Two second-half goals from Dominic Solanke and a sublime James Maddison free kick helped Tottenham Hotspur to come from behind and overwhelm Aston Villa 4-1 on Sunday, ending the visitors’ seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.

Spurs climbed to seventh in the table on 16 points, two points behind Villa who stayed fifth. Should Chelsea win or draw at Manchester United later on Sunday, Villa would drop down to sixth.

Unai Emery’s Villa led at halftime through Morgan Rogers, but Spurs were level soon after the break when Brennan Johnson tapped in at the far post.

Solanke’s two goals in four minutes, including a flowing team move finished off with a delightful dink over Emiliano Martinez, secured the win, before Maddison curled in a free kick in stoppage time.

Emery, whose side had looked comfortable in the first half, said he was disappointed with the result, but not too worried about the manner of the defeat.

“We are disappointed, frustrated but we are accepting it,” Emery told Sky Sports. “We know our way, it is 38 matches, the league is very tight.”

Villa’s goal punctuated a drab first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Rogers poking home from a yard out after Lucas Digne’s corner was flicked on into the six-yard box.

Spurs skipper Son Heung-min provided an assist on his return from injury, whipping an excellent outswinging ball across the goal for Johnson to slot home at the back post shortly after halftime.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs had struggled to break down Villa in the first half, largely resorting to shots from distance, but they upped their intensity in the second period and two quick goals from Solanke sealed the win.

His first was a flowing one-touch team move, with Solanke latching on to Dejan Kulusevski’s cute pass and chipping the ball over the onrushing Martinez.

Minutes later, a mistake by Villa defender Pau Torres set Spurs charging forward again with second-half substitute Richarlison squaring for Solanke to grab his second goal.

Postecoglou was full of praise for Solanke, a 65-million-pound (77.55-million-euro) signing from Bournemouth this summer, describing his effort levels as “unbelievable”.

“I just can’t speak highly enough of what he’s contributing to our team at the moment,” Postecoglou told reporters.

Maddison put the gloss on a fine display late on, caressing the ball around the Villa wall from 20 yards out and into the top corner past a helpless Martinez.

Spurs have bounced back well from a disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend, knocking Manchester City out of the League Cup in midweek, but Postecoglou was keen to stay grounded.

“You don’t fall off cliffs and you don’t climb mountains within a week,” Postecoglou said. “I’m totally focused on the long game here.”

-Reuters

Alexander Isak’s early headed goal lifted Newcastle to a 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday at St. James’ Park, as Eddie Howe’s men delivered a blow to Arsenal’s title chase with their first win in six Premier League outings.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners remained provisionally third in the standings on 18 points, with the two teams above them — Manchester City and Liverpool — playing later on Saturday. Newcastle climbed to eighth on 15 points.

“We didn’t have the greatest start (to the season)performance-wise but we were still picking up results,” Newcastle defender Lewis Hall told TNT Sports. “The last few weeks when we were playing better football we weren’t getting results. This is something we can build on for sure.”

Isak netted his third league goal of the season in the 12th minute after Newcastle worked the ball out wide to Anthony Gordon who then whipped in a pinpoint cross from the right that the 25-year-old Swede, who sneaked in between defenders Gabriel and William Saliba, leapt to head into the far corner past David Raya.

“That was massive,” Isak, who has scored 12 goals in his last 12 home league games, told TNT. “A big game against a big team, I think it means a lot, a bit of a statement to us and to the fans that we can win this game.”

“(Heading) is not my strongest quality,” he added. “It feels good to score. The cross was amazing, I just had to jump and put my head on the ball, so credit to him.”

The Magpies, who beat Arsenal by the same score last season at St. James’ Park, did well to keep the visitors off the scoresheet, swarming them every time they got near the penalty area.

Declan Rice headed a cross just wide of the net in injury time in Arsenal’s best chance of the day, and then held his head in his hands in frustration.

Arteta’s side squandered several other chances, including Bukayo Saka’s header that he sent just wide of the net from Kai Havertz’s cross.

Hall also got in the way of a terrific first-half chance for Mikel Merino who volleyed the ball towards goal in a crowded six-yard box in Arsenal’s only shot on target.

But Arsenal, winless in their last three league games, generated very little otherwise against a Newcastle side riding the momentum of a spirited 2-0 League Cup win over Chelsea three nights earlier.

“We are all a bit sad because we wanted to win today,” Arsenal’s Saliba told TNT Sports. “Unfortunately we didn’t and we didn’t play the game we wanted to play. We deserved to lose today I think.

“We have to stick together,” he added. “Last season we had one period like this and we need to stay together and have the confidence to get out. We all believe we will come back.”

