Thomas Frank on the defensive as Tottenham slip to another home defeat

the end of the first half before Odobert had an effort blocked on the line by Ezri Konsa.

Villa boss Unai Emery reacted with Buendia and Ollie Watkins sent on and – while Frank had Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani ready for close to five minutes on the touchline – Spurs were punished.

Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur celebrates scoring

Bentancur drilled in from eight yards for Tottenham’s early opener (John Walton/PA)

Matty Cash’s sumptuous crossfield half-volley was plucked out of the air by Lucas Digne, who teed up Buendia and he curled into the bottom corner to secure a fifth-consecutive victory for the visitors.

“I think we performed quite well. Maybe not through the roof,” Frank added.

“We gave away what eight shots? Not even a cross more or less. Very, very low XG (expected goals) and (Guglielmo) Vicario didn’t have a save.

Fantastic quality shot from Rogers. In those very little moments, they had more quality in the end

Thomas Frank

“If you said to me before the game ‘they will shoot from there, Rogers and Buendia’, from that situation, I would say, ‘of course, it’s not dangerous’, but fantastic quality shot from Rogers.

“In those very little moments, they had more quality in the end.”

Villa started the campaign with a run of five league fixtures without a win, but Emery still expected more from his squad despite a statement success at Tottenham.

Emery said: “Still more to do and still players to increase their level because they are coming after being injured and we have some injured.

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“We learn last year, the second half of the season we were performing fantastic and we were with a lot of players in different positions ready to play and helping to play 30 minutes.

“Today is the example. The 30 minutes of Watkins and Buendia, they do a fantastic job.

“We compete today fantastic and through the quality of the players adding it, we won.”