Midlands | Villa maintain winning run

Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 2 Aston Villa

A stunning solo effort from Morgan Rogers and a late strike by Emiliano Buendía earned Aston Villa a comeback victory over Tottenham.

Author | Peter Grainger 

Stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Substitute Buendía sealed the win in the 77th minute, cutting inside before driving a low shot into the bottom corner, prompting Unai Emery to celebrate animatedly on the touchline.

Villa’s triumph, their third in the league this season but fifth consecutive win in all competitions, looked unlikely after the hosts took a fifth-minute lead through Rodrigo Bentancur’s first goal of 2025.

The opener came from Mohammed Kudus’ deep cross on the left, which was nodded back into the danger area by João Palhinha. Bentancur reacted quickest, smashing home the loose ball on the half-volley from close range.

But Rogers levelled with a moment of brilliance in an entertaining contest played in heavy rain. Surrounded by four Tottenham players, the England midfielder created space before unleashing a looping 20-yard strike that arched over Guglielmo Vicario and dipped beneath the bar.

Both sides had penalty appeals waved away in the second half. Kevin Danso, who replaced the injured Cristian Romero shortly before kick-off, appeared to catch Lucas Digne on the ankle with his follow-through, but no foul was given. Tottenham were also frustrated when the ball struck Ezri Konsa’s raised arms inside the box, yet again the referee remained unmoved.

Just when the match seemed destined to drift towards a draw, Matty Cash delivered a superb cross-field pass to Digne, who squared for Buendía to drill home his third goal in four matches and secure Villa’s first league comeback of the campaign.

The player that provided the sparkle for Aston Villa

Morgan Rogers, capable of operating across a range of attacking roles, has become a key figure for England and featured in all eight of the Three Lions’ matches since Thomas Tuchel took charge.

He scored his first international goal in a 3-0 friendly win over Wales on 9 October, and Aston Villa are now benefiting from a player brimming with confidence.

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Rogers had failed to score or assist in any of Villa’s opening five Premier League fixtures, despite playing almost every minute, during a difficult spell in which Unai Emery’s side collected only two points.

But the 22-year-old has since produced a superb goal and two assists in his past three league appearances, helping Villa to turn their season around after a dismal start that saw them fail to win any of their first five matches and crash out of the Carabao Cup against Brentford.

This latest victory made it five wins in succession in all competitions and lifted Villa into the top half of the table for the first time this season.