The Independent report

Last updated : 02 May 2005 By Alistair Murray

Conrad Leach can hardly bare the result…Timing, they say, is everything, and with virtually the last kick of this demonstrably one-sided game, Stephen Kelly scored Tottenham's fifth goal to lift the north Londoners into the last Uefa Cup place.

That strike, from Sean Davis's extravagant overhead flick, was the final blow against an Aston Villa side that had long been reduced to a shambles in their worst defeat of the season.

Yet Villa could have been two ahead within the first five minutes but were denied, when Erik Edman closed in on Mark Delaney, with Steven Davis having already missed a presentable chance.

With the penalty not given, Paul Robinson launched a clearance downfield that Fredi Kanouté ran on to, and via goalkeeper and post, found the net. That showed the visitors' weakness in defence and they came unstuck again when they failed to clear a corner, Andy Reid struck the post and Ledley King tucked away the rebound.

With less than half an hour gone, Kanouté had his second. Another corner came in that Villa failed to deal with and although Robbie Keane was fouled, the referee played advantage and Kanouté finished well.

Having been denied one penalty, Villa were generously given one on the stroke of half-time, when Michael Dawson used his hands to protect his face from a fearsome Juan Pablo Angel shot. Gareth Barry made no mistake.

But any dreams of a point vanished when Reid unleashed a 25-yard shot into the top corner for his first goal for the club before Kelly rounded off the rout.