Aston Villa get Champions League boost with win over Tottenham
What's the story
Aston Villa moved into the Champions League places after a convincing 2-0 win over Tottenham at Villa Park.
The win came despite Spurs's manager Ange Postecoglou resting a few key players ahead of their Europa League final against Manchester United.
Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara scored the goals as Unai Emery's side bagged three important points.
Villa have raced to 4th in the standings and are a point above Manchester City.
Game progression
Villa's patience pays off in 2nd half
Aston Villa had to show patience in the game, with Antonin Kinsky tipping a cross-shot behind and Marco Asensio firing just wide.
Despite Tottenham's depleted squad, their captain Heung-Min Son looked a threat on the counter-attack.
But it was Konsa's goal early in the second half that lifted the tension for Villa.
Kamara then sealed the win with a powerful left-footed shot into the net.
League standings
A look at the Champions League race as Villa win
With this win, Aston Villa registered their eighth win in nine Premier League matches, taking them to the top four.
After 37 matches this season, Unai Emery's men own 66 points, after posting their 19th win.
Villa are level with Newcastle United in terms of points but are separated by goal difference. Notably, both 3rd-placed Newcastle and 5th-placed City have played a game less than Villa.
UCL
Top five teams will qualify for UCL from Premier League
Earlier, the Premier League and La Liga were rewarded with an extra place in next season's UEFA Champions League (UCL) based on performance in Europe this season.
So 5 teams will qualify from these leagues. Notably, the Premier League is set to have six teams in 2025/26 UCL after Manchester United and Spurs reached the Europa League final.
Information
Spurs suffer their 21st defeat of the season
Spurs suffered their 21st defeat of the campaign and remain 17th. Spurs have conceded 61 goals this season. Since beating Southampton 3-1 last month, Spurs are winless in 6 Premier League games. In this woeful run, they have lost five games (D1).
Information
A look at the match stats
Villa had 18 attempts on goal with 7 of them on target. Spurs were poor and had one shot on target from three attempts. Hosts Villa dominated possession (69%) and had an 89% pass accuracy. Villa also won 9 corners.
Opta stats
Massive records made as Spurs lose to Villa
Villa posted their 8th win in the Premier League since the start of March this season. Wiith 24 points from 9 matches, it's the best tally of any Premier League side.
For Spurs, this was their 25th defeat in all competitions this season. It's their joint-highest number of defeats in a single campaign along with 1991-92 (25).
Emery managed his 100th Premier League match for Villa. He has claimed 54 wins.