Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Villarreal: Highlights, man of the match, stats as a calamitous own-goal makes the difference

Tottenham Hotspur got their Champions League campaign underway with a scrappy 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Tuesday night, with Luiz Junior's own-goal proving the decisive moment.

Tottenham Hotspur got a huge slice of luck just four minutes after kick off, when Junior looked to have comfortably claimed a cross before calamitously spilling it and diverting the ball into his own net, and while there were chances at either side in the following 40 minutes, the own-goal remained the difference.

The second half was far more timid as both teams failed to create any real chances of note, and while Villarreal looked the more likely to score next, Spurs were able to hold on to their lead and secure the narrow 1-0 victory.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank will be delighted to have registered a victory in their first match of the Champions League campaign, but it was a far from convincing performance from the hosts.

Tottenham started well and managed to take the lead thanks to Junior's miserable mistake, but their performance gradually declined from then on, especially in the second half as they steadily conceded further ground and were far inferior to their Spanish opposition.

Regardless, Spurs did not allow any major opportunities of note, with Villarreal mustering only 0.27 expected goals in the second half, with Tottenham able to hold onto their lead and record their fourth clean sheet of the campaign after just five matches.

Frank will want to see his team improve on their tidiness in possession going forward, with Spurs often causing themselves problems with sloppy mistakes on the ball.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. VILLARREAL HIGHLIGHTS

Luiz Junior own-goal vs. Villarreal (4th min, Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Villarreal)

CALAMITY at the back for Villarreal! ??

Spurs were gifted a early goal as Luiz Júnior turned into his own net ? pic.twitter.com/2Fs7EWYEbV
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 16, 2025

Tottenham have an early lead - that is an awful error from Junior!

Lucas Bergvall is released with space to run into on the right wing, and the midfielder gets into the box and looks to pick out Richarlison with a cross towards the back post.

Junior looks to comfortably claim, but the goalkeeper spills his catch and turns the ball backwards into his own net.

MAN OF THE MATCH - MICKY VAN DE VEN

In a game that lacked any real attacking quality - highlighted by Junior's own-goal being the only one of the match - Van de Ven stood out for his defensive showing.

No player made more tackles (three) than the Dutch central defender, while he also made four clearances, one interception and blocked one shot.

Van de Ven was also vital in possession for Spurs, with no player on the pitch making more successful passes than his 63, which he completed with a 93% passing accuracy.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. VILLARREAL MATCH STATS

Possession: Tottenham Hotspur 58%-42% Villarreal

Shots: Tottenham Hotspur 9-10 Villarreal

Shots on target: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Villarreal

Corners: Tottenham Hotspur 3-3 Villarreal

Fouls: Tottenham Hotspur 14-13 Villarreal

WHAT NEXT?

Tottenham Hotspur's attention will now return to the Premier League, when Spurs will be aiming to secure their fourth win from five league games as they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

As for Villarreal, Marcelino's side will look to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in their last La Liga match when they clash with Osasuna on Saturday.