VILLA PROGRESS: EMI BUENDIA AND MORGAN ROGERS FIRE ASTON VILLA PAST TOTTENHAM INTO THE FOURTH ROUND
Aston Villa dump Tottenham out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win. Goals from Buendia and Rogers deepen the gloom for Thomas Frank.
Aston Villa edged out Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup’s third round, keeping their hot streak alive across all competitions.
Villa wasted no time. Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers each finished off some slick team moves in the first half, putting them two up before Spurs could settle in.
Tottenham needed a bit of that classic cup magic after the break. Ten minutes in, Wilson Odobert gave them hope—he broke free and buried his chance, waking up the home crowd.
Spurs pushed, searching for an equaliser, but Villa kept their cool. They held on for their fourth straight win over Tottenham and moved one step closer to bettering last year’s FA Cup run, when they reached the semis.
Tottenham shook things up after their late loss to Bournemouth, swapping in five new faces: Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and Richarlison. Villa made six changes themselves from their last match at Crystal Palace—Marco Bizot, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Emi Buendia, and Donyell Malen all slotted in.
The game started scrappily. Villa lost Boubacar Kamara early to injury, and Youri Tielemans—who knows a thing or two about winning the FA Cup—came on.
The opening 20 minutes saw a few hopeful shots from a distance, but not much else. Then Torres started a move from deep. Four passes later, Villa sliced right through the Spurs' defence. Malen drove to the edge of the box, drew defenders in, and slipped the ball left to Buendia. With all the time he needed, Buendia smashed it into the roof of the net.
The villa wasn’t done. Matty Cash let fly from outside the box, and as the half went on, Villa tightened their grip in midfield, especially through Bogarde and John McGinn.
Tottenham showed a bit of life near halftime. Danso sent a looping header over from a corner, and Xavi Simons burst through the middle, setting up Randal Kolo Muani. Muani finished, but the flag was up—offside.
Right before the break, Villa struck again. They pressed high, forced a mistake, and built another classy team goal. Malen slid a pass into the box for Buendia, but instead of shooting, Buendia backheeled to Rogers. Rogers sidestepped three defenders and finished coolly into the corner with his weaker foot.
After halftime, Spurs looked sharper. Simons tested Bizot from range, and moments later, Kolo Muani battled for the ball, broke forward, and set up Odobert, who slotted home and raised the volume in the stadium.
Spurs kept pressing. Simons forced another save, and suddenly Tottenham owned the midfield, forcing Villa into desperate blocks inside their own box.
But Villa weathered the storm. They regrouped, strung together some sharp passes down the right, and Cash found Buendia near the penalty spot. His shot took a deflection, and Pedro Porro had to clear off the line.
Tottenham looked like they scored when Simons rounded Bizot and finished, but again, he’d gone too early—offside.
Spurs threw on Dominic Solanke, finally back from a long layoff. Villa shored up their defence, determined to see it out. In the end, the Claret and Blues did enough. They’re through to the next round.
ELITE CLUBS INITIATE EMERGENCY TALKS TO SIGN THE HOTTEST MIDFIELD PROSPECT KEES SMIT IN EUROPE
AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit is the hottest prospect in Europe. Discover the £70m race between Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Premier League.
Real Madrid’s strategy for finding talent often involves spotting promising players early on, and Kees Smit is starting to catch serious attention.
This midfielder from AZ Alkmaar has been making waves in the Netherlands, and now his progress is drawing interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid.
Rafael van der Vaart, who knows firsthand what it takes to make it at the Bernabeu, seems confident about Smit’s potential.
When Van der Vaart spoke on Ziggo Sport’s Rondo (via Mundo Deportivo), he didn’t hold back about the young player’s future.
“He’s truly a remarkable player.
We tend to throw around the word 'good' a lot, but with him, it’s genuine.
If he keeps developing at this pace, there’s little doubt he’ll land at Real Madrid or another top club, Real Madrid being the prime example in my mind.”
Still, Van der Vaart also stressed that talent alone won’t carry Smit all the way.
Handling the mental pressure will be just as crucial as his skills on the pitch. He elaborated,
“He needs to learn how to deal with everything that comes with this kind of spotlight, but from what I see, he remains quite grounded.
He doesn’t seem fazed by pressure, at least not visibly. Plus, he handles interviews well and comes across as quite composed.”
As for Real Madrid’s stance, Smit is definitely on their radar. The club sees him as one of Europe’s more promising midfielders, and they’re keeping a close eye on his development.
That said, he’s not considered an urgent target this summer, with other positions taking priority. This situation could open the door to competition from others.
Meanwhile, several Premier League clubs are tracking his progress, and Barcelona reportedly have shown interest too.
As interest mounts, so does the expected price. Any transfer is rumoured to require a hefty sum, with figures reportedly topping €50 million.
For now, Smit’s focus remains on growing at AZ Alkmaar. But if his upward trend continues, it’s likely only a matter of time before a major European club makes their move.
EXCLUSIVE: AJAX AND SCHALKE LAUNCH BIDS FOR OUT-OF-CONTRACT RANGERS MIDFIELDER BAILEY RICE NOW
Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice is a top target for Ajax and Schalke. Get the latest on his contract status and potential summer exit.
Ajax and Schalke are chasing Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice, with both clubs working to seal a deal for the 19-year-old, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Rangers just wrapped up a training camp in Spain, gearing up for a crucial five-game stretch to go for the league title after the split earlier this month. Their run-in starts with Motherwell at home on Sunday, then a massive trip to face league leaders Hearts at Tynecastle next weekend.
After that comes the season’s final Old Firm showdown against Celtic at Parkhead on May 10, before closing out with Hibernian and Falkirk, who are the lowest-ranked teams in the split, having finished fifth and sixth.
This summer looks set for big changes at Rangers, and Rice is right at the centre of it. Romano reported on X that both Ajax and Schalke want to sign Rice as a free agent. The young Scottish midfielder is out of contract this summer. Talks over a new deal with Rangers haven’t worked out, so he’s weighing up his next move. Schalke reportedly already made him a personal offer, and Premier League side Aston Villa had also been linked with him earlier this year.
Rice has barely featured for Rangers this season after suffering a serious training injury that needed surgery; he’s only played a handful of minutes.
As for the rest of the squad, Rangers look set for another overhaul. After a busy transfer window last summer and more signings in January, things don’t seem to be slowing down. Manager Rohl has made do with what he has, but the club’s owners, the 49ers, are ready to back a ‘major recruitment drive’ this summer. Their aim? Knock Celtic off the top and keep Hearts from breaking up the Old Firm grip on Scottish football.
Nobody knows just how many players could come in yet, but it’s clear the owners are serious about shaking things up at Ibrox.
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