machine works, behind the bright lights and the slick movements.

He likes to know what you do in the background to get the thing firing and how to fix things if they’re broken.

All of which explains his career choice once he’s finished with football!

Click the link below to find out.

Tottenham are in the building at Villa Park. Here’s James Maddison and Son Heung-min arriving a short while ago.

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

Subs: Austin, Hojbjerg, Dragusin, Royal, Werner, Lo Celso, Bentancur, Davies, Scarlett.

Ange Postecoglou has made three changes from the Tottenham side that beat Crystal Palace 3-1 last weekend.

Pedro Porro makes his return at right-back after missing a month with a muscle injury, while Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr are the others brought in.

Emerson Royal, Rodrigo Bentancur and Timo Werner all drop to the bench.

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

Subs: Olsen, Carlos, Moreno, Diaby, Zaniolo, Duran, Rogers, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam.

Unai Emery has made three changes from the Aston Villa side that drew 0-0 with Ajax in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday night.

Captain John McGinn, winger Leon Bailey and full-back Matty Cash all come back into the team in place of Moussa Diaby, Morgan Rogers and Tim Iroegbunam.

Stay tuned for the confirmed team line-ups from the first of our Premier League matches today.

Will Timo Werner (below) be involved for Spurs?

One of the topics up for discussion on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast this week was who will lift the trophy come May with Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal all slug it out.

See what Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton had to say by clicking below and be sure to listen to the show.

Ange Postecoglou braves the Brummie weather as Tottenham made their entrance at Villa Park a few minutes ago.

Both 2pm kick-offs today will affect the relegation picture at the bottom of the Premier League.

Burnley, who dropped to the foot of the table when Sheffield United picked up a point at Bournemouth yesterday, play at West Ham.

They’re 11 points off Nottingham Forest, who are up against Brighton at the same time.

It’s increasingly do-or-die for the Clarets if they’re to escape the drop, while Forest also really need something with the threat of a point deduction still hanging over them.

Yesterday, Luton snatched what could prove a very significant point at Crystal Palace thanks to Cauley Woodrow’s late goal, while Everton and Brentford losses prevented them pulling away.

Some typically colourful comments from Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of this game, making the point it’s meaningless spending a season in the Champions League – with all the riches that flow from it – without making continuous progress.

Yes, he did say ‘mate’ before making the Willy Wonka comment too…

Click the link below to read more.

Not the most pleasant day in Birmingham, it’s fair to say…

Let’s begin by taking a look at the top end of the Premier League and the situation we find ourselves in ahead of today’s action.

Arsenal moved top with last night’s crucial 2-1 win over Brentford, with the Gunners a point ahead of Liverpool and two ahead of City.

Of course, the victors of today’s clash at Anfield will go ahead of them in this title race which promises plenty of twists and turns yet.

Beneath them, probably but not entirely out of the title picture, are Villa in fourth on 55 points and then Spurs in fifth on 50 points.

So a Villa win today will put valuable breathing space between them and Spurs if the Premier League only ends up with four Champions League spots.

If the league gets that fifth place, you certainly can’t rule out Manchester United, whose win over Everton yesterday put them within striking distance of Spurs.

Before the titanic title tussle between Liverpool and Manchester City later on, a match also of considerable significance towards the top end of the Premier League.

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are both hoping to play in the Champions League next season.

Indeed, they both might if the Premier League gets five places based on the UEFA coefficient. But fourth guarantees it and so today’s meeting at Villa Park carries plenty of significance.

By 3pm, Villa could have opened up an eight-point gap to Spurs, or it could be down to two. Manchester United in sixth – inconsistent but still hopeful – are on the prowl in sixth spot.

In addition, we have a couple of 2pm kick-offs to keep tabs on – Brighton vs Nottingham Forest and West Ham vs Burnley both have implications at the wrong end of the table.

So a warm welcome along to our live coverage of the three ‘early’ Premier League matches today, whetting the appetite before the big one later.