Tottenham Hotspur's winless start to the Premier League season continued with a damaging 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa. The loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium leaves the club in 17th place with just two points from their opening four matches, deep in the relegation zone and ten points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Villa took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Johan Manzambi's first goal for the club. Nicolas Jackson doubled the advantage in the 67th minute, beating Micky Van de Ven in a duel before finishing. Emi Buendia seemingly sealed the points with a stunning 25-yard strike in the 79th minute, prompting a number of home supporters to head for the exits.
Spurs, who had failed to score in their previous four league games, finally found the net late on. Conor Gallagher ended the drought with an 86th-minute finish, before Jan Paul van Hecke headed in a second in the eighth minute of added time. The frantic finish could not salvage a point, extending a grim record: Spurs have now failed to win any of their last 48 matches across all competitions after conceding the first goal.
Injuries and setbacks
The afternoon was further soured by injuries to key players. Pedro Porro limped off with a groin problem in the first half, while Micky Van de Ven required treatment for a facial injury following a challenge from Tyrone Mings. Their status adds to a significant injury list that already includes Richarlison, Mykhailo Mudryk and Xavi Simons. The team also had a goal disallowed by VAR in the 58th minute when Mohammed Kudus was ruled offside.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi is under intense scrutiny heading into the international break. He had spoken glowingly about Gallagher in his pre-match press conference. "De Zerbi extolled his love for Gallagher in Friday's pre-match news conference," he said. The midfielder's goal, alongside Van Hecke's, means those two are the only Tottenham players to have scored against Premier League opposition so far this season, despite a summer outlay exceeding £350 million.
The scale of the challenge is clear in the standings, where Spurs sit just above the bottom three. Their recent form shows no wins in the last five outings. The next test is a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on 10 October.
Read the full report at Sky Sports Football
