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

Manchester United’s interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy believes the team can turn around their torrid season based on the “spirit” he saw in their two games since the sacking of manager Erik ten Hag.

Moises Caicedo’s second-half strike for Chelsea cancelled a penalty from United captain Bruno Fernandes in a 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday to spoil United’s celebrations, but Van Nistelrooy said there were positives to be gleaned from their performance after a difficult few days.

The draw saw United climb one spot in the table to 13th after 10 games.

“We’re early in and the performances, with the spirit the players showed, is a foundation to build on… then football qualities will come out,” Van Nistelrooy said. “That’s the foundation to build on, and then there’s time to improve a lot in the ranking.”

Fernandes said he spoke to Ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday with United languishing 14th in the table.

“Whenever you see a manager go you have to take some of the blame on yourself, it is because the team is not doing so well,” Fernandes said. “It is easier to get rid of a manager than 15 players.

“I spoke to (Ten Hag) and apologised to him. I wasn’t scoring goals, we are not scoring goals and I feel responsible.”

Van Nistelrooy said the days since Ten Hag was shown the door have been “very difficult” for the team

“Six days, the roller-coaster of emotions, obviously very sad seeing Erik leave, the next day you have to start to focus on getting the lads ready for a performance against Leicester (a 5-2 League Cup win on Wednesday), because 75,000 people are going to show up at Old Trafford, so we have the obligation, and the players feel that they have the obligation to do better.

“They looked also in the mirror, and their reactions Wednesday and today showed that they thought about things as well themselves.”

Van Nistelrooy’s positive view of Sunday’s performance was not shared by everyone.

Former United midfielder turned pundit Roy Keane said Ruben Amorim — Ten Hag’s permanent replacement who will take the reins as of Nov. 11 — should have signed a longer contract,

because “There’s a long way back for this team.

“This is an average United team,” Keane said on Sky Sports. “We don’t know what we are going to get from them, it’s hit and miss. At the end it was a bit more open, but really disappointed. It was so flat. From the manager’s point of view, this team is way off it.”

United’s nine goals through 10 games, third-worst in the league, are their lowest total at this stage of a league campaign since 1973-1974.

While Amorim was named United’s head coach on Friday, Van Nistelrooy has not yet spoken to the Sporting CP boss, but the former United striker reiterated that he is keen to remain with the team in some capacity after Amorim takes over.

“We all will be backing him and helping him to get Manchester United to where we all want it to be,” Van Nistelrooy said. “I think that spirit is the most important to have, and it’s not about individuals, it’s about the club.”

-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