By Michael Beardmore.
Son Heung-min’s hat-trick kept Tottenham’s Premier League top-four destiny in their own hands as Spurs produced a masterclass in clinical finishing to thrash Aston Villa.
After the South Korea striker steered the visitors into an early lead, Spurs withstood a Villa onslaught to remain ahead at the interval with veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris making a string of superb saves.
But they cruised to victory with a breathtaking, counter-attacking second-half performance as Son swept home two more fine finishes, either side of an equally elegant strike from Dejan Kulusevski.
A fourth-successive win moved Antonio Conte’s side three points above north London rivals Arsenal – beaten at home by Brighton earlier on Saturday – in the race for the fourth Champions League spot.
Villa, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a fourth-straight defeat, despite dominating long spells of the first half, as returning striker Danny Ings wasted two glorious chances to bring them level.
While the scoreline failed to reflect the overall balance of play – or chances created – in the West Midlands, it was Spurs who possessed the difference-making individual talents.
Chief among them, of course, was Son, who seemingly never ceases to amaze – his first and third goals beautifully struck first-time efforts that both went in off the post, with a composed one-on-one finish to beat Emi Martinez in between.
On-loan Juventus midfielder Kulusevski again impressed, teeing up Son for his hat-trick after firing an accurate finish through the legs of Tyrone Mings and past Martinez to put the result beyond doubt.
Harry Kane took a back seat but was still involved in three of the goals, flicking on headers in the build-up to two, but Lloris was arguably Spurs’ stand-out performer.
The France goalkeeper made excellent first-half stops to thwart Jacob Ramsey’s solo run and shot, John McGinn’s 25-yard thunderbolt and Philippe Coutinho’s cheeky near-post free-kick.
Only three weeks ago, Spurs sat eighth, six points off fourth place – a position they now proudly hold, even if Arsenal do have a game in hand.
Tottenham, though, have a superior goal difference – boosted by this win – and an easier run-in on paper with Brighton, Brentford, Burnley and Norwich among their final seven opponents, while Arsenal meet Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham among their next four.