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Aston Villa secured their first Premier League win of the 2026/27 season, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emiliano Buendia gave Villa a commanding three-goal lead before Spurs launched a late fightback.
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Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke scored in the closing stages, but Tottenham could not complete the comeback.
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The result leaves Tottenham 18th in the Premier League, while Aston Villa move up to 15th after finally getting their campaign off the mark.
September 19, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa secured their first Premier League victory of the 2026/27 season after surviving a dramatic late Tottenham fightback to claim a 3-2 win in north London.
Tottenham dominated large spells of the opening half and created several opportunities, but their failure to turn that pressure into goals ultimately proved costly.
Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki played a major role in keeping his side in the contest, making a series of important saves to frustrate the hosts.
Savio was particularly dangerous for Tottenham, but Suzuki repeatedly denied the winger, while Archie Gray and Sandro Tonali also came close as Spurs searched for an opening.
Despite Tottenham’s early control, it was Villa who struck first.
Johan Manzambi opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time after reacting quickest inside the penalty area to give Unai Emery’s side a 1-0 advantage at the break.
Villa returned from the interval with greater attacking intent and doubled their lead through Nicolas Jackson.
The forward collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area before calmly finding the bottom-left corner, putting Tottenham under significant pressure.
The hosts then appeared to suffer another blow when Villa extended their advantage through Emiliano Buendia.
The Argentine midfielder produced a moment of individual quality outside the box, curling a superb effort into the corner to make it 3-0.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, Villa appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable victory.
Tottenham mount late comeback
Conor Gallagher pulled one back in the 86th minute after Mohammed Kudus created the opportunity, giving the hosts renewed hope.
Spurs then scored again deep into stoppage time when Jan Paul van Hecke headed home in the eighth minute of additional time.
The sudden turnaround transformed the closing moments into a frantic battle, with Tottenham pushing forward in search of an equaliser.
Villa ultimately held firm to secure all three points.
Tottenham also saw a potential goal ruled out earlier in the second half when Mohammed Kudus appeared to pull one back. VAR intervened, with the build-up judged to have involved an offside position.
That decision proved significant as Villa maintained their two-goal advantage before eventually restoring control of the match.
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The victory gives Emery’s Aston Villa a much-needed boost after their difficult opening to the campaign.
Suzuki’s performance was particularly important, while Manzambi, Jackson and Buendia provided the attacking quality needed to punish Tottenham’s defensive lapses.
For Spurs, the defeat represents another frustrating result at the start of the season.
Tottenham’s early dominance ultimately counted for little as they failed to convert their chances before Villa established a commanding lead.
The result leaves Tottenham 18th in the Premier League, while Aston Villa climb to 15th.
With the season still in its early stages, Villa can take confidence from a first league victory, while Tottenham will need to find a response quickly after another disappointing result.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