Saturday’s defeat means Arteta’s team have lost successive away league matches for the first time since May 2022.

-Reuters

 Manchester United appointed Portuguese Ruben Amorim as head coach on Friday, their sixth permanent boss since Alex Ferguson retired after guiding them to their last league title in 2013.

Following is a list of permanent and interim managers who have taken charge at United following Ferguson’s retirement:

David Moyes

In charge: July 1, 2013-April 22, 2014

Matches: 51

Win-Draw-Loss: 27-9-15

Trophies won: 1 (Community Shield)

Moyes was chosen to succeed Ferguson after 11 years at Everton but found it hard to fill his fellow Scotsman’s shoes.

United struggled with inconsistency in the defence of their title, finishing seventh in the Premier League that season, with Moyes dismissed 10 months after his arrival.

Ryan Giggs (caretaker)

In charge: April 22, 2014-May 11, 2014

Matches: 4

Win-Draw-Loss: 2-1-1

Trophies won: 0

Former midfielder Giggs, who holds the United appearance record of 963, had a short spell as caretaker after Moyes left.

It was the first major coaching assignment for Giggs, who remained at the club as an assistant coach till 2016 before managing Wales for two years from 2018-2020.

Louis van Gaal

In charge: July 16, 2014-May 23, 2016

Matches: 103

Win-Draw-Loss: 54-25-24

Trophies won: 1 (FA Cup)

Van Gaal arrived at United as one of the most respected managers of his generation, with successful spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam and the Netherlands national team in a period spanning over two decades.

United improved their performances in the league under the Dutchman, finishing fourth in 2014-15. But Van Gaal’s possession-heavy playing style was criticised throughout his stay and he was fired despite winning the FA Cup in 2015-16.

Jose Mourinho

In charge: May 27, 2016-Dec. 18, 2018

Matches: 144

Win-Draw-Loss: 84-32-28

Trophies won: 3 (Europa League, League Cup, Community Shield)

Mourinho’s arrival reflected United’s ambition and his tenure got off to an optimistic start with the club winning the League Cup and Europa League in his first campaign followed by a second-place finish in the league the next season.

Despite spending nearly 400 million pounds ($519.08 million) on players, a drop in performances during the 2018-19 campaign led to the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager’s dismissal when United were 19 points behind the league leaders.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

In charge: Dec. 19, 2018 (On interim basis, made permanent in March 2019) – Nov. 21, 2021

Matches: 168

Win-Draw-Loss: 91-37-40

Trophies won: 0

Former United forward Solskjaer started his coaching career at United after hanging up his boots, managing the reserve side from 2008-2011. He managed Cardiff City and Norwegian club Molde before being appointed United interim manager.

Solskjaer won 14 of his 19 matches before being made permanent boss, but inconsistency plagued United for the rest of his stay. The Norwegian was dismissed after a string of embarrassing losses to Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford.

Michael Carrick (caretaker)

In charge: Nov. 21, 2021-Dec. 2, 2021

Matches: 3

Win-Draw-Loss: 2-1-0

Trophies won: 0

Former United midfielder Michael Carrick was part of the club’s coaching staff when appointed caretaker manager for less than two weeks, marking the start of his managerial career.

Carrick took over as Middlesbrough boss in 2022, where he remains in charge.

Ralf Rangnick (interim)

In charge: Dec. 3, 2021-May 22, 2022

Matches: 29

Win-Draw-Loss: 11-10-8

Trophies won: 0

Former VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and Schalke 04 manager Ralf Rangnick attempted to steady the ship during a difficult season as United’s interim manager, with underwhelming results.

They finished sixth in the league and exited the Champions League in the last 16. He left at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Erik ten Hag

In charge: May 23, 2022-Oct. 28, 2024

Matches: 128

Win-Draw-Loss: 70-23-35

Trophies won: 2 (FA Cup, League Cup)

Ten Hag arrived at United following a successful spell at Ajax but, despite winning the League Cup and securing a top-four finish in the league in his first season, his tenure soon took a downward turn.

United finished eighth in 2023-24 but the Dutchman was given a second chance to right the ship after winning the FA Cup. However, they were sitting 14th after nine matches in October 2024 when Ten Hag was fired.

Ruud van Nistelrooy (interim)

In Charge: Oct. 28, 2024 – Nov. 10, 2024

Matches: 1

Win-Draw-Loss: 1-0-0

Trophies won: 0

Former Dutch international Van Nistelrooy, who previously managed PSV Eindhoven, joined United as an assistant coach in July 2024. He was made interim boss after Ten Hag was sacked.

Van Nistelrooy, who won his first match in charge when United beat Leicester City in the League Cup on Wednesday, said he wants to remain part of the management team under Amorim.

-Reuters