Tottenham, Aston Villa Player Ratings: Spurs Misery Continues As Pressure Rises on Frank

Tottenham Hotspur came out second best during an entertaining battle with Aston Villa.

Tottenham were beaten by two first-half goals. / Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur slumped to an FA Cup third round exit at the hands of Aston Villa, who beat them 2–1 to pile more pressure on under-fire Thomas Frank.

Spurs were absolutely outclassed during the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and were deservedly trailing by two goals at the break. Tidy Villa moves were finished off by Emi Buendía and then Morgan Rogers as the visitors took a firm grip of the tie.

Tottenham improved significantly after the break and Wilson Odobert’s powerful strike offered them a route back into the tie, but they were unable to complete the comeback as they stumbled to a second straight defeat.

Villa’s impressive form continues as they booked their place in the fourth round and they will discover their next opponents in Monday’s draw.

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Tottenham Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

Odobert was on the scoresheet for Spurs. / Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Guglielmo Vicario—6.3: Helpless to deny Buendía or Rogers and matched Villa’s other efforts on goal.

RB: Pedro Porro—7.6: Evaded the space in which Buendía fired home the opening goal but made amends with a goal-line clearance to deny the Argentine after the break.

CB: Kevin Danso—7.0: Struggled at times with the speed and endeavour of Villa’s forward line but steadied himself in the second half.

CB: Micky van de Ven—6.8: Produced an excellent block to deny Ian Maatsen late in the game having struggled alongside Danso in the first half.

LB: Ben Davies—6.3: Found himself in several promising positions deep in Villa territory but failed to keep his composure.

DM: Archie Gray—5.8: Bypassed too easily as part of the double pivot, especially during the first half as Villa repeatedly cut through Tottenham’s soft centre.

DM: João Palhinha—7.1: Markedly improved after the break, regularly retrieving possession high up the pitch as he snapped into tackles. Offered the kind of bite that Spurs need in difficult times.

RW: Wilson Odobert—7.4: Kept trying to make things tick in the final third and was rewarded for his persistence with a well-taken goal.

AM: Xavi Simons—7.0: One moment of inspiration assisted an offside goal for Randal Kolo Muani and the Dutchman was Tottenham’s most promising creator after the break.

LW: Mathys Tel—5.9: Lacked the necessary finesse in the final third when presented with promising opportunities to create or take aim at goal.

ST: Richarlison—6.3: Rarely involved before pulling his hamstring just before the half-hour mark, adding to Tottenham’s attacking injury woes as he trudged straight down the tunnel.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Randal Kolo Muani (30’ for Richarlison)	6.8
Dane Scarlett (78’ for Tel)	6.1
Dominic Solanke (83’ for Odobert)	N/A
Djed Spence (83’ for Porro)	N/A

Subs not used: Antonín Kinský (GK), Radu Drăgușin, Jun’ai Byfield, Destiny Udogie, Luca Williams-Barnett.

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Aston Villa Player Ratings vs. Tottenham (4-2-3-1)

Buendía was at his creative best. / Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Marco Bizot—7.3: Bested by an accurate finish from Odobert and handled everything else that came his way as he stood in for Emi Martínez.

RB: Matty Cash—7.5: Offered plenty of energy down the right-hand side and stifled Tel when called upon defensively.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.3: Largely kept Richarlison, Kolo Muani and then Dominic Solanke quiet, keeping his cool under increasing waves of pressure.

CB: Pau Torres—7.0: Tested in his first match in over a month as Spurs grew into proceedings but held his own despite some inevitable rust.

LB: Ian Maatsen—6.8: Endured a trickier evening against Odobert than Cash did against Tel, although he didn’t do much wrong in the capital.

DM: Lamare Bogarde—6.3: Robbed of possession in the build-up to Tel’s goal—although he appealed for a foul—and struggled to thwart the increasingly influential Simons after the break.

DM: Boubacar Kamara—N/A: Clattered by Palhinha and was unable to play on with a knee injury. Withdrawn in just the ninth minute but his replacement, Youri Tielemans, excelled in his place.

RW: John McGinn—7.1: While McGinn lacks the sparkle of Buendía or Rogers, his presence is just as significant. Covered every blade of grass during another indefatigable display.

AM: Morgan Rogers—8.4: Another excellent performance from Villa’s sleek forward, who doubled his side’s advantage with a composed finish and caused general chaos for Tottenham’s rearguard.

LW: Emi Buendía—8.7: Produced an emphatic finish to score his second goal of the season against Spurs and assisted Rogers with a typically neat flick. Brilliant throughout.

ST: Donyell Malen—7.2: Showed terrific strength and composure to assist Buendía and caused trouble for Tottenham’s centre backs with his willingness to run in behind.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Youri Tielemans (9’ for Kamara)	7.2
Jadon Sancho (64’ for McGinn)	6.6
Ollie Watkins (64’ for Malen)	6.0
Lucas Digne (78’ for Maatsen)	6.4
Andrés García (78’ for Cash)	6.0

Subs not used: James Wright (GK), Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelöf, George Hemmings.

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Player of the Match: Emi Buendía (Aston Villa)

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Tottenham 1–2 Aston Villa: How It Unfolded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

An injury to Boubacar Kamara sapped the energy from the early exchanges but an excellent Villa move would invigorate the tie at the midpoint of the first half. Direct and precise in their distribution, the visitors sliced through Spurs, Donyell Malen eventually picking out Buendía inside the penalty area and the Argentine firing above Guglielmo Vicario to open the scoring.

Spurs could muster no response to Buendía’s strike during the remainder of the first half as Villa bossed the action via their playmaker Tielemans, with things going from disappointing to dismal for the hosts on the cusp of half time.

Another sweeping Villa move unlocked Tottenham’s sleepy backline, who were completely incapable of thwarting a swift two-touch passing sequence. Buendía’s delightful backheel teed up Rogers at its conclusion and the England international caressed into the bottom corner with aplomb.

Our two goalscorers 😊 pic.twitter.com/Jx5MneaYdp

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 10, 2026

Boos engulfed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the half-time whistle but they would soon turn to wild cheers after the restart. Kolo Muani stole possession from Lamare Bogarde in the Villa half and supplied Odobert at the end of a powerful run, with the winger’s venomous low drive reducing the deficit and changing the mood in north London.

Spurs upped the intensity following Odobert’s effort and regularly flooded the Villa box, albeit without carving open any clear-cut opportunities. At the other end, they were grateful for the awareness of Pedro Porro, who cleared off the line to deny Buendía his second of the evening.

Simons scored Tottenham’s second offside goal of the game after Kolo Muani’s during the first half, rounding the goalkeeper and slotting home only to be correctly denied by the flag. Spurs continued to huff and puff for an equaliser to take the match to extra time, but it evaded them as Villa punched their ticket to the FA Cup fourth round.

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Tottenham vs. Aston Villa Half-Time Stats

Statistic	Tottenham	Aston Villa
Possession	26%	64%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.29	0.72
Total Shots	4	8
Shots on Target	1	4
Big Chances	1	1
Pass Accuracy	81%	86%
Fouls Committed	6	4
Corners	1	5

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Tottenham vs. Aston Villa Full Time Stats

Statistic	Tottenham	Aston Villa
Possession	40%	60%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.75	1.36
Total Shots	13	17
Shots on Target	5	8
Big Chances	1	2
Pass Accuracy	78%	85%
Fouls Committed	17	10
Corners	4	6

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