Image source, Getty ImagesVilla boss Unai Emery spoke to BBC Sport after today's game: "We started the match like we were planning. At half-time the plan for the second half was to try to keep it. They scored the first goal. We had chances to score a second goal but they were pushing.
"We accepted the result.
"We have to try to be consistent. We had our chances in our transition and set-pieces. But they were clinical today."
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa captain John McGinn speaking after today's loss: "We've got to keep our heads a wee bit in there and have some perspective. Many teams will come here and suffer that defeat.
"It got loud. Probably as loud as I've heard it as an away player.
"It's about staying positive. Spurs beat us 4-1 last season and we finished above them.
"They punished our mistakes. We had a chance at 2-1 to equalise. The third one was a mistake and then a great free-kick from the fourth."
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Have your say on Tottenham’s performance, external
What did you make of Aston Villa’s display?, external
Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies
There are two matches that make up Sunday's Premier League action. Follow all the action and reaction on the links below:
Tottenham v Aston Villa - 14:00
Manchester United v Chelsea - 16:30
Kick-off times GMT
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
For week 10, he takes on The Piano TV series winner Brad Kella.
Sutton's prediction: 2-2
The away team won on both occasions when these two sides met last season, and you could make a case for Tottenham or Aston Villa coming out on top here.
I do like the way Spurs play, but they could do with having Son Heung-min fit. He has missed three of their past four league games - and they have a few other injuries too.
Whoever is missing, though, Ange Postecoglou will not change his bullish approach. I admire that and I find it amazing the way people view Spurs at the moment.
They have won eight of their past 10 games in all competitions, which is pretty good I think, but there is always this underlying 'Spursy' or 'typical Spurs' label they get given whenever they slip up.
That could happen here, of course. Spurs will dominate the ball this time but I have no doubt that Villa will score, because they carry such a threat and their front players will definitely have their moments in this game.
So there will definitely be plenty of goals... but maybe there won't be a winner this time.
Tottenham have not had a draw since the first game of the season and I think they will get one here.
Brad's prediction: 2-0
Aston Villa have started the season really well and Tottenham are very up and down... but I'm giving this one to Spurs.
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa manager Unai Emery is encouraging his players to maintain the high standards they have set, as they prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (14:00 GMT).
Despite Villa being higher than Spurs in the table, Emery says the budget of Sunday's hosts means they are more favoured to finish above them this season.
"They are the favourites in front of us for the season and favourites for the match on Sunday," he said. "But we are competing and we are confident in how we are doing our way.
"We are trying to be contenders with those teams like Tottenham, or Chelsea or Newcastle, to compete with them in the top seven and top six. It is a really great match.
"They are contenders more than us, we have some advantage on the table but after the match on Sunday it could be different. Hopefully, we can compete and control the game.
"They are favourites with Chelsea, with Manchester United, with Newcastle. But we are there and hopefully, we can keep it for a long time."
Emery says there is a "big gap" between Villa and the clubs he mentioned, but has encouraged his players to continue developing to eliminate that gap on the pitch.
"Because of the beginning, how we can do a list of who is favourites with the budget, of course (our) budget is not enough to be favourites," Emery added.
"But the difference between them and us is still a big gap. But of course, we are not thinking of it.
"I have to tell everybody, there are another seven teams in front of us in the beginning, with the budget, but we are competing and in the last two years we are progressively getting better and keeping the same level we are trying to set as a target."
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Tottenham (kick-off 14:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
The Villa manager began his briefing by sending his condolences to Valencia, where floods have led to the deaths of more than 200 people: "I want to send my condolences. We had a tragedy in Valencia, I am very sad. All my condolences to the people affected and to the families of the victims. Hopefully, they can recover again quickly with everything that happened there."
Emery issued the latest team news: "We had only one injured player and it’s Ross Barkley. He has a small injury, but he’s not going to be available for the next two weeks."
Emery expressed sympathy for former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, while stating that new boss Ruben Amorim deserves the job: "I do not think the sacking of Ten Hag is a good thing, but this is football. Amorim I know about him. He is doing very good work in Portugal in Sporting Lisbon and if Manchester United decided to hire him, it's because he deserves it."
