ONLY one person at Spurs has a right to be angry.
By CHARLIE WYETT
Yet even Brad Friedel, axed after 310 successive Premier League games in favour of Hugo Lloris, was joking with his team-mates on the bench as Tottenham delivered their fourth successive top-flight win.
After a dodgy start under Andre Villas-Boas, these are happy times for Tottenham.
For now, at least.
A win over Manchester United and then this triumph — courtesy of goals from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon — is a decent effort when you consider they sandwiched in a Europa League trip to Athens.
Next up is the visit of Chelsea on Saturday week.
Boss AVB will attempt to play down the importance of this game against the team who sacked him seven months ago.
Yet his emotions will be raging because, as you would expect, he will be desperate to stick two fingers up to his former employers.
If Spurs manage to kill off the Champions League winners, then maybe Villas-Boas’ team will have to be taken seriously in terms of a top-three finish.
Should Tottenham continue to play attacking, high-tempo football — while once again enjoying the rub of the green — they could hurt Roberto Di Matteo’s unbeaten side.
AVB’s side were good value yesterday, even though Aston Villa were left to reflect on a couple of decent chances missed by Christian Benteke.
The visitors finished the game with 10 men as Joe Bennett headed to hospital for treatment on a gashed leg.
Paul Lambert will sort Villa out, there is no doubt but it will take a few months for this team to gel.
The former Norwich manager made another big call to leave Darren Bent on the subs’ bench for the second straight week. Yet that decision was not as big as Villas-Boas’.
Keeper Friedel had played every top-flight game since being rested by Graeme Souness at Blackburn way back in 2004.
Mark Hughes, Martin O’Neill, Gerard Houllier and Harry Redknapp always selected the Yank.
But AVB bowed to pressure from France boss Didier Deschamps, unhappy that his captain Lloris has not been playing.
Deschamps’ part in this episode has been disgraceful.
He is also a hypocrite as he attacked Arsene Wenger last week, insisting that he does not like being told who to pick for Les Bleus. Lloris was finally given the nod and — one silly mistake aside — was pretty solid.
The main talking point was when the home fans screamed for a red card after Brad Guzan rushed out of his area to clear the ball with Gareth Bale propelling himself into the air.
Thankfully, referee Neil Swarbrick saw the incident clearly and waved play on, although other refs may have waved a yellow card at Bale for diving.
Lloris saved a swerving effort from Benteke and then made another block at the start of the second half when the Belgian striker should have done better.
Benteke then had another excellent chance and it came from Lloris’ error.
His lazy throw was intercepted by Brett Holman and he found Marc Albrighton, who delivered a fantastic cross to Benteke that he headed straight at Lloris.
Spurs went ahead on 58 minutes. Jermain Defoe took a great touch to control Bale’s deep corner and his shot hit the legs of Caulker and deflected in.
Defender Caulker, 20, found himself mobbed by team-mates. His only other goals in professional football came while on loan at Bristol City. Lambert introduced Bent and Charles N’Zogbia to try and test Spurs but within seconds Villa lost possession again and Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey combined to feed Lennon.
He had plenty of work to do 23 yards out but he teased and tormented Bennett, who was guilty of failing to put in a decent challenge, before firing home between his legs.
For Villas-Boas, his start to life at Spurs already seems a long time ago.
DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — WILLIAM GALLAS (TOTTENHAM)
TOTTENHAM: Lloris 7, Walker 6, Gallas 8, Caulker 7, Vertonghen 7, Lennon 7 (Townsend 5), Dembele 6, Sandro 7, Bale 7, Defoe 7 (Adebayor 5), Dempsey 6 (Sigurdsson 5). Subs not used: Friedel, Huddlestone, Dawson, Falque. Booked: Walker.
ASTON VILLA: Guzan 7, Bennett 6, Vlaar 7, Clark 5, Lowton 7, Holman 7 (Bannan 5), El Ahmadi 7, Delph 6 (N’Zogbia 5), Albrighton 7 (Bent 5), Benteke 6, Agbonlahor 6. Subs not used: Given, Westwood, Weimann, Lichaj. Booked: Delph, Bennett, El Ahmadi.
