Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham: Player ratings as Rogers masterclass seals FA Cup win

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90min

·9 February 2025

Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham: Player ratings as Rogers masterclass seals FA Cup win

Aston Villa are into the FA Cup fifth round after goals from Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers earned a narrow 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The hosts, who so often impress in front of their own supporters, took an immediate lead when Ramsey's angled shot inexplicably slipped through the grasp of Antonin Kinsky, who really should have saved it with ease.

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The 21-year-old Czech redeemed himself with a number of fine saves thereafter, but his mistake put Tottenham on the back foot in a game that Ange Postecoglou could really have done with winning after the midweek mauling at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

The impressive Leon Bailey was denied by Kinsky's outstretched right hand in the first quarter of an hour, with Ramsey and Donyell Malen firing other efforts wide and over, before Son Heung-min was denied at point-blank range by Emiliano Martinez after a fizzing ball across the six-yard box by teenager Mikey Moore.

Villa continued to knock on the door at the other end – Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey and Malen all posing a significant threat to Spurs' backline – but they weren't able to grab a second before the break despite receiving the vociferous backing of the home support.

After more Villa pressure, which saw Kinsky make a superb save to again deny Ramsey, they doubled their lead through the surging Rogers. In the right place at the right time, he poked the ball into the roof of the net after Pedro Porro was unable to properly clear Malen's cutback across the goal-line.

Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio both came on for their Villa debuts, replacing Bailey and Malen, but the game was all about the impressive performance of Rogers, who must surely be on the radar of England manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tottenham gave themselves hope in the final moments as Mathys Tel, making his first start for the club, superbly guided Dejan Kulusevski's cross into the far bottom corner, but they didn't have enough in the tank to prevent a second exit from a domestic cup competition in the space of four days - the Europa League now the only trophy available to win in what's becoming an increasingly disappointing campaign for the north Londoners.