Aston Villa away was a much-anticipated game, partially on the basis that any Premier League side could have ended up being a potential banana skin, after two particularly unedifying losses. José Mourinho was looking for a reaction, even if it were only to discover what positivity could be encouraged from crying foul and dropping a few players would have been failing to live up to the high standards of a Tottenham Hotspur player.
Lucas Moura encapsulated the desire and will to succeed that the Portuguese that the gaffer had been expecting. This was not a faultless performance by anyone at any stretch, but what we got primarily was the 3 points and a team performance that could become a template for the rest of the season.
Moura and Tanguy Ndombele both gave their all, and with the addition of Lo Celso’s gradual return to match fitness, Spurs could argue that we should all stay tuned for improvement.
