head into the international break without a Premier League win after left north London with a 3-2 victory and their first three points of the season. Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuilt side finally scored in the league, but two late goals were only a consolation. Boos followed the final whistle as Spurs slipped into the relegation zone after five games.
Villa’s first win of 2026-27 arrived through Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia. Conor Gallagher ended Tottenham’s four-match league scoring drought, and Jan Paul van Hecke headed another in stoppage time. It was too late. Notably, Spurs have won only five of their last 36 matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The opening period followed a familiar Tottenham Hotspur pattern: plenty of the ball, little threat. Roberto De Zerbi’s side had gone into the fixture still looking for a first league goal after 0-0 draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton. Aston Villa, also rebuilt over the summer, sat deep and waited.
The breakthrough came in first-half added time. Captain Micky van de Ven was off the pitch receiving treatment when Boubacar Kamara’s cross was tapped in by Manzambi. It was Villa’s second goal of the campaign and a cruel way for Spurs to concede.
The second half got worse. Nicolas Jackson, who has now scored five times against Tottenham Hotspur, exchanged passes with Manzambi, rolled Van de Ven and finished low past Antonin Kinsky in the 67th minute. Twelve minutes later John McGinn teed up Emi Buendia, who whipped a long-range shot into the top corner to make it 3-0. Home fans headed for the exits.
De Zerbi had said before kick-off that Villa “have one of the best coaches in the world” and that his own players “have to understand the intensity of the Premier League.” After midweek’s Carabao Cup loss at Liverpool he had talked about finding “the click,” adding: “I don’t know if the click is Saturday or not, but we have to find, in Italian La Scintilla (the spark) because we have the qualities enough to score many goals with these players.” Saturday never produced that spark.
Mohammed Kudus set up Gallagher for a close-range finish in the 86th minute, Tottenham’s first goal of the season. then whipped in a free-kick, and Van Hecke headed it in at 90+8. The scoreboard read 3-2, but the result was already settled.
Both clubs spent heavily and started slowly. Tottenham’s expensive attack, including Dominic Solanke, Omar Marmoush, and Savio, created volume without a finish until the last ten minutes. Villa were more clinical with less of the ball.
De Zerbi now has three weeks to work with players who stay behind while others go on international duty. The heat on the Italian will not ease. A first league win was supposed to arrive at home against another struggling side. Instead, Villa leave with the points, and Tottenham drop into the relegation zone.
