A minute's applause was held before the match to pay tribute to former Tottenham player and manager Terry Venables
The ex-England manager's death was announced less than two hours before kick-off, and a minute's applause was held to pay tribute to a man who won the FA Cup with Spurs as a player in 1967 and as manager in 1991.
Giovani lo Celso's deflected opener looked to have got the early season pacesetters back on track after their unbeaten start came to an end with back-to-back defeats before the international break.
But Pau Torres levelled with a header deep into first-half added time before Ollie Watkins slotted in his 12th goal of the season to seal Villa's turnaround.
Spurs pushed for an equaliser but could not avoid a third straight defeat - and they have taken the lead in each one of those games.
Tottenham were top of the Premier League table after their first 10 games but are now below Villa after victory in north London sent Unai Emery's team above them into fourth place.
-- Courtesy of BBC Sport