Topics: Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane
The pair were liable for two game-defining moments in Sunday's defeat as Spurs' struggles continue.

Tottenham Hotspur were dealt another blow in their pursuit for a top-four place after picking up a defeat against Aston Villa in Sunday's Premier League. A couple of mistakes by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and striker Harry Kane proved costly as the host suffered a 2-0 loss in the first game of 2023.

In hindsight, not much worked in favor of Spurs as a lackluster first half performance ended with neither of the side managing a goal. The turning point, however, arrived in the 50th minute with Hugo Lloris making a mess of a save and putting his side at a disadvantage. The World Cup finalist spilled Douglas Luiz's long-range effort and Ollie Watkins immediately latched on it to set up Emiliano Buendia to score the first goal of the afternoon.

Aston Villa's second goal arrived in the 73rd minute after Harry Kane lost possession in a rather dangerous position. Once again, Douglas Luiz got in the mix for his side, finishing off the move with a brilliant chip after combining with John McGinn. Watch:

Spurs were booed off by the home supporter at the final whistle with the final result denying the London club the chance to climb back into the top four. So far, Antonio Conte's men have won only two of their past seven matches. In addition, they have have conceded at least twice in each of their last seven Premier League games, their longest run of shipping two or more goals in league matches since November 1988 (eight).

Relatively, Unai Emery has won three of his first four Premier League games as Aston Villa manager and has resultantly become the first Villa boss to win his first two away games in charge in the league since John Gregory in March 1998.