Tottenham vs Villarreal LIVE
Tottenham celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 1-0 home victory over Spanish club Villarreal courtesy of an own goal by keeper Luiz Junior on Tuesday. The London club's first game in the competition for close to 1,000 days was only four minutes old when Villarreal's Brazilian keeper fumbled a cross by Lucas Bergvall across his own line.
It was never comfortable for the hosts after that though with former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe having several chances including a late free kick that flashed just wide of the post.
Tottenham's defence, which has conceded only one goal so far this season in the Premier League, held firm though to allow Thomas Frank's side to begin their group campaign with an important three points. They face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt away next while Villarreal host Juventus.
Tottenham vs Villarreal latest news
- GOAL! Own goal gives Spurs an early lead
Thanks for following along.
You can read Matt Verri’s player ratings here, and his post-match analysis here.
Full-time!
21:51 , Alex Young94min: There’s the whistle! It was far from convincing, or pretty, but three valuable points for Spurs.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:48 , Alex Young92min: Danso is on, replacing Bergvall.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:47 , Alex Young90min: Three minutes added on.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
21:43 , Alex YoungShaping up to be a very nervy conclusion to this match for Spurs.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:43 , Alex Young86min: Pepe fancies it... but blasts it wide.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:42 , Alex Young85min: Van de Ven gives away a free kick right on the edge of the area after a great burst through the line by Villarreal, who want a penalty but the foul occured just outside.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:39 , Alex Young82min: Moleiro replaces Buchanan.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:36 , Alex Young79min: A first touch and a first yellow card for Kolo Muani inside a minute.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
21:35 , Alex YoungSimons off and that very much feels the right call. Just tracked back and could have given away a foul on the edge of the Spurs box.
Kolo Muani on for his debut and a big ovation around the stadium. Those turn to loud boos as Partey comes on for Villarreal.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:34 , Alex Young76min: Simons and Richarlison are replaced by Johnson and debutant Kolo Muani.
Villarreal introduce Dani Parejo and Partey.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:32 , Alex Young74min: First changes for Villarreal.
Perez and Cardona replaced by Pedraza and Akhomach.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
21:30 , Alex YoungPalhinha already making a difference, winning the ball back in midfield. Nearly leads to a second goal but it's brilliant defending to stop Richarlison having a free header at the back post
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:29 , Alex Young72min: Fantastic cross from Kudus towards the back post, but Richarlison cannot quite get the proper connection with a header.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:26 , Alex Young68min: First Spurs changes as Sarr and Spence are replaced by Palhinha and Udogie.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
21:24 , Alex YoungMarcelino furious that Simons hasn't been sent off.
Spurs man swiped Pepe's legs away from him to stop the counter - could easily have been a second yellow. Instead the Villarreal boss is shown a yellow.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:24 , Alex Young65min: Simons has escaped a red card. He trips a Villarreal player but the referee opts against a second yellow, which it looked like it deserved.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:18 , Alex Young60min: Bergvall wins a corner, which Kudus whips in from the right and the keeper only just about punches clear. He is not at all confident, and Spurs haven’t done enough to test him since the goal.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
21:15 , Alex YoungSpurs fans getting very, very edgy. Three times the hosts give it away in a little over a minute, Villarreal should really have punished them.
When Spurs have it, they're not particularly pushing forward on the counter, it's all very cautious. Home fans want more.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:13 , Alex Young56min: Another really good chance for Villarreal as again Pepe is guilty of missing an opening.
Spurs will to liven up quickly, as they are playing like they are 3-0 up at the moment.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:10 , Alex Young52min: Renato Veiga gets booked for a very clumsy mid-air challenge on Bergvall.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:07 , Alex Young50min: Spurs still haven’t really woken up yet.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
21:04 , Alex Young47min: Spence sends a long ball forward in search of Richarlison, but it flies out of play.
Second half
21:02 , Alex Young46min: Back underway, no changes.
Teams are coming out. We’ll be back underway very shortly.
Spurs are good value for their lead, but they have done little else.
A bit more needed after the break to secure a first win of the League Phase.
Villarreal have threatened, and perhaps should have equalised, but it has the feel of a pre-season friendly at the moment.
Half-time!
20:47 , Alex Young46min: The referee doesn’t even play the full minute. There’s the break!
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:45 , Alex Young45min: Simons takes, Villareal clear.
