On a night of simmering tension in North London, kick-off came at 5:45pm on Saturday, 10th January 2026, with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium packed to the rafters for an FA Cup third-round tie that had enormous implications beyond the cup competition itself.
The full Tottenham vs Aston Villa lineups and stats painted a picture of Villa’s superior cohesion and quality, as Unai Emery’s side registered a 2-1 victory that dumped a beleaguered Spurs side out of the FA Cup and piled further pressure on then-manager Thomas Frank.
Tottenham vs Aston Villa Lineups Confirmed
Tottenham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Guglielmo Vicario in goal, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, and Ben Davies in defence, and Archie Gray and Joao Palhinha in the double pivot.
Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, and Mathys Tel played behind the striker, with Randal Kolo Muani leading the line.
Unavailable for selection were Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Mohammed Kudus through injury, while Cristian Romero was serving a suspension.
Aston Villa named a strong side despite making changes, with Marco Bizot deputising in goal behind Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Ian Maatsen.
Boubacar Kamara — who was forced off early with injury — and Lamare Bogarde started in midfield, with John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendía, and Donyell Malen in the attacking unit.
Key absentees for Villa included Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley through injury.
The Goals and Timeline
The tie turned decisively in the 22nd minute when Malen slipped in Buendía to fire into the roof of the net after McGinn’s clever layoff.
Vicario denied Villa a second with a save from Matty Cash before Tottenham had a Kolo Muani effort disallowed for offside.
The sucker-punch arrived in first-half stoppage time when Tel’s pass was intercepted and Buendía teed up Rogers to bend a clinical finish into the corner.
Boos greeted the half-time whistle inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wilson Odobert pulled one back in the 55th minute, latching onto a Kolo Muani pass and drilling into the bottom corner, briefly raising Spurs’ hopes of a comeback.
However, Villa held firm to see out a 2-1 victory that extended their superb run to 13 wins from 15 matches, while Spurs endured a fourth defeat from their last seven.
Full Match Timeline Table
| Minute | Event | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~5′ | Early chance | Kamara (injury, off early) | Aston Villa |
| 22′ | Goal | Emiliano Buendía (assist: McGinn, Malen) | Aston Villa |
| 28′ | Goal Disallowed | Kolo Muani (offside) | Tottenham |
| 45+’ | Goal | Morgan Rogers (assist: Buendía) | Aston Villa |
| 45′ | Half Time | Score: Tottenham 0-2 Aston Villa | — |
| 55′ | Goal | Wilson Odobert (assist: Kolo Muani) | Tottenham |
| 90′ | Full Time | Final Score: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa | — |
Tottenham vs Aston Villa Confirmed Lineups Table
| # | Tottenham (4-2-3-1) | # | Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Vicario | GK | Bizot |
| RB | Pedro Porro | RB | Matty Cash |
| CB | Kevin Danso | CB | Ezri Konsa |
| CB | Micky van de Ven | CB | Pau Torres |
| LB | Ben Davies | LB | Ian Maatsen |
| DM | Archie Gray | DM | Boubacar Kamara |
| DM | Joao Palhinha | DM | Lamare Bogarde |
| RM | Wilson Odobert | RM | John McGinn |
| AM | Xavi Simons | AM | Emiliano Buendía |
| LM | Mathys Tel | LM | Morgan Rogers |
| ST | Randal Kolo Muani | ST | Donyell Malen |
Tottenham vs Aston Villa Season Context and Stats
At the time of this match, Villa sat third in the Premier League with 43 points, while Tottenham were down in 14th on 27 points — a gulf that was evident in their contrasting performances.
Aston Villa had won three of their previous three meetings against Tottenham heading into the tie, and their dominance continued here with a controlled if not flawless performance.
For Thomas Frank, the defeat was another blow to his increasingly precarious tenure, with Spurs winless in several matches and fan discontent growing audibly at full-time.
Key bullet points from the tottenham vs aston villa lineups and stats:
- Morgan Rogers’ first-half stoppage-time goal proved to be the decisive moment, ending Spurs’ resistance
- Emiliano Buendía was Villa’s creative architect, registering both a goal and an assist in a stunning first-half display
- Boubacar Kamara’s early injury forced Villa into an unplanned change that could have disrupted their rhythm — it did not
- Wilson Odobert’s 55th-minute goal gave Spurs hope, but Villa’s defensive organisation was resolute
- Villa’s victory extended their remarkable run to 13 wins from 15 in all competitions
- Tottenham’s eight injured players and key suspensions laid bare the scale of their squad problems at the time