Game #4593
Wednesday, 29 December 1999
Attendance: 39,217
Drew
Premier League
12th (-)
Tottenham Hotspur
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨
Villa Park
Ian Taylor scores for the fourth successive game as Villa extend their unbeaten Premier League run to three games but are held at home by Tottenham. Meanwhile, future Villa boss Tim Sherwood once again scored against Villa.
Aston Villa
1-1
Tottenham Hotspur
Assist(s) | Paul Merson | 75’ |
KEY MAN
Ian Taylor, scored for the third successive top flight game, Wednesday, 29 December 1999.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🥅 | 44’ Goal, 0-1, (Tottenham Hotspur), Tim Sherwood
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
🔁 | 66’ Sub off, Benito Carbone, Sub on, Darius Vassell
🔁 | 74’ Sub off, Alan Wright, Sub on, Steve Stone
⚽ | 75’ Goal, 1-1, Ian Taylor, Assist by Paul Merson
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
🟨 | Booking, Ian Taylor
ON THIS DAY
Ian Taylor scores for the fourth successive game as Villa extend their unbeaten Premier League run to three games but are held at home by Tottenham. Meanwhile, future Villa boss Tim Sherwood once again scored against Villa.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Tottenham Hotspur
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
UEFA Cup / Europa League: 🏆🏆
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1998-99
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. Spurs: 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1999-00 |
Matchday | #26 |
League Game | #20 |
Manager Game | #83 |
Wednesday, 29 December 1999
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: John Gregory | 🏴 | Scunthorpe, 1998-2002
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004
Kick off: 7.45pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
FT Score: 🟨 1-1
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004
Previous 5: 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥
Last Match: 🟥 22 November 1999, Villa 1-2 Coventry, Highfield Road.
Cards: 🟨 🟨
CARDS
Villa
🟨
Tottenham Hotspur
🟨
TEAM NEWS
Villa name an unchanged line up.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.29 |
Oldest Player |
M Paul Merson | 🏴 | 31.80 |
Youngest Player |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 18.86 |
MANAGER
John Gregory | 🏴 |
MANAGER
George Graham (ex) | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK David James | 🏴 |
RB Steve Watson | 🏴 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 |
M Paul Merson | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M George Boateng | 🇳🇱 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
F Benito Carbone | 🇮🇹 | 🔁 |
F Julian Joachim | 🏴 |
Tottenham Hotspur
GK Ian Walker | 🏴 |
LB Mauricio Taricco | 🇦🇷 |
CB Chris Perry | 🏴 |
CB Sol Campbell | 🏴 |
RB Stephen Carr | 🇮🇪 |
M Tim Sherwood | 🏴 | ⚽ |
M Stephen Clemence | 🏴 |
M Allan Nielsen | 🇩🇰 | 🔁 |
W David Ginola | 🇫🇷 |
F Steffen Iversen | 🇳🇴 | 🟨 |
CF Chris Armstrong | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CF Darius Vassell | 🏴 | for F Benito Carbone | 🇮🇹 | 66’ |
🔁 | M Steve Stone | 🏴 | for LB Alan Wright | 🏴 | 74’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Allan Nielsen | 🇩🇰 | (RB Luke Young | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Neil Cutler | 🏴 |
CB Colin Calderwood | 🏴 |
M Mark Draper | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Espen Baardsen | 🇳🇴 |
CB Ramon Vega | 🇨🇭 |
M Mark Gower | 🏴 |
W José Dominguez | 🇵🇹 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 14/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"It was a dejected Villa who trooped away to the dressing-room. How could they dominate so much of the game and then fall behind to Tottenham’s first effort of note?"
*The Guardian*
Thursday, 30 December 1999
*Taylor draws Sherwood’s vicious sting*
Aston Villa have more reason than most to usher in the new year, eager to see the back of 1999 which they entered as Premiership leaders and depart from still striving to prove they are not a club in crisis. Last night they deservedly fought back from Tim Sherwood’s thunderous goal to earn a point.
Villa had not lost here to Tottenham in the Premier League, and so inspired had Ian Walker been in the first half it seemed that record would fall. Then, with 15 minutes remaining, Paul Merson fed Ian Taylor and reward was at hand.
For both these sides the additional day’s rest was probably an inconvenience; each had won decisively on Boxing Day and were doubtless eager to put that confidence to good use as quickly as possible. A near capacity crowd added to the feeling in the Midlands that Villa’s fortunes were on the turn.
Gregory’s team gave substance to that belief by imposing themselves on Spurs from the start, running keenly in all areas of the field, bringing urgency to their play and gaining encouragement from the early signs that Merson and Benito Carbone were on top of their game.
Julian Joachim was another discomforting presence for the Spurs defence. John Gregory’s reminder that he was without a Premiership strike since September and had to start delivering drew a positive response, and his manager would have been pleased to see him beat Sol Campbell to a ball Alan Wright had floated across.
Walker touched the header over but the moment was symbolic of Villa’s drive and determination. Joachim’s spin and dash along the 18-yard line then led to a shot that rose above the angle.
In the 17th minute Villa’s enterprise ought to have put them ahead. An incisive move involving Steve Watson and Merson brought Joachim surging into the area where Walker was required to parry. Taylor was on hand to force the ball home had Stephen Carr not intervened.
The Irishman was well placed again soon afterwards as Carbone led another charge that Watson continued. Spurs were living dangerously at the back and losing the battle in midfield, where Taylor and George Boateng were covering much ground and giving support to Watson when David Ginola had possession.
There was another let-off for the visitors when Taylor met Merson’s free-kick at the far post and nodded across goal where a similar thrust of Joachim’s forehead would surely have taken the ball over the line. This time Walker swooped low to his right to push it away with breathtaking agility.
It was somewhat against the run of play therefore when Spurs seized the advantage. David James had not been obliged to make a save up to then; now, with seconds remaining of the first half, he was retrieving the ball from his net after Sherwood, ignoring the options to his right, suddenly let fly from 30 yards, leaving the goalkeeper groping as he found the top corner in thrilling style.
It was a dejected Villa who trooped away to the dressing-room. How could they dominate so much of the game and then fall behind to Tottenham’s first effort of note?
Their task would have steepened considerably had James not been at his best in twice denying Steffen Iversen, firstly when the bustling striker was allowed to turn just inside the area and again when Ginola’s delivery from the left put the ball on Iversen’s head.