One minute added on.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:45 , Alex Young44min: Super cross from Porro, which the keeper doesn’t deal with, Simons works it to Richarlison who wins a corner.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:43 , Alex Young43min: Another penalty appeal as Bergvall’s pass hits a Villarreal arm, but the defender couldn’t do anything about it.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:41 , Alex Young41min: Porro’s cross meets Bentancur, but he gets his header all wrong.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:39 , Alex Young39min: Free kick on the right-hand side of Villarreal’s box after a handball by Renato Veiga.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20:38 , Alex YoungOne of those that could have gone either way. Richarlison did get his body across but maybe not quite enough contact to overrule. Depends on what mood VAR happens to be in on the day.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:37 , Alex Young37min: No penalty. Hmm.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:36 , Alex Young36min: Spurs fans are screaming for a penalty as Richarlison takes a tumble in the box. At first glance, it looks like a foul... VAR check ongoing.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:35 , Alex Young35min: Comesana now into the book for a late foul. Huge cheers from the home support.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20:35 , Alex YoungFair to say the referee hasn't made himself hugely popular in north London so far.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:33 , Alex Young33min: Very card-happy, this referee. Now Richarlison gets booked for a late foul. Looked very soft, that.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:31 , Alex Young31min: Great, low strike from Sarr forces Luiz Junior into a save to his right.
Better from a sluggish Spurs.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:31 , Alex Young30min: Simons is the first man booked tonight for an accident stamp. He’s moaning but the referee did not have much choice.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20:29 , Alex YoungSpurs fans have turned their attention to the touchline. Loud 'Johnson again' chants as he warms up in front of the South Stand.
SITTER!
20:25 , Alex Young24min: What a miss! Pepe sets up Buchanan for a glorious chance into the area, with the whole goal gaping, and he sends it three yards wide of the far post.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:21 , Alex Young21min: Heart-in-mouth for the Villarreal goalkeeper as Spence’s cross bounces off a defender and almost catches him out again.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20:17 , Alex YoungPace of the match has slowed right down, Tottenham are near enough at walking pace in their own half.
Fairly muted atmosphere too, considering the fast start from the hosts
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:13 , Alex Young13min: Van de Ven heads the corner clear.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:13 , Alex Young12min: First shot in anger from Villarreal, and it’s from former Arsenal man Pepe who wins a corner off Van de Ven.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:11 , Alex Young11min Villarreal seeing plenty of the ball, but doing a whole lot of nothing with it so far.
Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal
20:09 , Alex Young7min: This Villarreal goalkeeper has an interesting approach, doesn’t he? He runs out of his area to head the ball away for a throw in to Spurs.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20:06 , Alex YoungMarcelino was calling for calm from his outfield players after that goal. Not sure they're to blame for the goalkeeper throwing one into his own net
GOAL!
20:05 , Alex Young4min: A gift for Spurs as goalkeeper Luiz Junior put into his own net!
Bergvall’s low cross into the box was directed towards Richarlison, the keeper intercepts but lets go of the ball.
Tottenham 0-0 Villarreal
20:03 , Alex Young3min: The ball sits up nicely for Simons to have a go on the half-volley, from the edge of the area, but his shot fizzes over the bar.
Tottenham 0-0 Villarreal
20:02 , Alex Young2min: Foyth goes straight into and over Richarlison for an early talking-to from the referee.
Kick-off!
20:00 , Alex Young1min: Here we go.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
19:57 , Alex YoungIt's been a busy old day for Jun'ai Byfield. The 16-year-old played for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League earlier this afternoon, and he's gone straight from the training ground to the stadium tonight to take his place on the bench here.
Here come the teams.
Final preparations ahead of kick-off.
Thomas Frank on his Champions League debut
19:37 , Alex Young"I feel very privileged to be standing here today ... to have this opportunity.
"The first minute, I'll try to suck it in and then as soon as the whistle goes - boom - it's game time."
European game under the lights in N17.
The players are out for a warm-up. Not a huge crowd to greet them.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
19:16 , Alex YoungI thought that Frank could be tempted to start Udogie tonight, but once again it's Spence at left-back.
Frank has started the same defence for every Premier League match so far and it's continued in Europe.
No Palhinha providing the shield in front of them - Bentancur tasked with playing that role tonight.
Thomas Frank makes two changes as Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison come in, with Mathys Tel and Joao Palhinha make way.
Xavi Simons makes his home debut for Spurs.
Villarreal name Thomas Partey and Manor Solomon on the bench. Former Spurs defender Juan Foyth starts and wears the captain’s armband.
Confirmed team news in full
18:56 , Alex YoungVillarreal XI: Luiz Junior; Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Comesana, Gueye; Pepe, Mikautadze, Perez
Subs: Diego Conde, Tenas, Altimira, Rafa Marin, Solomon, Parejo, Akhomach, Partey, Moleiro, Oluwaseyi, Pedraza, Navarro
Villarreal XI
18:52 , Alex Young...and the visitors!
🟡 ONCE INICIAL 🟡#UCL pic.twitter.com/gd7m3xrG5H
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) September 16, 2025
Confirmed team news in full
18:50 , Alex YoungTottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons
Subs: Kinsky, Austin, Danso, João Palhinha, Udogie, Gray, Johnson, Odobert, Davies, Kolo Muani, Scarlett, Byfield
Tottenham XI
18:47 , Alex YoungRicharlison comes in.
Your Champions League Spurs side 👊 pic.twitter.com/A9PyeplPOh
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 16, 2025
Dimitar Berbatov tells Amazon Prime that Spurs are capable of winning today, as long as they “don’t do Spursy things, make stupid mistakes”.
No one tell West Ham.
Team news is due at around 6.45pm, so in about 20 minutes or so. But it could drop a bit sooner.
Richarlison is expected to return to the starting line-up, with Tel ineligible. Simons should keep his place, but could move into No10.
Frank set for UCL bow
18:16 , Alex YoungThomas Frank will take charge of a Champions League game for the first time tonight, and he said it will be “special” to stand on the touchline and hear the anthem.
He reflected on his journey from managing Brentford in the Championship to now preparing his side to play on the biggest stage in club football.
“Of course it is a fantastic opportunity and experience tomorrow,” Frank said.
“In many ways you would say yes, we played with Brentford in the Championship at Griffin Park, a small, compact stadium and tomorrow we are playing in one of the best stadiums in the world – maybe the best.
“In front of our fantastic fans, it is a European night and we know they will be absolutely on it. It will be so special, so yeah really looking forward to the first two minutes, the Champions League anthem and then it’s focus on the game.”
Romero confident over new Spurs direction on return to Europe's elite
18:07 , Alex YoungCristian Romero's most recent Champions League memory is not a particularly happy one, writes Matt Verri.
It came in March 2023, the last time Tottenham featured in the competition. AC Milan were the visitors to north London for the second leg of their last-16 tie.
Those with experience of watching Romero would have had their early warning systems activated as his head went down and he began the sprint towards Theo Hernandez. He arrived on the scene at full speed, launched himself into a challenge on the touchline and duly received a second yellow card.
Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League and Tuesday’s showdown with Villarreal marks a first return to the competition since.
Change is somewhat of a buzzword at Spurs at the moment, but the team is almost unrecognisable from the side who were knocked out by Milan.
Just three of that starting line-up are still at the club. Cristian Romero, now club captain, is the only one in line to feature on Tuesday, with Dejan Kulusevski out injured and Ben Davies yet to play a minute this season.
Add in the fact it will be Thomas Frank on the touchline and not Antonio Conte, and that there will be no Daniel Levy watching on from the stands, and this is a very different club.
Tottenham vs Villarreal prediction
17:56 , Alex YoungSo far this season, we have seen two sides of Tottenham. We have seen the free-flowing, tactically astute Spurs who picked apart West Ham, downed Manchester City, and came within minutes of beating PSG in the Super Cup.
We have also seen the more turgid Tottenham that whimpered to a 1-0 home loss against Bournemouth.
So, the outcome of this match will likely be decided by which Tottenham turns up.
Given the scale of the occasion, the Spurs squad should have no issue getting themselves up for it.
Tottenham to win, 2-1.
Early Villarreal team news
17:49 , Alex YoungVillarreal will be without defender Willy Kambwala, centre-forward Gerard Moreno, and Pau Cabanes.
Tajon Buchanan is in line to start, though. He has notched three goals in four LaLiga matches this season, one shy of early golden boot contender Kylian Mbappe.
Early Tottenham team news
17:42 , Alex YoungTottenham could hand a debut to Deadline Day signing Randal Kolo Muani tonight.
Thomas Frank will be forced into at least one change from the win at West Ham as Mathys Tel has been left out of Spurs’ squad for the league phase of this competition.
Richarlison is therefore expected to come back into the starting lineup, though Frank also has the option of giving Kolo Muani his first minutes in a Spurs shirt.
Dominic Solanke remains out with the ankle injury that saw him miss most of pre-season and then ruled him out of recent matches against Bournemouth and West Ham.
Frank has decisions to make across the pitch. Destiny Udogie will hope to come in for his first start of the season at full-back, while Rodrigo Bentancur could also return after dropping out against West Ham.
Xavi Simons started on the left wing in that match and had some promising moments without really catching the eye. Frank could be tempted to shift him into the No10 role, but that would likely mean at least one of Lucas Bergvall or Pape Matar Sarr miss out and both have been in impressive form.
How to watch Tottenham vs Villarreal
17:35 , Alex YoungTV channel: Tonight’s match will not be broadcast on terrestrial television.
Live stream: Tottenham vs Villarreal will be broadcast live for free on Amazon Prime.
It will be free for all Amazon Prime subscribers to watch. A subscription starts at £8.99 per month, though a 30-day free trial is also available.
Coverage will start at 6.30pm BST ahead of an pm kick-off.
Welcome
17:29 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Champions League game between Tottenham and Villarreal.
For Spurs, it’s a first game at Europe’s top table since March 2023, while the Yellow Submarine make their return since a semi-final defeat in May 2022.
Two teams with a point to prove, in a game which both will believe they can win.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST. Stick with us.
