( CNN ) -- Tottenham moved up to third in the English Premier League as Emmanuel Adebayor helped welcome manager Harry Redknapp back to the dugout with both goals in Monday 's 2-0 win against Aston Villa . Redknapp had minor heart surgery three weeks ago , but returned earlier than expected to see his side edge above London rivals Chelsea and Newcastle on goal difference . Tottenham now trail Manchester United by four points and Manchester City by nine , with a game in hand on both teams . The victory extended Spurs ' unbeaten league run to nine matches following two early defeats to the Manchester sides -- the club 's best showing in the opening 11 games since the 1967-68 season . `` I enjoyed the way we played tonight , I think the fans enjoyed it as well -- they 've seen lots of great teams over the years and they 're enjoying the way this team 's playing , '' Redknapp said . `` It 's great to be back tonight - I would n't want to watch it at home again , that was nerve-wracking . '' Adebayor 's brace at White Hart Lane represented his first goals for Spurs since a double against Liverpool in his second league appearance for the club on September 18 . Rafael van der Vaart had netted in five successive games after that before missing the win over Fulham , and the Dutchman 's return from a hamstring injury gave Tottenham too much potency for a Villa side which included former Spurs fullback Alan Hutton in right midfield to combat the threat of Gareth Bale . But manager Alex McLeish 's ploy failed to pay off as Welsh winger Bale caused constant problems , and it was from his scuffed shot after Villa failed to clear a corner that Adebayor acrobatically hooked home the 13th-minute opener . The on-loan Manchester City forward , who made his international return for Togo last week , doubled the lead five minutes before the break when he forced in from close range after Villa defender James Collins failed to cut out Bale 's teasing near-post cross . Adebayor should have completed a hat-trick in the second half but Spurs could not convert their continued dominance into more goals . Redknapp was able to bring off Van der Vaart with 20 minutes to play , allowing striker Jermain Defoe a chance to impress ahead of Saturday 's trip to West Bromwich Albion . Villa stayed eighth on 15 points after 12 games , but have yet to win away in the league this season after four draws and two defeats . Meanwhile , Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas earlier insisted that his job is safe despite Sunday 's 2-1 defeat by Liverpool , the club 's third in four league games . The 33-year-old former Porto coach said his relationship with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich was still good . `` He did n't pay 15 million euros ( $ 20 million ) to get me out of Porto and another fortune to get me out of Chelsea , '' he said . `` It is not a question of the owner having patience . I have said we have set out to build something new at this club and the club is committed to what we are building for the future . '' Malaga moved up to fifth in Spain with a 3-1 victory away to struggling Racing Santander on Monday . Santander dropped to the bottom on goal difference below Real Sociedad and Granada , whose match against Mallorca on Sunday was called off when a linesman was hit by an object thrown from the crowd . Visiting Malaga broke the deadlock three minutes after halftime through teenage midfielder Isco , and a 66th-minute own-goal by Alvaro Gonzalez doubled the lead . Manuel Arana gave Santander hope four minutes later , but veteran Dutch substitute Ruud van Nistelrooy set up Uruguayan forward Seba Fernandez for a late volley .
Emmanuel Adebayor scores both goals in Tottenham 's 2-0 win over Aston Villa . Manager Harry Redknapp returns to the dugout following minor heart surgery . Home win lifts Tottenham above Chelsea and Newcastle into third place on goal difference . Malaga up to fifth in Spain 's La Liga with 3-1 win at bottom club Racing Santander .