LONDON, Sept 16: Aston Villa kept Tottenham Hotspur bottom of the Premier League on Monday with a deserved 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

Villa scored after five minutes through Nigel Reo-Coker and again early in the second half when Ashley Young’s shot squirmed under Tottenham’s Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

Darren Bent deflected in a consolation late on for Tottenham who gave a debut to Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, one of several big-money signings in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham applied some late pressure but Villa could have added to their lead on the break with substitute Marlon Harewood denied by a goal line clearance.

Defeat for Tottenham means they have made their worst start to a season for 34 years, having picked up just one point from their first four games. Villa moved up to fourth spot with seven points from four games.

Tottenham made a sluggish start and went behind when Gabriel Agbonlahor was allowed to cross from the left and the ball reached Reo-Coker who side-footed past Gomes.

The Brazilian keeper was forced into action to keep his side in the game but the former PSV Eindhoven stopper was badly at fault after 54 minutes when Young’s well-struck shot went through his grasp and into the net.

Bent, who wasted one good chance to score, gave Tottenham a glimmer of hope when Jermaine Jenas’s shot hit his knee and flew into the net past Villa’s American keeper Brad Friedel.—Reuters