LONDON — Aston Villa secured their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, leaving Roberto De Zerbi's expensively assembled Spurs winless and in the relegation zone heading into the international break. The defeat gives Tottenham their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign with just two points and a goal difference of minus six, eclipsing the two points and minus three from 2008-09.
Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia scored for Villa to build a 3-0 lead before late consolation goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke pulled Spurs within one. Both clubs had made slow starts after summer rebuilds, with Spurs failing to score in four league fixtures before Gallagher finally netted their first goal of the season.
Tottenham started brightly and forced Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki into four saves inside the first 20 minutes, but Villa hit with a sucker punch while Spurs captain Micky Van de Ven was off the pitch after taking a whack to the face from Tyrone Mings, with Manzambi firing in the opener. Spurs thought the drought was over on the hour mark when Sandro Tonali played in Andy Robertson for Mohammed Kudus to poke in his cross, but VAR ruled the effort offside, and Jackson then made it 2-0 by finding the bottom corner.
Buendia made the victory safe with a wonderful effort from 25 yards to make it 3-0, a strike that sparked 'you're getting sacked in the morning' chants from the away faithful. Gallagher pulled one back late for Spurs before Van Hecke added a header, but it was too little too late.
Spurs head into the extended break in the relegation zone and have now won only five of their last 36 matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Villa claimed their first three points of the campaign to lift themselves off the bottom.