Aston Villa produced a spirited comeback to stun Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia turned the match on its head and denied Spurs a chance to climb to second in the table.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s early strike put Tottenham ahead, but Villa’s persistence paid off before half-time through Rogers’ stunning equaliser.
Buendia’s composed finish 13 minutes from time sealed a fifth straight victory in all competitions for Unai Emery’s side.
Tottenham began brightly despite losing captain Cristian Romero to injury in the warm-up, with Kevin Danso drafted in for his first league start of the season.
The hosts struck after just five minutes when Mohammed Kudus’ cross was headed back across goal by Joao Palhinha for Bentancur, who finished with a precise half-volley that left Emiliano Martinez stranded.
Spurred on by their early dominance, Tottenham continued to press, with Kudus and Wilson Odobert stretching the Villa defence.
Kudus had the ball in the net moments later but was denied by an offside flag, while Martinez was kept busy as Spurs threatened to double their lead.
Villa offered little attacking threat for most of the first half, with Matty Cash’s speculative effort the only sign of life before Rogers produced a moment of brilliance to level the contest.
The England midfielder picked up the ball on the edge of the box and, despite being surrounded by defenders, curled a superb strike over Guglielmo Vicario to claim his first goal of the season.
The visitors grew into the game after the interval, with Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana starting to dictate play in midfield.
Tottenham continued to look dangerous on the break, and Micky van de Ven and Mathys Tel both missed chances to restore their lead.
Villa eventually edged ahead. A long diagonal ball from Cash found Lucas Digne on the left, and his clever pass released Buendia. He cut inside before firing past Vicario to complete the turnaround.
Spurs pushed for an equaliser late on, with new signing Randal Kolo Muani spurning a good chance on his debut, but Villa held firm to claim an impressive away victory.
