At a glance:
- O’Hara forced to eat his words
- Tottenham 2-0 up against Aston Villa at halftime
- Roberto De Zerbi’s side out of the relegation zone
This is not a drill. As things stand, Tottenham are out of the Premier League relegation zone as they currently lead 2-0 against Aston Villa away from home.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side still have a lot of work to do to secure the result. However, they raced off the blocks at Villa Park and dominated the first 45 minutes to get a deserved two-goal lead.
Before the game, the North London outfit were still in the relegation zone but knew a win would take them above West Ham United, who suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat to Brentford yesterday.
In recent weeks, there hasn’t been too much optimism related to Tottenham. And Jamie O’Hara’s claims before the game prove that, although he will not be forced to eat his words.
O’Hara’s Tottenham prediction misfires
De Zerbi’s work and influence on the training ground were evident as Tottenham looked much better as a team at Villa Park than in his first three games.
They took the lead through Conor Gallagher, who thumped the ball home from outside the box to score a priceless goal for the club.
Richarlison doubled Tottenham’s lead with a close-range header minutes later after a brilliant left-footed cross from Mathys Tel, who once again delivered an eye-catching display in the first half.
Ahead of the game, O’Hara predicted another long night in the office for Tottenham, as he wrote on X: “Another 90 mins of hiding behind the couch watching.”
However, as things stand, Tottenham are 2-0 up heading into the interval and look likely to secure all three points to head out of the bottom three.
High praise for Gallagher
De Zerbi praised Gallagher before his first game in charge of Tottenham.
However, the Englishman has been below par since arriving from Atletico Madrid in January, which has led to him facing a lot of criticism.
After the Italian’s arrival, though, his performances have improved, which is a good sign for the club.
Lucy Ward said on TNT Comms: “He found that little space on the edge of the box, and it landed at him. It’s right in the corner. It went through a load of bodies; I’m not sure Martinez had a good view of it.
“It’s been torture for the Spurs fans in the last few months, but what a start for them.”
Read More: Roberto De Zerbi wants to sign ‘rare’ midfielder who recently dominated Tottenham
Darren Fletcher, another pundit on TNT, said:”What a time to score your first Tottenham goal.
“Look at the scenes in the away end. It’s an excellent finish. It’s the first time he’s scored a Premier League goal since May 2024.”
Tottenham have got half the job done and have produced their best performance of the season when they desperately needed it. And another 45 minutes in the same vein will move them out of the drop zone and a point clear of West Ham.
