Tottenham Hotspur‘s miserable start to the season continued with a 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Lilywhites dominated the opening exchanges and were thwarted by several excellent saves by visiting goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
However, it was Unai Emery’s men who snatched the lead right on half-time, with Johan Manzambi applying the finishing touch as Villa pounced on a defensive mistake from Andy Robertson.
Spurs thought they’d equalised on the hour mark through Mohammed Kudus, only for VAR to spot Robertson in an offside position in the build-up. Just seven minutes later, Manzambi turned provider for Nicolas Jackson, who settled the tie with a superb piece of skill and finish.
Further salt was rubbed into the Tottenham wounds as Emiliano Buendia dispatched a stunning effort into Antonin Kinsky’s top-right corner in the 79th minute.
There was time for Conor Gallagher to score a late consolation for Tottenham’s first goal of the 2026/27 Premier League season, but the game was long out of reach by then, and the subdued reaction from the crowd reflected that fact. Jan Paul van Hecke threatened to make things interesting, but his header proved to be the final action of the match.
Spurs finally score but misery continues
Is it fair to now label Tottenham Hotspur as being in a crisis? That’s five games and zero wins to start the season, and they were perilously close to going five league games without a goal for the first time since 1986.
The first half really felt like the time they would score if they were going to manage it on Saturday — at least in a meaningful sense. Tottenham heaped considerable pressure on the Villa penalty area, with Savio, in particular, causing problems down the right and Robertson providing width on the opposite side.
However, Spurs ran into a goalkeeper inspired, with Suzuki pulling off save after eye-catching save to keep the beleaguered hosts out. The Japan international denied Savio three times in the opening 21 minutes, while he just managed to get a foot to Archie Gray’s powerful low effort when he looked to have been beaten.
Zion Suzuki stats vs Tottenham
- Saves: 5
- Saves inside the box: 3
- High claims: 4
- Punches: 3
- Recoveries: 12
There was palpable relief when Kudus finally found the net in the second half, and just for a moment, a huge weight seemed to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That relief didn’t last long, with VAR flagging Robertson offside.
That was the moment the game seemed to slip away from Spurs, with the intensity dropping and a feeling around the stadium that, once again, it just wasn’t going to happen. The life was sucked out of the hosts completely when Jackson doubled Villa’s lead.
Aston Villa haven’t had the best of starts themselves, but they’re now off the mark. Meanwhile, the first hints of pressure are starting to mount on Michael Carrick at Manchester United.
However, Roberto De Zerbi is heading to a whole different level of trouble in North London.
The Aston Villa supporters in the corner sang a chorus of “sacked in the morning” for the Italian towards the end of the game. While that may be a little premature, De Zerbi needs to get a tune out of Omar Marmoush, Savio, Sandro Tonali and the rest of his unbelievably expensively assembled squad, and he needs to do it immediately.
Joao Gomes the engine behind eye-catching Aston Villa win
There was so much to like about Aston Villa on Saturday, and any performance that yields three goals away from home is going to draw focus to their attack.
However, to get to the heart of what Emery’s side did well in the capital, Joao Gomes is the first man who should be put into the spotlight.
Returning from injury to make just his second Premier League appearance since his summer arrival from Wolves, Gomes was an all-action hub in midfield for Villa, controlling the game with the ball and causing havoc without it.
The Brazilian made five tackles, three interceptions, three recoveries, one block and one clearance to deny this gold-plated Tottenham midfield any kind of momentum. He was also front and centre of the Villa press, covering 11.5km during the course of the match — the second-highest of any player overall.
With the ball, Gomes oozed calm and class, completing all but two of his 25 passes and creating one chance, while succeeding with two of his four dribbles, playing seven line-breaking passes and four passes into the final third.
Buendia’s goal was the cherry on top, while Jackson and Manzambi will grab the headlines after scoring their first league goals for the club, and Suzuki deserves praise for his first-half heroics. However, Joao Gomes may be the first Villa player to get a pat on the back from Emery this afternoon.