Aston Villa failed to extend their advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table on Sunday as they suffered a damaging 4-0 loss to Ange Postecoglou’s men in the race for Champions League football.
This means the north Londoners now trail Villa by just two points in the chase for fourth position in the table and the result could potentially swing the momentum back towards Spurs ahead of the final few weeks of the season.
Unai Emery will have to rally his team ahead of their Europa Conference League clash against Ajax on Thursday, but the Spaniard suffered a big blow during the Spurs clash.
What games John McGinn will miss through suspension
The Midlands side were trailing 2-0 when John McGinn took out Destiny Udogie in the 65th minute, earning a straight red card for his troubles. It was clear Villa had lost control of the match with his clumsy tackle summing proceedings up for Emery and Co.
Spurs went on to score twice in added time afterwards as they claimed a 4-0 win and the sending-off could not come at a worse time for the club.
The Scot will now miss crucial ties against West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City due to suspension.
Accurate passes
12/15
Total duels won
11/16
Key passes
3
Big chances created
0
Tackles
3
Via Sofascore
Add in the fact that Boubacar Kamara is out injured, it means Emery may have to rejig his midfield ahead of these clashes.
Could this pave the way for a young talent to make an impression, however?
Aston Villa's perfect John McGinn replacement
Tim Iroegbunam has featured recently and could be ready to step into the starting XI in place of McGinn.
The 20-year-old midfielder enjoyed a solid loan spell at QPR last season, appearing in 32 matches for the club, scoring twice in the process, and he returned to Villa last summer with every intention of breaking into the first-team squad.
So far, he has played seven times, but this may increase due to McGinn’s suspension, and he is certainly more than ready.
His manager during his loan spell in London, Gareth Ainsworth, praised the youngster, saying: "He is a player to keep your eye on. There are certain things that, I believe, if he can add them to his game he will be a top-class player – he glides past people and can finish with both feet.”
In the Championship last season, Iroegbunam made two tackles per game, won 50% of his ground duels – 4.2 per match – and averaged 0.6 key passes each appearance on average, proving he was more than up to the task of shining in the second tier.
He started against Ajax last week in continental action and completed 88% of his attempted passes, lost possession just five times and succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts, clearly showcasing his talents against the Dutch giants.
This performance should stand him in good stead should he be called upon in the coming weeks, and if Villa make it through to the quarter-finals, the youngster could have a big part to play.
Emery may need to rotate his squad heavily, whether this will come at a cost remains to be seen as they chase continental glory.