Spurs v Aston Villa : A fixture quirk with more than a nod to the great Martin Chivers sees FA Cup exit for Frank

History boys. The match programme cover today : Picture by @YTJourno

FA Cup Third Round

Tottenham Hotspur (0) 1 Odobert 54

Aston Villa (2) 2 Buendia 22, Rogers 48

Villa made off with the spoils, with the same 2-1 scoreline they achieved here in the league no so long - surviving a furious second-half Spurs fightback that was in stark contrast to the poverty of the hosts' first 45 minutes.

After an insipid display in which Unai Emery's men breezed into a 2-0 lead, Spurs rediscovered fire in the belly in much the same way as they had done in the recent defeat to Liverpool. But once again, for all the welcome signs of passion and desire, it was not enough to sustain their interest in this year's FA Cup.

This was a game bathed in the backdrop of pre-match nostalgia,

That League Cup Final win at Wembley in 71. In those yellow socks. That double in the Uefa Cup final at Molyneux. Martin Chivers images are seared in the memory banks for Spurs fans of a certain age - and for many from the YouTube generation.

The legendary Chivers, who died this week aged 80, was part of the furniture even in retirement - a man who bled blue and white. Tributes were paid to him ahead of kick-off along with another former Spurs man, Terry Yorath, thought the Welsh international's ties to Leeds were inevitably much stronger.

The double from Chivers that secured a 2-0 triumph at Wembley in that League Cup win came against Aston Villa, so it was perhaps fitting that they should be the ones Spurs were paired with in this week's FA Cup third round.

The match also gave the club an excuse to wear a special kit to mark the 125th anniversary of their first triumph in this grand old competition, when they were a Southern League outfit.

Villa were in no mood to play the fall guys though and they snapped into a deserved lead when Emi Buendia, released by Donyell Malen following a slick one-touch move - fired past Guglielmo Vicario.

The Italian was soon having to field a piledriver from Matty Cash as Villa sensed blood and more gloom was soon on the way for the beleaguered Thomas Frank when Richarlison pulled up chasing a ball with an apparent hamstring pull after less than half an hour.

"Thomas Frank, is an Arsenal fan!" teased the Villa fans - a reference to this week's unfortunate image of the Spurs boss drinking from a Gunners branded paper cup.

Richarlison's replacement, Randal Kolo Muani, dinked a nice finish but from an offside position as the hosts struggled to match Villa's greater slickness.

The game, in truth, looked only to be going one way and just before the break it was 2-0. Malen charged in from the right flanks and clever little backheel from Buendia gave Morgan Rogers all the space he needed to finish the job. Heavy boos greeted the half-time whistle.

Spurs needed a lifeline from somewhere. Xavi Simons nearly provided it but shot too close to the keeper but in the next moment , Kolo Muani fed Wilson Odobert for a shot into the far corner and suddenly it was game on, with the whole mood lifted in the stadium. Whatever was said in the dressing room at the break had the desired effect as belief in a comeback grew.

Joao Palhinha - playing a prominent role in the home side's show of greater intensity - forced Paul Torres into an important block. Pedro Porro got back to block a shot on the line. Everything about the Spurs approach looked better even if it was destined to fall short as Villa regrouped enough to keep Tottenham out.

There was the considerable boost of seeing Dom Solanke come on for his first action following his lengthy spell on the sidelines since August. His arrival off the bench in the 82nd minute got one of the loudest cheers of the evening, but he could not quite come up with a Chiversesque moment to save the day.

Spurs: (4-2-3-1) Vicario - Porro (Spence 83), Danso, van de Ven, Davies - Joao Palhinha, Gray - Odobert (Solanke 83), Simons, Tel (Scarlett 78) - Richarlison (Kolo Muani 31)

Villa: (4-2-3-1) Bizot - Cash (Garcia 78), Konsa, Torres, Maatsen (Digne 78) - Bogarde, Kamara (Tielemans 9) - McGinn (Sancho 64), Rogers, Buendia - Malen (Watkins 64)

Attendance: 57,718