At a glance:
- Tottenham dominated Aston Villa on Sunday
- Conor Gallagher was POTM
- Pedro Porro also delivered an excellent performance
Tottenham Hotspur put in an outstanding display as they beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park in the Premier League on Sunday.
Conor Gallagher opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a stunning strike from outside the box. Richarlison added another 13 minutes later, as he headed in from a brilliant cross by Mathys Tel. Emi Buendia scored for Villa in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Every Tottenham player was excellent on the night. However, Gallagher deservedly won the Player of the Match award for performance.
Pedro Porro was immense in Tottenham’s win over Aston Villa
While Spurs lost their clean sheet in stoppage time, they defended really well on the night. They dealt well with most of whatever Aston Villa threw at them, leading to 0.00 xGOT until the 96th minute.
One of the key players on the defensive side for Tottenham was Pedro Porro. The Spanish right-back is often wrongly slammed for his defensive ability. However, against Villa, he won all eight of his duels.
According to Squawka, this is only the third instance of a Spurs player winning 100% of their duels after making 8+ duels in a game in the last 10 years.
Ben Davies holds the first two positions with 10 duels against Crystal Palace in 2019 and nine against Brighton in 2023. Porro now joined him on Sunday.
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Overall, the right-back made seven final third entries, made six tackles, three clearances, and three recoveries, and was never dribbled past in the game.
He also created a chance and didn’t give away a single foul. It was a majestic performance from a player who faced Morgan Rogers, one of Aston Villa’s most important players, head-on.
Pedro Porro could be Tottenham’s captain next season
With Spurs being in the relegation zone, most of their players have faced a lot of criticism. Fans and pundits have accused many of lacking the intensity, mentality, and care required to deliver their 100% on the pitch. However, Porro is not one of them.
The Spanish fullback, whom Tottenham signed for £40 million from Sporting in January 2023, always gives his all on the pitch.
He plays a highly demanding position, as he often also has to be a creative outlet with Spurs’ attacking injuries. He has still only missed five games due to injury in the last two years.
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Porro has made 149 appearances for the north London side, recording 13 goals and 26 assists. Meanwhile, Cristian Romero has been linked with a Tottenham exit this summer.
Hence, depending on James Maddison’s fitness situation, Porro should be the leading contender to take over captaincy from Romero under Roberto De Zerbi.
