Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2: Is De Zerbi rescuing Spurs? Why were the home fans so angry?

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Victory at an abject Aston Villa, coupled with West Ham United’s loss at Brentford on Saturday, will surely give De Zerbi, his players and the club’s fans renewed belief they can retain their top-flight status. First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison secured the victory, with boos ringing out from the home fans at Villa Park, four days before their players return to the stadium for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Even a stoppage-time consolation from Emi Buendia barely brought a reaction from the home supporters. There is plenty to dissect for both teams after this game. Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jacob Tanswell analyse the main talking points. The last time Tottenham won back-to-back Premier League games was their first two matches of the season, two managers ago, when Thomas Frank opened with a 3-0 defeat of Burnley and a 2-0 victory at Manchester City. So much has happened since then that it feels like something from another geological era. But that just underlines the significance of what De Zerbi’s Spurs have achieved in recent weeks. Remember that when the Italian arrived, just over one month ago, Tottenham had not won in the league since December. The confidence of the players had totally drained out to zero. And that, more than anything technical or tactical, is what he has been working hard on. After losing his first game, at Sunderland, Spurs were far better in his second and only a 95th-minute equaliser stopped them beating Brighton & Hove Albion. But then they won 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and were able to follow that up with this unexpectedly routine success at Villa Park. The spirit, courage and organisation that Spurs showed on Sunday makes this one of their best performances of the season, regardless of how poor Villa were. And it shows the impact De Zerbi has had in only a few weeks in charge. Whether it will be enough to keep Spurs up, only time will tell. But they are up to 17th in the table, a point above West Ham with three games left, and he has put them back in the box seat. Boos echoed out frequently in the first half of this game. There have been plenty of those directed at Tottenham this season, but on this occasion it was the home fans who were becoming increasingly angry at the malaise affecting their team. Unai Emery made seven changes to the starting XI from the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest on Thursday, clearly showing where his priorities lie. However, it was evident from the outset that Villa were dysfunctional and lacking in intensity, demonstrated by the absence of pressure put on Gallagher for Spurs’ first goal. Frankly, the 2-0 half-time scoreline was merciful on Villa, with players looking sluggish and devoid of any inspiration. Fans expressed their frustration at the slow, laborious nature of their play, particularly when Villa either cheaply gave the ball away in the attacking half — they managed only one touch in the opposition box and zero shots during the first 45 minutes — or were tediously passing the ball around at the back. Indeed, in the first 36 minutes, 45 per cent of Villa’s overall passes were completed by the two central defenders, Victor Lindelof and Tyrone Mings. This did not look like a club on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League — Villa sit six points ahead of sixth-placed Bournemouth — with the atmosphere fraught and the fans pleading for more vigour from the players. Why the ferocity of feeling? Villa have taken 19 points from 16 games in 2026, so have not been in good form for some time, with the raft of changes Emery made only compounding the sense that the team are sleepwalking towards the end of the season. They will need to wake up in time for Thursday’s second leg against Forest The big fear most Spurs fans had going into this game concerned the quality in their forward line. With Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke both getting injured at Wolves last Saturday, De Zerbi was down to the bare bones this time, starting the only three forwards he had available: Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani. None of them could exactly be said to be in good form right now. But all three ran hard, pressing Villa, never giving them a second on the ball and creating opportunities in the final third. The first goal was scored by Gallagher, but the second came from Tel’s perfect driven cross, which Richarlison headed in. In truth, Spurs should have scored far more than they did. Tel and Kolo Muani were not perfect and at times they did not make the right decisions, or execute perfectly. But it was still far improved from the norm. That was especially true of Kolo Muani, who delivered his best game for Spurs, running hard, winning 50-50s, looking for the first time like the player the club thought they had signed. It is another testament to De Zerbi’s work on the training ground. This latest Villa performance — a third straight defeat — increases the pressure going into Thursday’s home game against Forest. This, unmistakably, is the defining match of the Emery era and there is a shared feeling that the time to win is now. Villa are struggling to break low blocks down, an issue that has plagued them regularly but is really hitting them hard now. Players looked lost against Spurs, short of confidence in front of a Villa Park crowd that expects and demands more. Director of football operations Damian Vidagany called Thursday “the match of our lives”, with the defeat against Spurs showing it should be treated as such. Villa were unable to find any kind of impetus in the second half. Emery, tellingly, was at his least extroverted and there was little of his usual intensity. The Spaniard, along with his substitutes, stood either with their hands on their hips or in their pockets for much of the second half. Villa are vulnerable and the home crowd will be nervy on Thursday. They simply have to start well and hope Forest do not capitalise on the pressure that is building. Monday, May 11: Leeds (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET Thursday, May 7: Nottingham Forest (Home), Europa League semi-final, 8pm UK, 3pm ET Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms