Having already run the rule over one jittery victory for a top-five-chasing club, we do the same again here.
This time, it’s Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Asensio
WATKINS + ROGERS RETURN BUT KINSKY LIMITS DAMAGE
The hordes descended on Ollie Watkins (£9.1m) and Morgan Rogers (£5.8m) ahead of Friday’s deadline, with both Villans among the top three most-bought players of Gameweek 37.
Player Team GW37 transfers in
Watkins AVL 868,844
Eze CRY 272,970
Rogers AVL 223,369
Bowen WHU 207,722
Beto EVE 200,889
Both players returned – Watkins’ header down from a corner prodded in by Ezri Konsa (£4.4m), Rogers teeing up Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) for a goal from distance – but hauls were left on the table.
Antonín Kinsky (£4.1m) played party-pooper. Denying Rogers’ first-half feather-touch effort with a superb sprawling stop, he got down quickly to repel Watkins’ low shot after the break. Watkins also saw the impressive Kevin Danso (£4.4m) block another goalbound effort.
Above: Rogers was fingertips away from his ninth goal of the season
ASENSIO IMPRESSES
The expected bloodbath didn’t materialise in the end. It was a second-string Spurs side on show, as expected, but they refused to capitulate and were actually dangerous on the break in the first half.
The visitors’ tally of three shots doesn’t really do their threat justice, with plenty more crosses flashed dangerously across the box and not resulting in goal attempts. The lively Son Heung-min (£9.7m) fired narrowly over, then Wilson Odobert (£5.3m) was denied a brilliant backheeled goal by Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m).
Asensio
Villa gradually assumed control and were dominant by the second half. It wasn’t a vintage attacking display but it was a darned sight more convincing than the one Chelsea served up on the same night.
Marco Asensio (£6.1m) was probably the pick of the bunch, despite blanking. Denied a brilliant assist for the blocked Watkins effort, he also curled inches wide of Kinsky’s goal with the best of a game-high four shots he had.
Above: Players in Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur sorted by total shots (Tot)
FAREWELL, EMI?
As we wrote last week, everything has come together for Villa defensively of late. A fully-fit roster at the back, the return of Kamara from injury, Matty Cash (£4.4m) and Ian Maatsen (£4.5m) brushing aside unconvincing early-season displays to impress, slightly cagier tactics from Emery – it’s all contributed to a league-best five clean sheets in eight Gameweeks.
You wouldn’t bet against them making it six in nine at Old Trafford on the final day.
Goal aside, Konsa was superb on Friday, too.
One part of that backline may be about to play his final game for the Villans, however: Martinez was tearful after the full-time whistle in what was Villa’s last home match of 2024/25.
🗣️ "He'll be a big loss to them"
🗣️ "That does look like he was waving goodbye for sure"
Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp on Emi Martinez waving to the Villa Park crowd with tears in his eyes 👋 pic.twitter.com/wNaMId6Cij
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 16, 2025
BRIGHTON NEXT FOR SPURS
“I think from my perspective, at least different to the Palace game, I felt that the lads worked hard and competed and at least made it difficult for the opposition. So from that perspective I thought that was more important for me than the individual context. It was good to get some match minutes into players like Sonny and Wilson and a lot of these guys haven’t played a lot this year, so just to get them through another game was important.” – Ange Postecoglou
A better Spurs display than the one they served up at Palace, then, but ultimately an eighth loss in 11 league matches. It’s no clean sheet in 12 games, either.
It’s Brighton and Hove Albion on the final day, with the Seagulls going under the radar a bit, considering that they’re more than capable of putting a distracted Spurs side to the sword. The visit of Liverpool on Monday will be a good final-day audition for Joao Pedro (£5.5m) and co.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Wednesday night takes out of Spurs and if Ange Postecoglou subsequently gives us any clues as to what kind of team he puts out in Gameweek 38. There’ll be no Europa League tie to preserve the players for on the final weekend, but similarly, the regulars will likely have expended plenty of mental and physical energy in Bilbao.