Tottenham Hotspur avoided a cup upset at White Hart Lane yesterday evening as the Lilywhites battled to a 2-0 victory, with the game having been goalless at the interval.

Aston Villa have been revitalised under Steve Bruce and Spurs had to have their wits about them to secure a victory, which they managed to do in the end although they will have been frustrated by the performances of certain players.

In the end though, Pochettino's side secured the win they would have wanted and will fancy their chances in the latter stages of the competition. Certainly ones to avoid, Spurs could potentially launch a charge for the trophy outright.

The victory wasn't as routine as it could have been but Spurs have their name in the hat nonetheless and we've cast an analytical eye back over the victory to identify five things we learned from the result.

Alli is crucial

In a fine scoring run in the Premier League, netting seven goals in his last four matches, Dele Alli had to settle for an opportunity off the bench against Aston Villa but he changed the game when he was introduced in the second-half.

After his introduction, Spurs suddenly looked like a side who had some ideas and he injected some much needed pace into the midfield. Though he didn't find the net, Alli had a performance to be proud of.

Janssen is struggling

Another game for Vincent Janssen without a goal from open play and the pressure is really starting to pile upon the £17m Dutch striker. Having arrived from Holland with a big reputation, Janssen looks lost at White Hart Lane and needs to improve.

Spurs' record with signing strikers is far from the best and Janssen is bring back unwelcome memories of Roberto Soldado, though so far he's actually managing to be worse than the Spaniard was in North London.

Route back for Agbonlahor

When Steve Bruce took over at Aston Villa, he handed a fresh start to Gabrial Agbonlahor; who had fallen out of favour with Roberto Di Matteo after making a number of mistakes and being involved in a few controversies.

On the field though, Agbonlahor put in a decent shift and showed the sort of performance to suggest that he could play a part in Villa's push for the play-offs in the second-half of the season.

Sissoko fails to shine

Another summer signing who has struggled, Moussa Sissoko failed to take his chances today and it looks to be £30m thrown down the drain. Eyebrows were raised when he was signed in the summer and the Frenchman has done nothing to suggest he'll be a success.

With Spurs performing well in the league, Sissoko has limited opportunities to make an impression and today was a rare chance for him. As the competition progresses, those openings could decrease and it's a big concern.

Spurs lacked momentum

Fresh from a superb win over Chelsea, a Tottenham Hotspur side with nine changes struggled to continue their momentum in the match- although it's hardly surprising given the number of changes Mauricio Pochettino made.

In the first-half, Spurs were really off the pace and the fringe players that featured need to step-up. That said, Ben Davies provided the opening goal and Harry Winks looked tidy in the midfield.