Rafael van der Vaart cemented his status as Tottenham's new talisman
as they came from behind to beat Aston Villa in the Premier League
and once again avoid a European hangover.
• Redknapp hails new star
Van der Vaart scored twice to take his tally to four goals in three
appearances at White Hart Lane, his £8 million signing looking
more of a bargain by the day.
Not for the first time after a Champions League match this season,
Spurs paid for a slow first half and Marc Albrighton's first Villa
goal almost handed the visitors a half-time lead but Van der Vaart
levelled deep into stoppage time before rifling home a 75th-minute
winner to end Gerard Houllier's winning start as Villa boss.
It was a virtuoso performance by the transfer-deadline-day capture
from Real Madrid following his Jekyll-and-Hyde display against FC
Twente in midweek, demonstrating just how much he will be missed
for this month's trip to Inter Milan.
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