Tottenham Faces Injury Setback and Loss to Aston Villa

Roberto De Zerbi’s first half on the touchline against Aston Villa turned into a nightmare in slow motion.

The problems started before the game had even settled. On 17 minutes, Pedro Porro went down off the ball, clutching his leg and immediately signalling trouble. The right-back tried to get back to his feet as Tottenham’s medical staff sprinted on, but the look on his face told its own story.

They tested him, stretched him, tried to give him a way back into the game. There wasn’t one. Within a minute, De Zerbi had no choice. Porro was withdrawn in the 18th minute and young Archie Gray was thrown on far earlier than planned, Tottenham’s first enforced change of the afternoon and an early tactical reshuffle in a game they desperately needed to control.

The disruption set the tone. Spurs never truly settled, and the sense of unease grew as the half wore on.

Then came the punch that has become painfully familiar.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, at 45+4 minutes, Aston Villa finally punished Tottenham’s hesitation. A mix-up between the defence and goalkeeper invited danger, and Boubacar Kamara needed no second invitation. His cross into the box found Youri Manzambi, who crashed a fierce effort into the net to break the deadlock.

The goal did more than tilt the match. It dragged an ugly statistic back into the spotlight.

According to Squawka, Tottenham have now gone 36 Premier League matches without a win after conceding the opening goal. The last time they turned a deficit into victory in the league? Against Aston Villa, on 3 November 2024.

That comeback feels a long way away now.

This latest setback drops straight into an already grim early-season picture. De Zerbi is still waiting for his first Premier League win with Spurs. The campaign opened with back-to-back defeats to Brentford and Newcastle, followed by goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton that only deepened the frustration.

The cup brought no relief. A 3-1 loss to Liverpool in the EFL Cup ended that route to momentum before it had really begun.

Injuries, defensive lapses, and a team that still can’t seem to claw its way back once it falls behind. For De Zerbi and Tottenham, the question is no longer just when the first win will come, but how long this fragile confidence can hold under the weight of history.