Tottenham Hotspur made it back-to-back victories in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, avenging their November home defeat against Aston Villa with a sweeping win at Villa Park.
Spurs were aided by John McGinn's red card in the second half but the visitors had already soaked up the stadium's initially defeating atmosphere early and struck twice after the break
Unai Emery's Villans prodded for a route back into the contest but Tottenham controlled and commanded, with late strikes from Heung-min Son and substitute Timo Werner sealing an emphatic 4-0 victory to put hopes of returning to the top four in their own hands.
There were many impressive displays from Ange Postecoglou's side, with young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr proving his worth after being benched last weekend.
Pape Matar Sarr's performance vs Aston Villa
The game was level and, numerically, so were the teams. It was just five minutes after the interval following a first phase that just hadn't shifted into top, thrilling gear.
Sarr collected Kulusevski's pass and considered it a personal duty to make something happen, gliding up the right channel and whipping in a delightful cross, threaded right into the path of the surging James Maddison in the box.
The 21-year-old was withdrawn after 70 minutes with Tottenham 2-0 up, but after entering after the break against Crystal Palace, it's pretty clear that the Senegal international needs to start all of the biggest occasions henceforth.
Minutes played
70'
Assists
1
Touches
42
Accurate passes
30/36 (83%)
Key passes
1/1
Crosses
1/1
Interceptions
1
Ground duels won
1/3
Writing in his post-match player ratings, football.london's Alasdair Gold handed Sarr a healthy 8/10 score, saying: 'Picked up an unfortunate yellow card in the first half after slipping into Tielemans and took a big whack that saw him limp off at the break. He was excellent though after the interval and it was his drive and pinpoint cross that served up Maddison's opener.'
While many impressed, Sarr's energy and confidence emanates throughout the Spurs squad and he simply has to start if Tottenham are to achieve their goals over the next few months.
Not the only player to have caught the eye though, another fine display from Brennan Johnson surely now confirms that the Welshman must keep his starting berth going forward.
Why Brennan Johnson is now undroppable
Tottenham signed Johnson from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for £47.5m last summer and he has impressed so far, racking up two assists off the bench against Crystal Palace and now firing his team into a 2-0 lead at Villa Park, moments after Maddison's opener.
As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old, who has been hailed for his "frightening pace" by content creator HLTCO, complemented his goal with success in four of his seven attempted dribbles, also chipping in with two tackles and winning seven of his 14 contested ground duels.
Moreover, Johnson has taken his Premier League tally for the Lilywhites up to four goals and six assists from just 21 appearances, including 14 starts, and while Werner scored for the second game running in the dying embers, off the bench, it's pretty clear that Johnson's starting to bloom and must be handed opportunities from the outset.
Gold also deemed Johnson deserving of an 8/10 match rating, writing: 'Bright from the start of the match, gave Villa plenty of problems with his pressing, dribbling and runs and he showed he's not just a super sub with a curling finish on the slide to double Tottenham's lead.'
Tottenham have so many options and it really is quite remarkable how Postecoglou is placing the framework of success at the club after such a torrid 2022/23 campaign, and with the likes of Sarr and Johnson rising to the fore, lofty ambitions might just be realised.