Aston Villa delivered a blow to Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of qualifying for European competitions with a hard-fought 2-1 victory in their Premier League clash on Saturday.

The defeat extended Tottenham’s miserable away form, as they extended their winless streak to seven matches on the road.

The match began with a bang as Villa’s Jacob Ramsey smashed home the opener in the eighth minute, leaving Spurs on the back foot. Aston Villa dominated the first half, leaving Tottenham without a single shot on goal. The home side had several chances to extend their lead, with Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia coming close to finding the back of the net.

In the second half, Tottenham showed signs of life, displaying more determination and intensity. However, their efforts were in vain as Douglas Luiz struck a superb free-kick in the 72nd minute, beating Tottenham’s goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who will undoubtedly feel he could have done better.

Despite a late penalty conversion by Harry Kane, after he was fouled by Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, and a disallowed goal by Son Heung-min due to offside, Tottenham couldn’t find the equalizer.

Villa’s victory propelled them further into the race for European qualification, as they secured their sixth consecutive home win. Unai Emery’s side climbed to seventh place in the league table, level on points with sixth-placed Tottenham, both teams with two games remaining. 

Brighton & Hove Albion, currently in eighth place, are also in the mix, trailing Villa and Spurs by two points but with three games in hand.