Tottenham Hotspur's difficult start to the Premier League season continued on Saturday as Aston Villa secured a 3-2 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving Roberto De Zerbi's side in the relegation zone heading into the international break.
Spurs had entered the match without a league win and had failed to score in their opening four Premier League games. Although they finally found the net twice, the late comeback was not enough to prevent another defeat.
Aston Villa took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Johan Manzambi reacted quickly inside the penalty area to score his first Premier League goal for the club. Tottenham had been controlling periods of the game, but a defensive lapse allowed Villa to take advantage.
Villa doubled their advantage in the 67th minute through Nicolas Jackson. The forward turned away from Micky van de Ven before firing into the bottom corner, leaving Tottenham with a difficult task of recovering from two goals down.
Emiliano Buendia then appeared to settle the contest in the 79th minute with an impressive long-range strike. His effort from outside the penalty area gave Villa a 3-0 lead and prompted some Tottenham supporters to leave the stadium before full time.
Tottenham eventually ended their long wait for a Premier League goal when Conor Gallagher scored in the 86th minute. Jan Paul van Hecke added a second in the eighth minute of stoppage time, but Villa held on for their first league victory of the season.
Spurs had another potential goal ruled out earlier in the second half when Mohammed Kudus found the net, but VAR determined that Andy Robertson had been offside during the build-up. The decision denied Tottenham what would have been their first league goal of the campaign at that stage.
The defeat leaves Tottenham with just two points from their first five Premier League matches. They remain in the relegation zone, while the result represents their worst start to a Premier League campaign in terms of points and goal difference, according to Sky Sports.
The result will increase scrutiny on De Zerbi during the international break. The Italian manager admitted after the match that he was disappointed and frustrated by the performance, particularly the way Tottenham conceded Villa's second goal.
For Aston Villa, the victory provides a much-needed boost after their difficult opening to the campaign. Unai Emery's team move up to 15th with four points from five matches, while Tottenham face a longer period of reflection before returning to Premier League action.