New signing Dion Dublin was bought by Villa manager to score the goals necessary for a title challenge.

And he started superbly, with two first half goals before strike partner Stan Collymore got in on the act.

Alan Green: "The match was much closer than it should have been"

Villa's excellent start has been built on sound defending, yet despite a three goal advantage they were then made to sweat as Spurs made the most of some uncertainty at the back.

Dublin struck twice within four first half minutes, firstly from a corner and a second from a midfield mix-up.

Dion Dublin talks to BBC Radio 5 Live

Collymore gave Villa a 3-0 lead after half time before Spurs came back with a Darren Anderton penalty, and a Ramon Vega goal from a corner.

Villa were aiming to bounce back from their midweek Uefa Cup defeat but Dublin's afternoon did not start as he would have liked.

He earned a second minute booking for the use of his elbow against John Scales.

Dublin's debut marred by a yellow card

And it was Collymore and Paul Merson who were more lively than their new team-mate in the early stages.

Merson, playing just behing the front two, had the best chance in the opening stages.

He was freed down the left by Lee Hendrie, but after bursting into the area, his intended pass for Collymore was deflected for a corner by Scales.

Spurs manager George Graham talks after the match

Villa were enjoying most of the possession and Dublin's first goal came when an Alan Wright corner teased the new signing's marker Sol Campbell into attempting a clearance.

But the England defender missed the ball completely, and it hit chest of Scales before falling to an un-marked Dublin who slammed it home.

Then four minutes later came an even greater mistake.

Alan Nielsen played the ball back to the Spurs defence, but Anderton and Scales left it it each other to clear, and Dublin raced clear to slot his shot past keeper Espen Baardsen.

The second half began with Villa again forcing the pace with another recent signing Steve Watson also impressive on his full Villa Park debut.

Just three minutes after the break Hendrie found Collymore in space on the edge of the area.

A return to form for Stan Collymore

He held off Campbell to shoot across Baardsen.

Spurs, whose best chance of the first half came when Steffen Iversen headed a cross straight at Villa keeper Michael Oakes, then began to come into the game again.

Anderton crashed one shot against the bar from outside the box.

He was then given an easier chance to pull one back when Ginola went down under Ugo Ehiogu's challenge on the edge of the box.

The England midfielder put the penalty high and to the right of Oakes to give Spurs some hope.

Within minutes though, they almost went 4-1 down when Ehiogu's free header from a corner was saved brilliantly by Baardsen right on the line.

Tottenham continued to keep the pressure up, and from a corner came an uncharacteristic error in the Villa defence.

Dublin was greeted with an ovation from the Villa fans

Iversen flicked the ball across the six yard box and Ramon Vega pounced to drive the ball past Oakes.

Within minutes Dublin had the ball in the net again, but a linesman's flag denied him his hat-trick

That provided a nervous finish with the new signing replaced by Mark Draper as Villa hung on to the narrow lead in the face of a Spurs onslaught.

Dublin's arrival has certainly brought change at Villa Park - this was the first time they have scored three this season, but it was also the first time they have conceded two.

They now face a crucial month, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal the next to visit Villa Park.

Aston Villa

Oakes, Wright, Southgate, Ehiogu, Watson, Taylor, Collymore, Merson, Dublin, Barry, Hendrie. Subs: Draper, Thompson, Joachim, Grayson, Rachel.

Tottenham

Baardsen, Carr, Nielsen, Fox, Anderton, Edinburgh, Ginola, Scales, Iversen, Campbell, Clemence. Subs: Vega, Dominguez, Allen, Sinton, Walker.