Aston Villa v Tottenham player ratings: Luiz 8, Ramsey 9; Richarlison 3, Kane 7

Unai Emery's side now up to seventh in Premier League, level on points with sixth-place Spurs, after 2-1 win

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  ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez 6: Enjoyed very quiet first half but came up with a big save to deny Kane from point-blank range in the 52nd minute. Needlessly tripped Kane to give Spurs a penalty and a way back into the encounter. Getty

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  Ashley Young 7: 7 Didn’t push forward as much as he’s known to do but had solid game defensively. Made use of all his experience to stop a cross from reaching Son in 26th minute. Reuters

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  Ezri Konsa 7: Enjoyed impeccable first half where Spurs were limited to zero shots on target. Continued in the same vein in second and helped limit Spurs chances. AFP

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  Tyrone Mings 7: Stopped Porro from playing Son through on goal with a block in the 49th minute. Came up with a huge defensive clearance in added time. PA

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  Alex Moreno 7: Put in a tantalizing cross and Watkins was only a whisker away from heading home in the 40th minute. Had a good game against Richarlison in the first half and Kulusevski in the second. PA

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  Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham. Picture date: Saturday May 13, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Villa. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

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  John McGinn 8: His contagious work-rate helped dictate the pace of the game and he was crucial to helping his team see out the game. Had a pop at goal from a long-range just after the break but his effort went high and wide. Getty

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  Jacob Ramsey 9: Aston Villa’s best player on the day. Gave Spurs an early blow with a good first-time finish into the bottom corner. His reverse pass into Buendia led to his effort that came off the crossbar. PA

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  Leon Bailey 8: Showed quick feet and good vision to create space in front of Davies and find Ramsey in the penalty area to give the Villians the lead. Had the beating of Davies for most of the game. PA

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  Emiliano Buendia 7: Denied by Forster from close range in the 34th minute. Unlucky to see his effort come off the crossbar just before break. Called Forster into action with a swerving effort just after break. AFP

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  Ollie Watkins 7: Despite not being able to add to his 14 goals for the season, Watkins was crucial in bringing his teammates into play in the final third. Did well to set up Buendia for a close-range effort halfway into the first half. PA

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  SUBS: Boubacar Kamara (On for Bailey 68') 6: Midfielder never stopped running and helped provide extra protection for the backline. PA

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  Jhon Duran (On for Buendia 68') 6: Could have done better with his pass into the path of Watkins that was intercepted by Romero in the 78th minute. AFP Matty Cash (On for Watkins 90+1') N/A.

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  SPURS RATINGS: Fraser Forster 6: Made great save to deny Buendia from close range and Did well to tip Buendia’s effort unto the crossbar in first half. Called into action again by Buendia early in the second half. Getty

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  Emerson 5: Tasked with more defensive role, Emerson didn't fully look comfortable defending deep against Aston Villa’s tricky attackers. Had a heart-in-mouth moment when VAR had to take a closer look at his tackle on Watkins in the penalty area. PA

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  Cristian Romero 5: Snapped into a challenge on Watkins which he failed to win and left his teammates short of bodies in the build-up to the opening goal. Timed his sliding challenge to perfection to stop Ramsey from testing Forster. Picked up his customary yellow card in 80th minute. AFP

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  Clement Lenglet 5: Looked all over the place on the left side of Spurs three-man defence. Never looked capable of dealing with threat of Bailey. PA

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  Ben Davies 4: Should have done better to stop the cross from Bailey getting into the path of Ramsey for Aston Villa’s opener. Would have breathed a sigh of relief after he allowed Bailey get behind and cross the ball into the danger area. PA

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  Pedro Porro 4: Should have been much closer to Ramsey on the edge of the penalty area to stop him from opening scoring. His sloppy pass was pounced upon by Ramsey and almost led to a goal in 34th minute. Getty

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  Oliver Skipp 4: Part of a Spurs midfield that was out-thought and outran by Aston Villa in the first half. Caught on the ball and almost cost his team a second goal in the just before break. Getty

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  Pierre Hojberg 6: Made a good interception to stop an Aston Villa counter-attack in the 23rd minute. Pressed Liuz high up the pitch, won the ball and played Kane in for a one-on-one chance in the 52nd minute. AFP

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  Richarlison 3: Replacing Kulsevski in Spurs three-man attack, Richarlison had an ineffective game where he managed zero shots on goal. Has to do better with the timing of his runs. PA

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  Harry Kane 7: Failed to score when he found himself one on one against Martinez at start of second half. Fouled by Martinez for penalty, Kane picked himself up to score and give Spurs hope in 90th minute. PA

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  Son Hueng-min 4: Son looked bereft of confidence as he missed two very good chances before offside flag was raised to spare his blushes. Thought he had drawn Spurs level with the last kick of the match but the offside flag cut his celebrations short. AFP

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  SUBS: Yves Bissouma (On for Skipp 62') 5: Brought on to help Spurs win back control of the midfield, his substitution proved ineffective as the Villa maintained dominance and added a second after his introduction. PA

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  Dejan Kulusevski (On for Richarlison 62') 6: Almost made an immediate impact when he put Moreno on his back with a faked cross but just couldn’t find the target from close range with his shot. Hit shot high and wide when he had a chance to make himself a hero in added time. PA

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  Arnaut Danjuma (On for Porro 80') N/A. EPA Ivan Perisic (On for Davies 90') N/A.

Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz ignited Aston Villa's Europa League charge after a vital win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Unai Emery's side moved level on points with sixth-placed Spurs with two games left in the race for Europe following Saturday's 2-1 victory.

They were superior in every way, with Emi Buendia hitting the bar, and remain in the hunt for a surprise European spot after recovering from successive defeats.

Jacob Ramsey's tidy eighth-minute finish was followed by Douglas Luiz's free-kick while Harry Kane scored a consolation from the penalty spot after he was fouled by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

“We needed this win today,” said Ramsey. “The atmosphere was electric and we made a fast start in both halves. We were unfortunate not to keep a clean sheet.

“The boss is spot on nine times out of 10. He said the danger would be their counter-attacks with their pace and I think we dealt with that well today.

“When [Unai Emery] came in, we just clicked. As the weeks have gone on, we've got stronger. Everyone has built into his ideas. We need to continue this form.

Wretched Tottenham, aimless and lifeless, looked anything but a side competing for the top six.

Just 13 months ago at Villa Park they ran riot as a Son Heung-min hat-trick inspired a 4-0 win but, despite a brief second-half improvement, it was a performance which underlined their continued regression.

“The start wasn't good again going 1-0 down., said Spurs caretaker manager Ryan Mason. “As the game settled more in the second half I thought we were the team that was creating more naturally. Obviously to concede the second goal and in the manner we did, after missing a big opportunity, it was disappointing.

“It's something we've spoken about. It's happened far too many times. If we want to be a big team, challenging at the top of the table, that can't happen.”

You can see the player ratings from Saturday's match in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.