Aston Villa scored two brilliant goals to defeat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday after going a goal down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Villa briefly moved into the top half of the Premier League thanks to a 2-1 win in north London on Sunday afternoon. Rodrigo Bentancur’s early strike put Villa on the back foot but Unai Emery’s side produced a fine away performance to overcome the odds.
Morgan Rogers rifled in the equaliser but it was Villa’s second-half winning goal that stole the show thanks to a stunning Matty Cash volleyed pass and Lucas Digne’s sensational control and flick to set up the chance.
Emi Buendía shifted the ball out of his feet and swept it across Guglielmo Vicario into the bottom corner.
It was Buendía’s third goal of the season in all competitions and the crowning moment in an incredible return to prominence as a Villa player and, once, the club’s record signing.
There’s no doubt it’s been a difficult road for the 28-year-old. After signing from Norwich City, Buendía started to make his mark but his evolution as a Villa player was cut short by a devastating knee injury.
He clearly enjoys the respect of manager Unai Emery but he was a player Villa were willing to move on for the last several transfer windows. Indeed, he was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen last season and looked to be bound for Leeds United in the summer.
But Buendía stood his ground in the same way as he plays on the pitch. His determination to play for Villa and to make it work has been admirable and he’s been putting together one hell of an argument in his favour this season.
“I knew straight away from the beginning of the season I wanted to show everyone I am able to play here to help this team and club and I am able to do it every game,” Buendía told the media after scoring Villa’s winner at Spurs.
Quite apart from scoring a few goals in a team most observers believed had moved on from him, Buendía is evidently a switched-on young man with a keen understanding of what’s actually required to live up to his aim.
Having an impact with the ball in the attacking third is always likely to be seen as the ultimate measure of Buendía’s worth but Emery and many supporters will value his out-of-possession efforts just as much.
Buendía is a rare blend of guile and grit. When he has the ball in the opposition half, he looks like he should be a luxury player – creative footballers with his style and grace often have to be carried, to a degree.
He’s not that at all. Buendía is statistically and visibly one of the hardest working players in his position in Europe. Now Villa are getting him on the pitch, we’re seeing it again in a claret and blue shirt. Long may it continue.
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