Tottenham v Aston Villa live: Tempers flare as Spurs knocked out of FA Cup to pile pressure on Thomas Frank
Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa: Brilliant goals from Buendia and Rogers gave Spurs too much to do despite an improved performance after the break
Aston Villa withstood a second-half fight-back from Tottenham Hotspur to advance in the FA Cup and pile the pressure on Thomas Frank, whose side paid the price for another slow start with their latest home defeat.
Spurs trudged off to the familiar sound of half-time boos after sharp goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers put Unai Emery’s incisive side two goals ahead at the break.
Wilson Odobert’s excellent finish after the restart gave the hosts some hope but it was not enough to prevent an early exit from the FA Cup and add to Tottenham’s miserable run.
Tottenham have just one win in their last six games and they are without a win since the turn of the year - while they lost at home for the sixth time under Frank.
Villa’s excellent season goes from strength to strength under Emery, whose side have now won 13 of their last 15 matches in all competitions.
Tempers flared at the full-time whistle as goalscorer Rogers clashed with Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha, who appeared to be angered by the Villa players celebrating in front of him.
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Up next for high-flying Aston Villa
After 13 wins in 15 games, Aston Villa will host Everton looking to keep pace with leaders Arsenal and title challengers Manchester City.
Up next for Tottenham and under-fire Thomas Frank
For Tottenham, next Saturday will bring a home London derby against struggling West Ham. That is surely a must-win game. It’s followed by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Spurs have been better in Europe. They could badly do with three points against the Hammers to lift the mood going into that one.
Morgan Rogers, speaking after Aston Villa's win over Tottenham
”Of course we wanted to build on the first half. We were good the first half. Second half they came out really well, but they're a good team. They're at home, they're in front of their fans and they played really well in the second half. We had to dig deep, we had to work and defend our box, and we did well, and I thought we deserved the win in the end.
“It was a good build-up and Emi kind flicked it into me. It just fell to me, and I just wanted to get the shot off as soon as I could. Luckily it went in and I was really happy.
“I'm loving it. I feel really good. I'm in a good bit of form. I'm feeling positive, feeling confident, but so are the team, and that's the most important thing as a team. As a collective we're playing really well at the moment.
“We were bitterly disappointed that we couldn't go the whole way [in the FA Cup] last year, getting so far, and we've set out to try and do as well as we can. This was a big test for us in the 3rd round, and I thought we overcome it really well.”
The full-time fracas between Rogers and Palhinha
It all settled down quite quickly. You wonder where the fight from Tottenham was in the first half when Aston Villa were running all over them.
FULL TIME! Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa players celebrate in the far corner after holding on to defeat Tottenham and reach the fourth round. There were boos at full-time but they were quickly drowned out as the players clashed at that end of the pitch.
Rogers was celebrating in front of his own fans. The frustration from Palhinha was rising throughout the second half and I think it exploded at the full-time whistle.
FULL TIME! Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa
It’s all kicking off at full-time! A huge scrap! Morgan Rogers is being led away. I think Palhinha started it!
Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa
90+4 mins: Excellent tackle from Tielemans on Spence and that could be that. Villa thump clear...
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