Tottenham Hotspur climbed up to fifth place in the Premier League table on Sunday thanks to a 2-0 win at Aston Villa.

The visitors took the lead on 30 minutes as Andros Townsend's cross evaded everyone before going in at the back post.

The victory was then sealed with 69 minutes on the clock when Roberto Soldado scored his first goal from open play for Spurs.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the teams.

Match statistics:

Aston Villa:
Shots 15
On target 2
Possession 37%
Corners 4
Fouls 13

Spurs:
Shots 13
On target 6
Possession 63%
Corners 7
Fouls 12

Was the result fair?

Both teams had plenty of chances in front of goal, but it was Spurs who ultimately had that extra bit of class when it mattered. The visitors remained patient against a determined Villa side and were duly rewarded with the points.

Aston Villa's performance

The hosts caused their opponents the occasional problem during the first half, but it was only when Christian Benteke came off the bench with 30 minutes left that Villa really came to life. The Belgian gave his team a much-needed boost, though it was not to be in the end. That said, manager Paul Lambert is likely to take plenty of positive from his side's display as they battled hard and showed their usual abundance of energy.

Spurs's performance

Despite struggling early on, the visitors eventually took control of the match and rightly picked up the win. They did well to deal with a slippery Villa attack, while the midfield possessed a perfect blend of muscle and guile. It was not always happening for them in the final third, but they kept going and refused to get frustrated. Overall, manager Andre Villas-Boas should be a pleased man as this could well have been a potential upset.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Andros Townsend: The Spurs winger was the most dynamic player on the pitch as he carried on his recent form with England by running at the opposition and showing no fear in attack. His directness is a breath of fresh air in an age of death by passing.

Biggest gaffe

There was no single moment of horror during the match, but Villa's collective shooting was often woeful. They only managed two shots on target for the whole match, while a whopping 13 went high and wide.

Referee performance

Phil Dowd was forced to get his yellow card out a number of times as the game often became scrappy, but the official was his usual authoritative self out in the middle. He also did well to deal with the incident which saw one of his linesmen hit with a smoke bomb, stopping play momentarily before carrying on with little fuss.

What next?

Aston Villa: The Villans return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Everton.

Spurs: Tottenham continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday with a trip to Moldova to face Sheriff Tiraspol.