Ahead of facing Tottenham, with Villa sitting fourth in the Premier League table, Emery insists he is not looking any further ahead than Sunday's fixture: "With my experiences, when I am thinking for the next match, I am wrong. My focus is on the next match and I am thinking only about this. Sometimes I am planning for the weeks coming or months, but I want to learn with experiences. I tell my players to try to be focused on the next match. It is about which players are the best to play the match against Tottenham. For me, the focus is on the match against Tottenham. Every match we are playing, we are trying to identify our corrections, our mistakes, our process and we are analysing how we are now and how are they, with the players they have."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Aston Villa are in talks with 22-year-old English forward Morgan Rogers over a new deal. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's League Cup game between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Here are some of your comments:
Aston Villa fans
David: Disappointed that the players weren’t able to step up to the level required. Emery had to rotate the team, recognising the Premier League and Champions League are our main priorities, but the starting 11 should have done better and especially in the second half. Let’s hope we can put a decent run together in the FA Cup.
Gary: Beaten in midfield by a more committed side. Villa wanted too much time and were second best on too many occasions.
Steve: Absolutely clueless. This was a team that hadn’t played together and at times they looked like they hadn’t even trained together. Highlight of the night was seeing Tyrone Mings return to the team as we’ll need him this season.
Cassie: Villa could have scored two or three goals in the opening 30 minutes but failed, which again shows why they must sign a proven striker. I would rather lose this game than a league game. This was a reality check and a wake up call.
Crystal Palace fans
Pedro: It's so nice to regain some momentum and self-belief. We're pressing again, closing down the opposition and finding space. Injuries aside, it was a great performance and a good way to go into the crucial game against Wolves.
Sprucey: Back to old fighting Palace. Despite the goal, Kamada is the only player that makes me nervous every time he has the ball. Shame some of the youngsters didn't get any minutes.
Ted: We've suffered but now we’re seeing a revival and I'm loving it.
Rob: Not much to cheer about for Palace fans. Kamada was abysmal until he scored and the team struggled to put three passes together. The hard-tackling Hughes was probably our best player. Despite constant reminders of how we miss Olise, the intelligent cohesion was lost when we sold Andersen and Wharton's form faded. More struggles ahead.
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to the media after defeat by Crystal Palace in the League Cup: "We started with 11 players in the first-team squad.
"We started with Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos, they can play in the starting XI playing against Bayern Munich.
"We started with [Ian] Maatsen and Kosta [Nedeljkovic]. We started with [Boubacar] Kamara, with John McGinn, Leon Bailey, Jaden Philogene, Jhon Duran, [Emiliano] Buendia, I don't know if I can have some regret.
"We are with our way, building the team, building the structure. Today we competed, but we lost.
"Of course I am disappointed and frustrated, but we competed with the players to get the performance.
"If I am repeating this match 100 times I am playing with the same players."
Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa were knocked out in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace in a disappointing night at Villa Park.
Unai Emery made 10 changes to the side that drew with Bournemouth at the weekend, with John McGinn the only player to keep his place, and it was a disjointed performance as a result of that.
The hosts dominated proceedings with 62% possession and had nine shots on target but didn't particularly trouble Palace.
Leon Bailey tested Palace goalkeeper Matt Turner at his near post and Jhon Duran had a strike well saved after it looked to be heading into the top corner.
On a more positive note, centre-back Tyrone Mings made his first start for Villa in 445 days since he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Newcastle United on the opening day of last season and ended the game with the captain's armband after McGinn was substituted.
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Have your say on Villa's performance, external
What did you make of Palace's display?, external
Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies
The Carabao Cup quarter-final line-up will be completed on Wednesday, with the six remaining fourth-round ties being played.
Brighton v Liverpool (19:30)
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Man Utd v Leicester
Newcastle v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Preston v Arsenal
Tottenham v Man City (20:15) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Kick-off times 19:45 GMT unless stated
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesYou could imagine rival managers rolling their eyes at Unai Emery's irritation after Saturday's draw with Bournemouth.
As problems go, it could be worse. Aston Villa have dropped points at home twice this season, on the weekends directly after winning Champions League matches.
Against Bournemouth, they conceded a very late equaliser after the visitors had roused themselves to create a tense finish. Previously, four days after defeating Bayern Munich, Villa were disappointing in a goalless draw against Manchester United.
Hold on - do not adjust your set - the idea that a draw with Manchester United would be in any sense disappointing is, in itself, still novel.
But this is part of Aston Villa's new reality.
The highs are stratospheric, but so are the standards demanded to make them possible. That means the surrendering of any points in circumstances like Saturday will prompt some introspection.
"Of course we deserved to win, but we have to accept it. It is painful but we have to accept it," said Emery, sounding quite like somebody who is really not into accepting this sort of thing at all.
