Spurs find their spark in second-half revival

VILLA GO UP IN SMOKE

- Mike Walters

ANGE POSTECOGLOU was right all along. If you want to grow a beautiful garden, you have got to handle some fertiliser.

After 45 minutes of pure compost, Tottenham served up a fragrant bed of roses, as two-goal Dominic Solanke denied lacklustre Aston Villa the chance to go third.

Unai Emery's side led at the break through Morgan Rogers, but it turns out they were only leading us up the garden path.

If your Bonfire Night pyre tomorrow is as soggy and unresponsive as Villa's collapse, it will have no spark, it will not catch fire and you will wonder why you bothered.

But Tottenham, who have closed to within two points of arch-rivals Arsenal, were in full bloom.