Football Review | Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 2 Aston Villa

Tottenham missed the chance to climb the table as they lost 2-1 at home to Aston Villa.

The result leaves them sixth, when a win would have taken them second and a draw third.

Author | Greg S

Stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

It was only their second league defeat since Thomas Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou, whose Europa League success was not enough to keep him in the job. 

In many ways, the loss was reminiscent of several performances under Postecoglou last season, when strong displays often went unrewarded. The Australian’s return to management at Nottingham Forest ended abruptly on Saturday when he was dismissed after just 39 days in charge.

Frank’s preparations were disrupted before kick-off when captain Cristian Romero was injured in the warm-up. Kevin Danso was brought in for his first league start of the season, while Micky van de Ven was handed the armband.

Tottenham started brightly, with Rodrigo Bentancur firing in a fine half-volley to give them an early lead. Moments later, Mohammed Kudus thought he had doubled the advantage, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside after starting his run too early.

Villa equalised through Morgan Rogers, but Tottenham continued to create chances. Mathys Tel failed to connect with a close-range volley after referee Simon Hooper allowed play to continue when the ball struck him, and Van de Ven headed over from a good position soon after.

Aston Villa find an equaliser through Rogers.

⚪️ 1-1 🟣

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 19, 2025

Villa’s winner, their second effort on target, came against the run of play. Tottenham still had opportunities to level, but Randal Kolo Muani, making his first Premier League appearance since joining on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and Brennan Johnson both failed to take their chances.

The defeat means Spurs have now picked up only one point from their past three home league matches, while Unai Emery’s side continues to show impressive resilience away from home.