Tottenham’s miserable beginning to the campaign grew even bleaker on Saturday, as Aston Villa fought off a spirited late comeback to secure their maiden league triumph of 2026/27.
The home crowd jeered their team off the pitch, and despite spending more than £300 million on fresh talent over the summer, Spurs now look like a side unraveling. The loss confirms this has become their poorest opening to a Premier League season, surpassing even the troubled 2008/09 campaign.
Villa’s revival was built on strikes from Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emiliano Buendia. Conor Gallagher’s stoppage time finish and a headed effort from Jan Paul van Hecke, arriving in the dying seconds, proved to be nothing more than consolation.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men could feel aggrieved about certain turning points. Captain Micky van de Ven was receiving medical attention off the field when Villa’s costly summer arrival Manzambi nudged home the opening goal against the flow of play. Later, technology also ruled correctly against the hosts, as Andy Robertson was adjudged narrowly offside before Mohammed Kudus poked the ball home from point blank range.
Buoyed by that reprieve, Villa pushed forward and wrapped up victory with real flair. Jackson, a constant menace all afternoon, curled a brilliant strike into the bottom corner after Van Hecke backed off him, while Buendia added an equally stunning effort from distance into the same spot.
Combined with a standout display from visiting shot stopper Zion Suzuki in the opening half, those moments handed Villa a thoroughly deserved result, lifting them clear of the relegation zone and up to fifteenth. Spurs, meanwhile, drop to nineteenth as their troubled campaign shows little sign of easing.
