Tottenham 2 Aston Villa 0 - analysis

White Hart Lane was the scene of Villa's 'Great Surrender' under Alex McLeish in November 2011 and pinpointed as an indicator of how the season would pan out as they rolled over and let Spurs bank the points.

So, 11 months later, it was pleasing to see those in claret and blues shirts step on to the pitch without thinking they were already beaten. That they did not simply down tools and bow to the superior quality of the opposition players was encouraging.

And why should they? After all Paul Lambert was the last Premier League manager to win at the stadium when he secured a 2-1 victory with his Norwich team in April.

Belief breeds confidence and, for a while, this Villa team showed glimpses of a side that were at least capable of a surprise result. Villa were just missing something from this display. Or rather striker Christian Benteke was.

Had the Belgium hitman converted the simplest of headers in the second half when the game was still goalless, then there is a chance the outcome would have been different. It was one the missus would probably have scored, as a manager round these parts once famously said.

Inevitably, the focus after Benteke's prolificacy switched back on to Darren Bent who was again asked to fulfil the role of supersub. The England international was given three minutes longer than the previous weekend, when he rescued a point with the equaliser against Albion, but there was no repeat of his heroics.

If Lambert was looking for pre-match omens as to why he should select Bent he should have looked to the last time Villa won at White Hart Lane in September 2008.

Bent was on the scoresheet that day; OK, so he might have been wearing a Tottenham shirt at the time, but the point still stands that, after two goals in two games, he probably justified inclusion from the start.

When chances are at a premium, away from home in particular, the finishing of Bent can be the difference.

Villa were unchanged from the side which drew 1-1 with Albion last Sunday, although Lambert set his team up more in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Spurs started brightly and Jermain Defoe was guilty of missing a golden chance in the third minute when he lifted his shot over the crossbar from eight yards, although the assistant referee had flagged for offside.

Villa had their first meaningful attempt on goal in the 21st minute when Brett Holman switched the play to Benteke on the right and the striker cut inside before he struck a powerful shot which Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris did well to keep out.

Defoe whistled a shot past the post on the turn just after the half-hour mark while Jan Vertonghen sliced his effort wide inside a crowded penalty area in the 35th minute.

The claret and blues looked dangerous on the counter-attack and Holman sent Gabby Agbonlahor clear shortly before half-time but French No.1 Lloris came off his line well to save at the Villa forward's feet.

Villa carved open an opportunity just after the interval when Agbonlahor found Benteke with a cross from the left but his shot was straight at Lloris.

The £7m striker then missed the sitter moments later when he was picked out by Marc Albrighton's teasing cross but could only head wide.

And so it was Tottenham who took the lead in the 58th minute when Gareth Bale's inswinging corner fell to Defoe at the back post. The England striker controlled brilliantly, fired in a low shot which deflected off Steven Caulker's heel and into the net.

Lambert introduced Bent and Charles N'Zogbia in the 66th minute but, a minute later, the home side added a second after a cool finish from Aaron Lennon.

Clint Dempsey laid the ball into the path of Lennon and the winger capitalised on some indecision by Joe Bennett, who stood off him, to strike a low shot past Guzan.

Bennett was taken off on a stretcher with his right knee heavily strapped after a nasty gash in the 79th minute which forced Villa to play the remainder of the game with 10 men.

And Guzan did well to get a palm on a Bale shot which struck the post in the 87th minute as the remainder of the game became somewhat of an exercise in damage limitation for Villa.

By Timothy Abraham