Photo via Sky Sports

Winless Spurs in relegation zone after Villa claim first victory

Aston Villa collected their maiden victory of the campaign by overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in north London. Following an opening 20 minutes in which Spurs forced Zion Suzuki to make four stops, Johan Manzambi struck while home skipper Micky Van de Ven was sidelined following a blow to the face from Tyrone Mings.

A potential Tottenham equaliser vanished when Sandro Tonali found Andy Robertson to set up Mohammed Kudus, only for VAR to disallow the effort for offside. Nicolas Jackson then doubled Villa's advantage before Emi Buendia delivered a stunning 25-yard strike.

Late tallies from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke proved insufficient for Roberto De Zerbi's side, drawing jeers and dismissive chants from the visiting supporters.

The defeat drops winless Tottenham into the bottom three, marking their poorest opening five fixtures in Premier League history with just two points and a -6 goal difference. Spurs have dropped 22 home league contests since the beginning of the 2024-25 calendar, alongside winning only five of their previous 36 outings on their own pitch.

The north London outfit has also failed to triumph in 48 consecutive matches across all competitions whenever conceding first, including 37 in league action. Pundit Michael Dawson highlighted the mounting pressure on the club following two successive 17th-place finishes, noting that the squad must now endure a three-week hiatus before their next fixture.