Aston Villa stun Tottenham in London comeback win

Tottenham Hotspur’s home struggles deepened on Sunday as Aston Villa came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rodrigo Bentancur had given Thomas Frank’s men a dream start just five minutes in, finishing coolly from close range after Micky van de Ven’s cushioned header. The Uruguayan celebrated by tucking the ball under his shirt, a tribute to his pregnant wife.

But that early joy quickly turned sour. Morgan Rogers brought Villa level with a thunderous strike from 20 yards that flew past Guglielmo Vicario in the 37th minute, silencing the home fans.

Injuries continue to haunt Tottenham. Already without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke, the team lost captain Cristian Romero in the warm-up and later saw Mathys Tel limp off with a knee issue.

Villa made them pay for their frailties. In the 77th minute, substitute Emiliano Buendia struck the winner — a composed finish into the bottom corner after Lucas Digne’s clever setup.

Tottenham had chances to rescue a point late on, but debutant Randal Kolo Muani wasted a golden opportunity, skying his shot over the bar from close range in stoppage time.

The result means Spurs have now lost 11 of their last 18 home league games, a worrying record for Frank, who replaced the sacked Ange Postecoglou earlier this season. The defeat also ends their seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, leaving them sixth on the table.

For Unai Emery’s Villa, the story is quite the opposite. After their worst league start since 1964, the Midlands side have now won five straight matches in all competitions and extended their unbeaten streak to eight. The victory also marked a breakthrough — Villa’s first away win over a top-four side after collecting just one point from six such trips last season.