Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham: Gallagher and Richarlison fire Spurs out of relegation zone

Tottenham climbed out of the Premier League bottom three with a stunning 2-1 win at Aston Villa, as Conor Gallagher’s long-range screamer and a Richarlison header gave Roberto De Zerbi’s side a first-half cushion they never relinquished.

Spurs arrived in Birmingham sitting 18th with just 32 points, fighting to avoid what would be a historic relegation, while Villa were pushing for a top-four finish in fifth place. Few gave the visitors a chance. What followed was one of the most commanding away performances of the season from a side so many had already written off.

Conor Gallagher broke the deadlock in the 12th minute after a set-piece was only partially cleared, the ball dropping kindly for the Spurs midfielder who found the bottom-left corner from around 25 yards — his first Premier League goal since May 2024. Richarlison then doubled the lead with 25 minutes on the clock, meeting Mathys Tel’s cross with a fine header to beat Emiliano Martínez.

By the time the half-hour mark passed, Spurs had enjoyed 64% of the ball and were 6-0 up on shots, and that level of control was maintained until the break. It was only the second time in 69 matches that Unai Emery’s Villa had failed to attempt a first-half shot in a league game. The level of their performance was well below what was expected, as reflected by the boos that greeted the half-time whistle.

Villa’s situation was made more complicated by the fact that Emery had one eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, with his side trailing 1-0 from the first leg. Yet the manner of their collapse will still have raised serious concerns, regardless of squad rotation.

Villa did pull one back deep into stoppage time, when Matty Cash’s left-footed cross was turned in at the near post by Emi Buendía, but it proved too little, too late. Villa’s third consecutive defeat across all competitions extended their goalless run to 270 minutes.

After West Ham were beaten 3-0 by Brentford on Saturday, Spurs knew they had an opportunity to hoist themselves out of the bottom three heading into the final weeks of the season. They seized it emphatically. The final scoreline saw the north Londoners pull into 17th place with 37 points, a point clear of West Ham, and with a hefty 10-goal advantage on goal difference over their nearest rivals.

Spurs host Leeds on Monday 13 May before a testing trip to Chelsea on 19 May — two fixtures that will likely determine whether Roberto De Zerbi’s remarkable fight back from the brink ends in survival or heartbreak. For one afternoon at least, Tottenham dared to believe.