Tottenham Hotspur finally found the net in the Premier League this season but suffered another damaging home loss, going down 3-2 to Aston Villa in a match that laid bare the depth of their early-season struggles.
Emi Buendia's curling finish into the far corner put Villa 3-0 up and appeared to seal a comfortable afternoon for the visitors, who dominated large stretches of the contest as they cut through Spurs' revamped midfield with relative ease. Manager Roberto De Zerbi could only watch on in visible frustration as his side unravelled, the match effectively decided long before the closing stages.
The result marked Villa's first league win of the campaign, while Tottenham remain winless, a stark statistic given how rarely two Premier League sides enter a fixture this deep into the season having scored so little between them. Villa had managed just one goal prior to kick-off, yet the floodgates opened as the afternoon wore on.
Spurs had gone four league matches without scoring before finally breaking their duck, needing a fifth attempt to find the target. Substitute Mohammed Kudus, introduced at half-time, provided the spark when he finally showed the confidence to run at his marker, squaring for fellow substitute Conor Gallagher to score via a deflection and cut the deficit to 3-1. Deep into stoppage time, Jan Paul van Hecke headed home to make it 3-2, but the fightback came far too late to salvage anything from the game.
De Zerbi had spoken earlier in the week about goalscoring being the most pressing issue he has faced in his managerial career, and Saturday's performance did little to ease those concerns despite the late double. In the first half in particular, Tottenham created promising openings without conviction in front of goal. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki denied both Archie Gray and Savio, the latter twice, while Sandro Tonali fired narrowly wide from distance on two occasions. Kudus also had an effort ruled out for offside when it appeared to level the score, a moment that summed up Spurs' misfortune and inefficiency in the final third.
Compounding the difficult afternoon was an injury blow to Pedro Porro, who lasted just 19 minutes before being forced off. The full-back, who had missed Tottenham's previous two matches, appeared to suffer cramp or a muscular issue while attempting a tackle and was clearly in discomfort as he left the pitch, receiving a supportive ovation from the home crowd. He was consoled by De Zerbi before making way for Gray. With a three-week international break now approaching, Spurs will be hoping scans reveal no serious damage.
Up front, Dominic Solanke endured another underwhelming display, continuing a difficult run of form since returning from injury. The striker, overlooked once again for England selection, struggled to make an impact throughout, managing only a header wide from a corner and one notable hold-up play before being substituted in the 66th minute. His struggles mirror Tottenham's broader attacking issues this season, and while the team has now opened its scoring account, questions remain over their finishing and overall cutting edge going forward.
Tottenham will now have to wait until October, following the international break, for their next opportunity to register a first league win of the campaign.
Based on reporting from standard-football.