Three Villa scorers beat Tottenham despite 64% home possession

Aston Villa beat Tottenham 3-2 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, with three different scorers settling a five-goal contest. The result ended Tottenham’s listed run of two draws after two losses and gave Villa a league win following three defeats in their recent five-match form.

How it happened

Villa led 1-0 at half-time after Johan Manzambi struck in the 45th minute, assisted by Boubacar Kamara. Nicolas Jackson doubled the advantage in the 67th minute from Manzambi’s pass, and Emiliano Buendía made it 3-0 in the 79th minute after John McGinn set him up. Tottenham responded through Conor Gallagher in the 86th minute, assisted by Mohammed Kudus, before Jan Paul van Hecke scored in the 90th minute.

The numbers

Tottenham had 64% possession and completed 496 accurate passes from 571 total, compared with Aston Villa’s 278 accurate passes from 331. The hosts also produced 19 shots to Villa’s 15 and won 11 corners to Villa’s one, but both teams registered six shots on goal. Villa goalkeeper Z. Suzuki made five saves, two more than Tottenham’s goalkeeper.

Who decided it

Johan Manzambi shaped Villa’s victory with a match-leading 8.8 rating across 72 minutes. He added two shots on target, two key passes and one tackle to his goal and assist, giving Villa a direct contribution at both ends of the decisive scoring sequence.

Why it matters

Tottenham remain 17th with two points from four games, while Aston Villa are 19th with one point from four. Tottenham are one point ahead of Villa but trail leaders Arsenal by 10 points; Villa’s gap to the leaders is 11 points.