Up here in the stratosphere, we do not just shrug and say that we have had a busy week and these things happen sometimes.
Emery added: "There is still work to do because we are trying to get a strong mentality. Emotionally, when you are 1-0 in the last minute and you think the three points are very important, we didn't control it. We have to learn, the players have to learn." They probably will, too.
Emery stands up for his players - he praised their overall performance several times on Saturday - but he pushes them hard to improve, even those already playing beyond the limits of where they ever expected they might reach.
It is that relentless demand - and restlessness when things are just not quite right - that is fuelling Villa's current success.
The Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace presents a dilemma. It has been such a long time since Villa won a trophy. We ought to say, given where they currently stand, it is possible that they could challenge for the Premier League or even the Champions League.
Arguably, though, they are more serious contenders to win one of the domestic cups and the fans would revel in a Wembley final.
Emery speaks respectfully of these competitions and wanting to do well in everything they enter, but clearly the Premier League and Champions League have priority in a congested calendar.
There may be some tricky choices, but they are better equipped to fight on up to four fronts than they were a year ago.
Listen to full commentary of Aston Villa v Crystal Palace at 19:45 GMT on Wednesday on BBC Radio WM
Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on one thing nobody is talking about at Aston Villa but should be.
Here are some of your comments:
Greg: Will Tyrone Mings really be a starter for us on his return? I feel like a lot of Villa fans are looking at Mings with rose-tinted glasses on. He made lots of mistakes and his poor decision-making cost us points before his injury. Is he really good enough for Unai Emery and our top-four team?
Alan: Too reliant on Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran for goals. Nobody else is really contributing. Right-back remains a weakness.
JM: With Emery and the squad continuing to deliver exceptional results, it's easy to brush underlying issues under the carpet. Fans are facing price hikes and a chronic lack of investment in matchday facilities, whilst the club splash on premium packages to entice bigger spenders. It would be wise to show the loyal fanbase their value while all is rosy.
Paul: I can't believe how underrated Pau Torres is. His passing ability is incredibly good and for me he is a key part in Emery's system. For example, his assist against Bayern Munich to set up Duran was just perfect. He definitely deserves more credit from rival fans.
Tariq: We desperately need a quality back-up keeper. If Martinez gets injured or suspended - always a possibility given his booking-prone histrionics - we could suffer. Robin Olsen is not good enough.
Morgan Rogers' emergence, Jhon Duran's goalscoring exploits and Aston Villa's perfect start to the Champions League have made plenty of headlines in the opening two months of the season.
But when it comes to Villa, what is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad - and should be?
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez was crowned best goalkeeper in the world for a second consecutive year at the Ballon d'Or awards, we asked you how proud you are of the Argentina international and if he is the club's best ever keeper.
Here are some of your comments:
John: There's no arguing he's an amazing keeper. Best we've ever had? That's a hard one. Always rated Nigel Spink and Mark Bosnich back in the day. Especially Bosnich. Was well known for saving important pens.
David: Emi is an amazing keeper. His presence at Villa has been a key part in enabling Unai's transformation of the club - get past the defence and you have still got to beat Emi. He gives his all every game and he loves the club.
Russell: Definitely the greatest Villa keeper ever. We've had some great ones - Rimmer, Spink, Bosnich - but Emi is next level. World's number one.
Cassie: Bosnich, Given and the great Nigel Spink come to mind, all very good keepers who did Villa proud during their time at the club, but Martinez is world class. Part of the Argentina squad who lifted win the World Cup shows his pedigree. He was a great signing from Arsenal, but even then he was a bit eccentric, but he matured on the pitch and calmed down a bit.
Sean: Immensely proud of Martinez. We've been in the doldrums for a while and haven't really seen a period of decent Premier League top-half consistency since the Martin O'Neill days, but this current team is allowing Villa fans to feel excited and Martinez is an integral part of this team.
David Michael
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesLife is good at Aston Villa when it comes to league tables. They are in the top four in the Premier League and sitting right at the top of the Champions League pile.
But when you scratch at the surface of Villa's current position, concerns are apparent.
As both the league tables sit now, Villa have only played two teams in the top half of both - Arsenal and Fulham in the Premier League. Villa's best win this season is certainly against Bayern Munich, but even they are currently only 23rd in the Champions League table.
Of course, as mentioned in last week's column, tougher tests come in November and you would expect Villa to up their level, having in the main played within themselves this season.
