Tottenham have moved up to fifth in the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, at Villa Park.

Spurs winger Andros Townsend continued to add to his burgeoning reputation with a goal on 31 minutes, albeit a goal that came about rather fortuitously as Townsend crossed the ball into the Villa box but saw it make its way, unimpeded, into the far corner of Brad Guzan’s goal.

Villa struggled for the first half and shortly after the start of the second the fans in the Holte End were calling for the introduction of Christian Benteke. They got their wish with half an hour left as Paul Lambert sent the Belgian striker into the game. Benteke made an instant impact, wining several headers and seemingly lifting his side’s overall levels of performance with his presence.

It was just as Villa were asserting a period of dominance that Spurs added to their lead. Roberto Soldado finished off a sharp passing move with a clinical finish past Guzan.

Aston Villa drop to 13th with the loss.