An injury to Cristian Romero in the warm-up was far from the ideal preparation for Spurs, but they soon put that disappointment behind them inside five minutes of kick-off.
Integral to the Tottenham attack since joining in the summer, Mohammed Kudus was again involved in the opener here, delivering a deep cross into the box for João Palhinha to knock down into the path of Rodrigo Bentancur, who broke the deadlock via a significant deflection off Amadou Onana.
The hosts thought they’d doubled the lead just moments later when Kudus finished well after latching onto a long ball from Micky van de Ven, but the Ghanaian was swiftly flagged offside.
Villa’s response was fairly muted, and aside from a dragged shot from Matty Cash after 15 minutes, they rarely threatened in the first half.
However, after a period of relative calm in which Tottenham looked the more likely to net the game’s second goal, Morgan Rogers produced a sumptuous effort that dipped over the outstretched arm of Guglielmo Vicario, levelling the scores with HT approaching.
Referee Simon Hooper almost inadvertently played a pivotal role in proceedings ahead of the break, deflecting Pedro Porro’s free-kick towards Kudus, whose dangerous cross evaded a meaningful touch from Mathys Tel to maintain parity.
Spurs have led at the HT in just one of their last eight games against top-flight opposition in all competitions, but given the north Londoners’ seven-game unbeaten streak heading into this match (W4, D3), Thomas Frank wouldn’t have been too perturbed.
His side offered further encouragement after the restart, pushing to restore their advantage as Ezri Konsa was required to cut out a Kudus cross before Emiliano Martínez tipped a Palhinha strike around the post.
The introductions of Richarlison and Ollie Watkins at opposite ends of the pitch after an hour didn’t have an immediate impact, but another substitute Emi Buendía made a telling contribution in the 78th minute, finding the bottom corner with a precise finish after an excellent touch and lay-off from Lucas Digne.
Despite being on top for sizable periods, Tottenham were ultimately unable to find a way back into the contest as the Villans held on for all three points.
The result sees Spurs drop to sixth in the PL standings, while Villa finally climb into the top half, having claimed their first away league win of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)
