Tottenham vs Aston Villa: 3 Things We Learned as Emery Finally Gets a Win

· GiveMeSport

Aston Villa claimed their first win of the Premier League season on Saturday afternoon, beating Tottenham 3-2 in north London.

Aston Villa finally claimed their first Premier League win of the season as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in north London on Saturday afternoon.

The Villans were second-best in the first half, but took the lead in stoppage time of the opening period as Johan Manzambi netted his first goal for the club on his first start. Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia scored in the second half to give the team a 3-0 lead, before late goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke gave Spurs some late hope.

But the team held on for all three points to head into the international break on a high, and Villa have learned some important things about the team that they can now work on during the break.

Aston Villa, like everyone else, watched Johan Manzambi shine during the 2026 World Cup in the summer and immediately knew that he was someone they wanted in their squad.

After losing Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans during the summer window, the club broke their transfer record to bring the Switzerland international to Villa Park from Freiburg, despite the fact he was dealing with a knee injury picked up during the tournament.

Villa have had to wait for him to be ready to finally step into the team, riding a run of poor results in the process. But Manzambi made his debut against Spurs and was one of the best players on the pitch, growing into his role and forming a solid partnership with Nicolas Jackson.

A goal and an assist, alongside a fine, well-rounded performance shows that the 21-year-old has got plenty to offer, and Villa may have struck gold yet again, with Manzambi ready to announce himself on the biggest stage while in a claret and blue shirt.

When discussing who the most important person is at a football club, it's normal for fans and pundits to go straight for whoever the star player is.

But at Aston Villa, it's quite obvious that there is nobody more important than the manager, and he deserves to be backed to the hill to ensure the club get everything they want and need.

He is calm under pressure, trusts in his processes, has a good eye in the transfer market, and knows how to maximise his squad to get the best he can from it. This squad of players would have no chance of being a success under any other manager, and as a result Villa must do everything to ensure that he is in the dugout for as long as possible.

Aston Villa brought in ten new players during the transfer window, but it was evident against Tottenham Hotspur as six of them were in the team from the start, that they need time to gel.

Zion Suzuki, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Matteo Ruggeri, Joao Gomes, Manzambi and Jackson all got the nod from the start, while Ibrahim Mbaye, Alejandro Garnacho, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were on the bench.

But despite that, the likes of Leon Goretzka, Pau Torres, Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, and Brian Madjo were all unavailable for this game, and that would have an obvious effect on any team.

The upturn in performance with the likes of Gomes and Manzambi available for this game was evident, so as more players return to the fold this team will just continue to improve, especially under the guidance of a manager like Emery. It's been a rough start, but there is now some light at the end of the tunnel.

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