Aston Villa left north London with three vital Premier League points, but the closing stages against Tottenham gave Unai Emery something important to address.
Villa appeared to have completely killed the contest when Emiliano Buendía made it 3-0 with around 10 minutes remaining.
Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson had already scored as Emery’s side ruthlessly punished Tottenham whenever opportunities appeared.
Then the afternoon changed.
Conor Gallagher pulled one back shortly after coming off the bench before Jan Paul van Hecke scored with virtually the final action of the match.
Villa still secured a deserved 3-2 victory.
However, turning a three-goal advantage into a frantic finish highlighted an area Emery will want to improve before Premier League football returns in October.
Aston Villa were clinical rather than dominant
It would be misleading to suggest Villa controlled the entire contest before suddenly collapsing late on.
Tottenham actually created the better chances during significant periods of the opening half.
Zion Suzuki was repeatedly required to intervene before Manzambi eventually gave Villa the lead in stoppage time.
Our Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa match report detailed how Villa survived that early pressure before becoming increasingly dangerous as the game opened up.
The second half suited Emery’s side far better.
Jackson attacked the space behind Tottenham before finishing superbly for 2-0.
Buendía then appeared to settle the afternoon with a brilliant third.
The Guardian’s match report highlighted Villa’s clinical counter-attacking and reported that Buendía’s goal arrived with 10 minutes remaining.
At that stage, the game looked over.
It was not.
Tottenham expose late Aston Villa vulnerability
Gallagher was introduced with six minutes of normal time remaining and scored within three minutes.
That gave Tottenham belief.
Villa suddenly found themselves defending considerably closer to their own goal as the hosts committed players forward.
Van Hecke then reduced the deficit again with the final touch of the game.
There was no time for Tottenham to find an equaliser, but Villa had allowed an apparently comfortable finish to become unnecessarily tense.
That is the concern.
Emery’s side did plenty right defensively over the 90 minutes.
Our Aston Villa player ratings against Tottenham highlighted Suzuki’s importance during the difficult opening spell.
But protecting a lead requires a different type of control.
Sometimes that means keeping possession.
Sometimes it means winning territory.
Sometimes it simply means ensuring the opposition cannot immediately recycle every clearance and rebuild another attack.
Villa struggled to do enough of those things once Tottenham scored.
Emery’s tactical evolution can help solve the problem
There is an interesting contrast with how Villa attacked earlier in the match.
Emery has made his team increasingly comfortable playing directly when opponents press aggressively.
Our analysis of Villa’s 86 per cent tactical shift under Emery showed how that approach helped Jackson exploit Tottenham’s defensive line.
It worked.
But direct football creates a different challenge when protecting a lead.
A vertical pass that fails to reach its target can return possession immediately to the opposition.
When the score is 3-0, the risk may be worthwhile.
When the opponent has just scored and momentum is changing, keeping the ball for another 30 seconds can be considerably more valuable.
Finding that balance is part of Villa’s next stage of development.
International break gives Villa time to work
Emery has repeatedly stressed the importance of structure and resilience.
Both were evident for long periods in north London.
Captain John McGinn also believes Villa’s rebuilt squad is beginning to understand the manager’s demands, as he explained in our post-Spurs assessment of the squad’s progress.
That context matters.
Villa integrated several new players during the summer and are still developing relationships across the pitch.
Saturday was progress.
The late scare simply showed the process is unfinished.
October will test Aston Villa’s ability to manage games
Villa now have an extended break before Brentford visit Villa Park on 10 October.
After that come Newcastle United and Manchester City in a demanding Premier League sequence.
Supporters can follow the complete schedule through our permanently updated Aston Villa fixtures and results hub.
Those matches will produce different tactical challenges.
There will be occasions when Villa lead and need to attack.
There will also be occasions when the smartest decision is simply to remove momentum from the game.
Saturday proved Emery’s side can be ruthless enough to establish a commanding advantage.
The next step is learning how to make sure a 3-0 lead stays comfortable.
Villa escaped Tottenham with all three points.
Against stronger opposition later in the season, they may not always get the same warning without being punished.
