Ramsey quick off the mark to deepen Tottenham's troubles

Newsflash: the Tottenham diehards who travelled to Villa Park are rather keen for Daniel Levy to sell up and leave their club. The refrain against the chairman pounded throughout this FA Cup tie. What they would also like is something more from their team.

- David Hytner

When Spurs previously faced Aston Villa, they beat them 4-1 at home in early November and it has been pretty much downhill since, just seven wins in all competitions, a slide from seventh to 14th in the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou can now reflect on another route to silverware being blocked off, three days after the Carabao Cup semi-final exit at Liverpool.

His numerous injured players (11 at present) cannot come back soon enough but what is left of the season? Spurs can say that they fought until the end. There was a goal for the new arrival, Mathys Tel, in stoppage time, which hinted at a ludicrous comeback but it was just an illusion. Aston Villa were far superior, more cohesive, pleasingly hard-running and they can look forward to a first fifth-round tie in 10 years thanks to goals from Jacob Ramsey and the outstanding Morgan Rogers. The only issue for Unai Emery was the profligacy of his team. They could have won by a fistful.

Spurs could not have started any worse. The first "Levy out" chants could be heard in the second minute and by then, the visitors were one goal down. Villa opened with a spring in their step, the vibe inside the stadium upbeat, partly as everybody revelled in the high-profile loan signing of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.