Aston Villa Claim First Win as Spurs Slide into Trouble

Aston Villa walked into north London under pressure and walked out with their first Premier League win of the season – and a fanbase chanting for the home manager’s head.

Unai Emery’s side beat Tottenham 3-2 in a wild, chaotic game that said far more about Spurs’ fragility than Villa’s early-season rust. Roberto De Zerbi’s team, rebuilt at a cost of around £300million, are still without a league win and will spend the international break in the relegation zone. The boos at full-time were loud. The chants from the away end were louder.

Fast start, same old collapse

Tottenham actually began like a side ready to turn a corner.

Sandro Tonali dictated from the left, Savio buzzed around Villa’s box, and new goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was immediately dragged into the contest. Savio’s first-time strike was blocked, his thumping follow-up beaten away. When Pedro Porro limped off with an ankle injury, it briefly checked Spurs’ tempo, but only briefly.

Archie Gray arrived from the bench and almost scored with his first meaningful touch, racing onto Savio’s through ball and squeezing a low shot off the inside of Suzuki’s legs. From the resulting set-piece, Savio met the ball with a crisp volley. Again, Suzuki flung himself across goal to claw it away.

Spurs were on the front foot. The crowd sensed it. Villa, though, survived.

At the other end, Antonin Kinsky had to stand tall to repel Emi Buendia’s fierce drive, while Nicolas Jackson spun away from Jan Paul van Hecke and dragged a shot wide. Tottenham pushed again: Tonali’s long-range effort deflected past the post, penalty appeals for a Dominic Solanke header against Johan Manzambi were waved away. A goalless half seemed inevitable.

Then came the punch in the gut.

Manzambi strikes with Van de Ven down

With first-half stoppage time ticking away, Spurs captain Micky van de Ven was off the pitch receiving treatment after taking a blow to the face from Tyrone Mings. Tottenham were reorganising, arguing, appealing. Villa were ruthless.

Andy Robertson tried to prevent a corner and only succeeded in keeping the ball in play for John McGinn. The midfielder worked it to Boubacar Kamara, whose low cross found Manzambi free in the box. He tapped in. Simple. Brutal. Spurs, again, undone at the worst possible moment.

De Zerbi headed down the tunnel to a mixture of frustration and disbelief from the stands. The pattern, though, was becoming familiar.

Spurs lose the midfield, Villa take control

Mohammed Kudus replaced Mateus Fernandes at half-time, a clear attempt from De Zerbi to inject more incision and goal threat. Instead, the change tilted the balance of the game towards Villa.

With Spurs’ structure loosened, the visitors began to dominate the middle of the pitch. Jackson twice had chances to stretch the lead, one smothered by a brave block from Kinsky, another wasted.

Then, for a moment, Tottenham thought the drought was finally over. On the hour, Tonali slid Robertson into space and his cross was turned in by Kudus. The stadium erupted. Relief, at last.

VAR killed it. Offside. The wait for a league goal went on.

De Zerbi turned to James Maddison to steady things and bring control. Instead, Villa struck again within seconds.

A hopeful long ball should have been routine. Van Hecke failed to deal with it cleanly, Jackson rolled Van de Ven with a sharp turn and drilled a precise finish into the bottom corner. From a tight, nervy contest, Villa suddenly had daylight.

Buendia brilliance, late flurry, rising anger

If there was any doubt about the result, Buendia removed it with a moment of pure quality.

With 11 minutes left, the Argentine collected the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashed a stunning strike that ripped into the net. Kinsky had no chance. The away end exploded, serenading De Zerbi with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.

Only then did Spurs finally end their league goal drought.

Kudus, one of the few home players to inject urgency, squared for Conor Gallagher, who poked in from close range on 87 minutes. Van Hecke then rose highest in stoppage time to head in from a Robertson free-kick, trimming Villa’s lead to one.

The comeback, though, never truly felt on. The goals were consolation, not salvation. The final whistle brought a wall of noise – not in celebration, but in fury and exasperation.

Tottenham have now won just three of their last 25 Premier League home games. For a club that spent the summer ripping up and rebuilding under a high-profile coach, that statistic hangs heavy. The money has been spent. The patience is running out.

The question now is whether the hierarchy will hold their nerve, or whether those chants from the away end are an early echo of what’s coming next in north London.