Spurs vs Villa man of the match: Björn Engels

[Editor’s Note] Every match, Liam - our young writer - selects a ‘man of the match’ - win, lose or draw. Today, Engels gets the nod. Thanks Liam!

It was a disappointing start to life in the Premier League for Aston Villa as two late goals from Harry Kane secured Spurs a 3-1 victory against Dean Smith’s men. John McGinn opened the scoring in the 9th minute after a composed finish into the bottom corner of the net until new signing Tanguy Ndombele equalised in the 73rd minute. Harry Kane finished off with a double towards the final whistle.

Even though John McGinn was impressive throughout the game I have awarded Björn Engels my Man of the Match after a brilliant debut against a talented Tottenham Hotspur side.

Tyrone Mings and Björn Engels look like a great centre-back partnership in the making however the Belgian defender shone throughout the game with his defensive positioning saving Villa from conceding a goal on several occasions. He also coped well physically against a powerful Spurs attack with his composure on the ball impressing the Villa faithful in a very tense environment.

As well as Björn Engels, many of Villa’s new signings were excellent against Tottenham. Tom Heaton looked comfortable in goal as the England international made some superb saves during the match and commanded his area well. Wesley held up the ball with confidence despite Spurs’ pressure and Mahmoud Trezeguet made some strong runs as Villa went forward. Despite the scoreline, Dean Smith’s men should be proud of their efforts and can definitely move forward with passion, pride and purpose.