Richarlison helps head Tottenham past weakened Aston Villa and out of bottom three

Roberto De Zerbi told his Tottenham Hotspur players to silence the voices competing for their attention but his internal monologue would have been extremely good value at Villa Park. When Richarlison headed in on 25 minutes to double Spurs’s lead, De Zerbi, in pristine white hi-tops, motored on to the pitch as if at the wheel on Mario Kart, Marcello Quinto, one of the coaches who the Italian brought with him upon his appointment last month, not far behind him.

After recording their first victory this year at Wolves last weekend, Spurs returned to the West Midlands to chalk up successive Premier League wins for the first time since August. Significantly, this was a win that hoists Spurs out of the relegation zone, trading places with West Ham, who were defeated at Brentford on Saturday. It may be May but Spurs finally appear up and running.