Tuesday, 22 October 2013 00:01
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REUTERS: Andros Townsend prospered in the glare of the spotlight as he netted his first Premier League goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday to continue what he called the best few weeks of his life.
The 22-year-old, who signed a four-year deal with Spurs on Friday having scored on his England debut the previous week before finding himself at the centre of a racism furore, put his side ahead in the 31st minute with a cross that found the net.
Roberto Soldado doubled the advantage on 69 minutes after a sublime touch from Paulinho set up the Spanish forward for a neat finish.
The match was marred just after Townsend’s opener when a linesman was hit in the back by a smoke bomb thrown from the crowd at Villa Park. He was able to continue but a blue mist lingered and police later said they had arrested two people.
Victory lifted Spurs to fifth in the standings with 16 points from eight games, level with fourth-placed Manchester City. Arsenal are top on 19 with Chelsea and Liverpool two points behind. Champions Manchester United are eighth on 11.
“It’s been one of the best few weeks of my life,” Townsend told Sky Sports. “I’m not going to take credit for it (the goal), it was a cross but I’ve been unlucky in the past so I’ll take that and it set us on our way to a great three points.”
Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas was pleased with the way his side had survived a tricky opening spell where Villa had played some long balls forward and also reserved some praise for man-of-the-moment Townsend.