One clear concern, underscored by Bournemouth’s late equaliser on Saturday, is Villa's vulnerability on the right-hand side.
When Ian Maatsen joined in the summer transfer window, many Villa fans wished he was right-footed. Named last season's best left-back in the Champions League, Maatsen has since played second fiddle to the in-form Lucas Digne.
The fan demand for a right-back upgrade on social media during the summer prompted the club to push forward the club's director of football, Monchi, to do interviews to explain the PSR situation and why Villa could not necessarily upgrade the position.
It was almost an admission by the club that the right-back situation was less than ideal.
Matty Cash has shown recklessness too often, with Leon Bailey not offering him much defensive support. Emery appears unconvinced, frequently opting to play Ezri Konsa as a makeshift right-back with Diego Carlos filling in at centre-back.
The speedy 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic is not seen as ready yet, despite solid performances for Serbia. Meanwhile, Emery has abandoned his experiment with Lamare Bogarde in the role.
Whether Emery can resolve the issue before January remains one of the intriguing subplots to the team's potential this season.
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa's number one Emiliano Martinez was crowned best goalkeeper in the world for a consecutive year at the Ballon d'Or awards on Monday.
The 32-year-old has been rewarded for another fantastic year for club and country and becomes the first goalkeeper to win the Yashin Trophy twice.
Martinez recorded five clean sheets in six games for Argentina as they defended their Copa America title in July, winning the Golden Glove in the process.
That followed a successful campaign for Villa in which he also kept 15 clean sheets in all competitions as they qualified for the Champions League.
"Back-to-back is something I never expected," said Martinez. "I'm just proud to be here.
"All thanks to my family and friends."
Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon came second to Martinez, while Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin finished third.
In addition to winning the goalkeeping award, Martinez also placed 18th in the overall 2024 Ballon d’Or standings.
Martinez joined Villa from Arsenal for £17m in 2020 and has made 171 appearances for the club to date.
Villa said on X, external: "Best in the world ... again."
How proud of Martinez are you? Is he Villa's best ever keeper? Tell us here, external
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
Here are some of your comments:
Villa fans
Cassie: Bad defending cost Villa three points yet again. The game was there for the taking and fair play to Bournemouth for not giving up, which is what Villa did. Our midfield was outstanding but we still need to buy a proven striker, as Watkins is still not 100%. We need other results to go our way, as again this was a Champions League hangover.
Blakey: This is the toughness of the Premier League. One moment of switching off, one bad challenge, one bad decision etc and you are not getting the points you perhaps, on balance, deserved. Let's face it, even the most optimistic Villa fan will be slightly nervous about our inability to seal the deal here. Is it the beginning of a wobble? Maybe.
Jamie: Too many substitutes for my liking. When Ollie Watkins went off, we lost all of our shape and then struggled with possession in the last 15 minutes. But let's give some respect to Bournemouth - they never gave up. So, for once, I would say that Unai is responsible for making too many changes, which just makes him human!
Greg: We have to strengthen our right-back options. We were lucky not to give away a penalty and creatively everything comes from our left-hand side.
Bournemouth fans
Thomas: Yet another solid performance from the Cherries. I can imagine that if I were a Villa fan, I would feel a bit unfortunate - no thanks to that wonderful performance from Mark Travers. Having said that, I can't get my head around how that Leon Bailey handball wasn't given as a penalty. Four points from Arsenal and Villa - not bad for little old Bournemouth.
James: I think that was the most mature Cherries performance I have ever seen. If we play like that for the rest of the season, anything is possible!
Mel: AFC Bournemouth were fantastic today. They never gave up and kept pushing forward, even when going behind. So pleased for Evanilson with that goal. It was stunning, just like his first goal for us. Hopefully he will score many more goals this season. He is an exciting addition to Bournemouth after the departure of Solanke.
Mark: Wow, we are certainly raising eyebrows! Four points from Arsenal and now Villa - under Andoni Iraola we are rocketing up the league. I think we can seriously dream of European football in the next season or two, especially with commitment our team has right to the final whistle. Now let's beat Man City next week - no joke!
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa are level on 18 points with Arsenal in the Premier League, while Chelsea are just one point behind in fifth, so could it be a five-team title race this season?
"It is about consistency and not getting carried away nine games into a season," said former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "It is very easy to get sucked into early season performances.
"Bluntly, I don't think either of them can (challenge)."
Ex-midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker added: "It is hard to disagree with Paul [Robinson] but of the two Aston Villa would be more equipped to do so under Unai Emery."
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