LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has urged his men to stay calm and be consistent, after they clinched a vital 4-0 English Premier League win at Aston Villa on March 10 to keep up the chase for a top-four spot.

South Korean captain Son Heung-min once again played a crucial role, scoring a goal and providing two assists.

The result meant that Spurs are now just two points behind fourth-placed Villa (55), having played 27 matches, one less than Unai Emery’s men.

“I think we made it tough for Aston Villa, they worked hard just to contain us,” said Postecoglou.

“It was a big game with plenty of significance, so for us to perform like that was a big credit to everyone. We knew it was a big game, obviously everyone was talking it up as a game where it could lead to something significant. But I never saw it like that, there’s a good chunk of the season still to go.

“We just need to stay calm, play our football. We know every game is a challenge in the Premier League, especially a team like us who are trying to gain an identity.

“The next step for us is to maintain a consistency of quality performances.”

Top-three sides Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are battling it out for the title, and it seems likely that Tottenham will claim fourth place and a Champions League berth for next season.

It was all thanks to their second-half goal spree at a rain-soaked Villa Park that Postecoglou can now dream.

James Maddison put Spurs ahead in the 50th minute and Brennan Johnson doubled their lead three minutes later from a Son assist, before Villa captain John McGinn was sent off for chopping down Destiny Udogie.

Son and Timo Werner then struck in stoppage time, the latter from another Son assist.

Restoring Tottenham to Europe’s elite club competition in his first season in charge would be a significant achievement for Postecoglou and the target is now firmly in his control.

The Australian this week said reaching the Champions League would not be a “Willy Wonka golden ticket” for his club.

But the defeat left Villa feeling as sick as Augustus Gloop, the gluttonous boy who gets in trouble while visiting Wonka’s chocolate factory in Roald Dahl’s book.

Villa are hoping to reach the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83, but this was a major setback to their unexpected bid for a top-four finish.

In a game played at a frantic pace, Tottenham were unfazed even after losing defender Micky van de Ven to an injury after the interval, and snatched the lead when Maddison volleyed past Emiliano Martinez from five metres.

Villa were shell-shocked and there was worse to come when Son pounced on a loose ball, drove towards the Villa area and slipped a pass to Johnson, who fired high into the net.

Johnson’s goal also meant Tottenham had equalled their club record streak of scoring in 27 successive league games since the start of a season.

As a gloomy silence settled over Villa Park, McGinn’s frustration reached boiling point in the 65th minute.

Lunging into a reckless tackle on Udogie, he was immediately shown a red card.

With Villa in tatters, Son and Werner then made sure of the three points right at the end.

Spurs celebrated loudly when they returned to their dressing room, reported The Guardian.

“You hear the celebration because we have been working all week, we come here with a game plan and we come away with a convincing three points,” Maddison said.

“We knew there would be a lot on today’s game just because of the nature of the league table.

“The gaffer’s team talk (at half-time) was keep it the same, because the last 10 minutes (of the first half) they started to tire. I felt we were in control. The red card helps us have control of the game but before that we had a two-goal cushion and we blew them away in the second half.”

Emery, meanwhile, said his side were profligate and the dismissal also played a part in the loss. “After the red card, it was more difficult to get a result,” he said.

“We have to control our emotions, even when we are losing 2-0.

“We are still fourth in the table but of course, we have to accept the loss. Today we weren’t clinical and we weren’t better than the opponent. Then we lost control of our emotions and the red card was disappointing for me.” AFP