‘We have to accept that’; Gerrard points finger of blame after ‘tough’ Villa defeat

Steven Gerrard felt Aston Villa did not deserve to lose 4-0 to Tottenham on Saturday but accepts that the buck stops with him.

Villa had lost three consecutive top-flight games and five of eight ahead of the Villa Park contest. And they failed to add to their tally of 36 points as Son Heung-Min bagged a superb hat-trick. The South Korea ace gave the visitors a third-minute lead.

He then struck twice after the break following Dejan Kulusevski’s 50th-minute effort. But it was the hosts who dominated the first period, with Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris making several saves.

Gerrard was perplexed as to how the opposition won so easily. And, with a worrying sequence of results, the former England star refused to shirk his responsibilities.

“It’s tough – the scoreline is harsh on us, but it’s the reality and we have to accept that. I have to accept it – I’m responsible,” he told BBC Sport. “The story of the game certainly wasn’t a 4-0 game.

“It’s the first time in football I’ve gone off at half-time 1-0 down and been really happy and proud, we were magnificent, we didn’t take our chances but at half-time I said if we can continue this I have no doubt we get back into the game.

“The second half it flipped, Spurs’ quality players made it about our backline and they punished us really heavily.”

Aston Villa sit 12th in the Premier League table, with 11 wins under their belt this term. They have drawn only three of their 31 outings, with 17 defeats to their name.

It has been a tough season for the West Midlanders, with Dean Smith sacked after losing five straight games earlier in 2021-2022. Gerrard is just one loss away from equalling that record but there is no sense that he will suffer the same fate as his predecessor.

And the former