As the world slowly emerges from its Thanksgiving and international break tryptophan-induced stupor, it’s important to remember that a) Tottenham Hotspur plays Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon and b) Spurs have a lengthy injury list. The north London club have lost James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to injuries, and Cristian Romero is serving the final game of his three-match ban. Add Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and Ash Phillips; the picture isn’t beautiful.

The early-season pacesetters now face a real test of their credentials with Manchester City next weekend. That game could have severe consequences for their title chances, but the injury to Bentancur will not help.

Rodrigo Bentancur became the latest name to join Spurs’ lengthy injury list as he was forced off in the first half of their 2-1 Premier League defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday. The Uruguay midfielder only recently returned from an eight-month lay-off because of a severe knee injury and was making his first start for the club since February. He looked lively and impressive as he helped to create a flurry of opportunities for his team-mates in the opening 20 minutes.

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But things turned for the worse in the 26th minute when he was crunched in a poor-looking Matty Cash tackle and had to be replaced by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. He had been a vital part of an entertaining Tottenham side creating a wealth of openings.

After a helter-skelter first half, Spurs took the lead through Giovani Lo Celso after a superb volley that took a deflection off Diego Carlos to fly into the bottom corner of the goal. Son Heung-min had a chance to make it 2-0 shortly afterward, but his effort was ruled offside.

A late Aston Villa equalizer ensured that Tottenham went into the break trailing, but they were looking more dangerous with every passing second. And the hosts were rewarded with just three minutes of added time when Van der Vaart hammered home a low strike from close range.

The defeat at Villa Park has thrown some serious doubt over the season for Spurs, but it’s worth keeping in mind that this club has an exceptional track record of dealing with serious injuries. They hope to do the same against Manchester City next weekend when they can call on a full-strength squad.