Spurs break goal drought but lose at home to Villa
Tottenham Hotspur finally ended its wait for a Premier League goal this season, but it meant little as it slumped to a 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa.
Villa came into the game having only netted once in the top flight this term, but Unai Emery's team did beat Coventry City 3-1 in the Carabao Cup in midweek, which provided crucial confidence.
Spurs, meanwhile, lost to Liverpool at Anfield in their midweek cup outing, and although they started brightly, Roberto De Zerbi's team slumped to a loss that could well see it head into the international break at the bottom of the pile.
Savio forced three saves out of Zion Suzuki early on, before Emiliano Buendia tested Antonin Kinsky at the other end.
Yet in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Villa capitalised on Micky van de Ven having to go off temporarily after he received treatment on a cut below his eye.
Andy Robertson made a mess of an attempted clearance, with John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara combining to tee up Johan Manzambi for his first Premier League goal.
Half-time substitute Mohammed Kudus thought he had snapped Spurs' scoreless streak just before the hour, only for Robertson to have strayed offside in the build-up.
Manzambi then became just the second player to both score and assist on their first Premier League start for Villa, after Kevin Phillips against Bolton Wanderers in August 2005, when he flicked it on for Nicolas Jacskon in the 67th minute, with the former Chelsea striker beating Van de Ven and firing off a shot that Kinsky failed to keep out.
Buendia kept up his fine record against Spurs with a 79th-minute stunner, but Conor Gallagher finally opened the hosts' goal account when he nudged in from Kudus's cutback.
Spurs doubled up deep in stoppage-time when Robertson crossed in for Jan Paul van Hecke to head home, but that was the final act of another disappointing day for De Zerbi's side.
"We played very well in the first half and we created chances to score. We conceded the first two goals in ways that were not acceptable," De Zerbi said after the game.
"For the first we have to communicate better, we have to stay like a family and we didn't and we conceded a stupid goal. Second goal, we have the offside decision [disallowing Spurs' goal] but the focus had to be better.
"We have to be stronger. We have to put on the pitch something more than we are putting. Football is tactical but it is blood, it is fighting, it is first one on the ball. Without that it is tough to win the game.
"As a coach I take responsibility. I can work better, harder and more. I can explain my opinion about the performance and about what we can do more. But in the end I can't change something more in the behaviour.
"I think we are not lucky in this period but you have to deserve luck and the positive things and we are not good enough to deserve luck in this moment.
"You have to ask the players [if it is good timing for the international break]. We will suffer until the next game and we will try to do better in the future."
Emery, meanwhile, praised his side's resilience after its first Premier League win of the season.
"We knew before the match what our game plan would be, facing Tottenham. Defensively, we worked fantastically because the players believed in the way we have worked before here," the Villa boss said.
"For four years in a row, we have needed to build a team that is resilient. We had to be patient and resilient in the moments when they were attacking.
"We needed to defend and be committed in this direction. Through that, we could grow into the game, create chances to score and eventually win.
"Deserved or not, this is the competitive way that we have achieved results before, during the time I have been here.
"We are delighted with how the players responded to the plan that we put in place, and also with how the players felt comfortable and gained confidence during the game."
