A win here would have seen Tottenham go second in the league, but they are now in sixth place after the first eight Premier League games. So, what did we discover about Thomas Frank's men in this encounter?
Underrated midfielder
Rodrigo Bentancur gave Spurs the lead against Aston Villa after only four minutes and 38 seconds, his eighth goal for the Lilywhites and first of the 2025-2026 season. However, as he approaches four years at the club, the 28 year-old midfielder is often overlooked in the discussion of top Premier League midfielders.
The Uruguayan is due to welcome his second child, and would have been hoping for a positive home result against a struggling Villa.
After recently signing a new long-term contract, Thomas Frank clearly values such experience in the middle alongside the physical presence of Papa Matar Sarr, the on-loan Joao Palhinha, and Lucas Bergvall (when selected).
Indeed, Bentancur and Palhinha provide energy and a solid base for Spurs - helping the side to 52.8 per cent of overall match possession - to build attacks and restrict midfield passing lines. He eventually went off for Sarr in the 86th minute after a solid midfield shift.
Captain material
Speedy Dutch centre-back Mickey van de Ven took the skipper's armband after Cristian Romero's unfortunate injury in the warm up.
Have Tottenham discovered their next leader? Spurs' number 37 set the tone for an aggressive high-pressing performance, clattering into Morgan Rogers after being nutmegged to draw the match's first booking.
And there was little van de Ven could do about either of Villa's stunning strikes. He marshalled the defence in admirable fashion, restricting the opposition to no shots on target until the 37th minute.
Plus, he coped with playing the majority of the match on a yellow card, showing just what was missed last season when he was out injured.
Lack of creativity
Nine shots and only three shots on target told the story as, besides the early opening goal, Tottenham struggled to break down a well organised Villa backline. Plenty of neat passing and intricate moves amounted to a solitary goal in a rain soaked defeat.
Summer 2025 moves for Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White both collapsed. That kind of creativity might have been useful in tight games like today. Instead, Spurs are relying on Mohammed Kudus' physicality and crossing ability and new signing Xavi Simons to produce moments of magic.
But Tottenham seems to need a greater variety of ways to unlock top-flight defences. How they miss the threat of the injured Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison's probing trickery. Yet, until those two players return, they might need to tweak the basic 4-2-3-1 system.
Home struggles
A positive start, scoring in the opening five minutes, promised so much as Tottenham looked on on course to beat Unai Emery's men.
Sharp interplay and plenty of tactical pressing put a market down. Yet, a Morgan Rogers screamer and Emi Buendia strike condemned the home side to a shattering loss.
This is now just three wins in the last 18 Premier League games for Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, dating back to the 2024-25 season under Ange Postecoglu. If Tottenham truly want to shed the 'flaky Spurs' tag once and for all, what can Thomas Frank do?
We cannot rule out a return to the starting 11 for Richarlison. Otherwise, loan signing Randal Kolo Muani could make the difference at home, as Dominic Solanke is still out injured.
Tottenham will be bitterly disappointed to continue their poor home form. After missed opportunity to reach second place in the table, Spurs face a daunting run of matches with away trips to Everton and Newcastle coming up, and Monaco in the Champions League.
One way or another Tottenham need to rediscover some home form before Chelsea visit on the 1st November.