After a captivating match full of opportunities, Aston Villa defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home on Sunday, handing the team their third straight Premier League loss.
Villa moved up to fourth place in the table with their first road victory in more than two months, despite the fact that they were outplayed in the first half.
Giovani Lo Celso’s deflected shot in the 22nd minute gave the hosts a well-earned lead, and they could have been ahead comfortably until Pau Torres leveled the score with a powerful header deep into stoppage time in the first half.
After the interval, there were more opportunities for both teams, but Ollie Watkins’ excellent finish, which came just after the hour mark after Youri Tielemans’ setup, gave Villa the lead.
Rodrigo Bentancur hobbled off for Villa in the first half, and the unlucky hosts saw Pedro Porro hit the post and Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez make two outstanding saves. Ben Davies headed a glorious chance over the bar.
With 28 points from 13 games, Unai Emery’s rapidly improving Villa team is only two points behind table-topping Arsenal and ahead of Liverpool only on goal differential.
It seems that Tottenham’s wheels have come off after going winless in their first ten Premier League games under new manager Ange Postecoglou, losing 4-1 at home to Chelsea.
After dropping to fifth place with 26 points, they will travel to face champion Manchester City the following weekend.
Injury-prone Tottenham, who has also led 1-0 against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, is also the first team to lose three straight Premier League games despite holding a 1-0 lead since Leicester City in 2014.
“A tough outcome yet I couldn’t be more pleased with the way the boys played,” Postecoglou stated.
“We played some amazing football, and we would have won easily on another day. I’m really proud of them.” No one is irritated. As a manager, all that can be asked for is that we perform well.”
In the third minute, Dejan Kulusevski cut in and curled a shot against the post, putting Postecoglou’s team just inches ahead.
Then, as Tottenham kept cutting Villa open, Son Heung-min blasted over an open goal, but the referee called him offside.
Lo Celso finally let loose with his left foot from the edge of the area, deflecting the ball and sending it past Martinez as Tottenham’s pressure paid off.
Watkins glanced home from close range to give Villa the impression that they had equalized almost instantly, but a VAR check—one of several in the game—ruled him offside.
Bentancur, a Uruguayan who had only recently recovered from a serious knee injury, hobbled off the field, signaling the start of Tottenham’s problems. This time, it was an ankle issue.
Afterward, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Torres headed a ball from Douglas Luiz past Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Following the interval, Villa appeared more dangerous and took the lead when Tielemans found Watkins, who scored his seventh league goal of the year with a clinical finish past Vicario.
After just over a year in charge, Emery has revitalized Villa. “Three points, it was an outstanding match, both teams distinct tactically, really hard, really tough,” he told reporters. “I enjoyed it, yet I lost all of my energy!”