The Argentine playmaker made a big impact off the bench for the second time in three Premier League matches as Villa continued their resurgence with a fifth straight win in all competitions.
Buendia, introduced in the 61st minute at Tottenham, fired home in stunning fashion 16 minutes later to earn a 2-1 victory after Morgan Rogers had cancelled out Rodrigo Bentancur’s early opener.
It was his third goal in four matches, the first of those coming in another key cameo outing against Fulham last month, continuing his own renaissance just months after his Villa career appeared to be over.
Buendia, who missed the whole of the 2023-24 season with a serious injury, spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen and then stayed despite interest from elsewhere in the summer.
Emery’s decision to keep him on board is now paying dividends and the boss said: “One reason for how he struggled in two years was after his injury. He needed time to recover.
“He started this season and this pre-season different to the last one. He has done very well and his skill is clear. He has skills to make the difference. I am so happy with him.”
Buendia’s winner came after Rogers had opened his Villa account for the season with his own sublime strike from distance.
Villa, who had fallen behind when Bentancur struck in the fifth minute, got stronger as the match went on with Ollie Watkins, unable to start because of a knee injury sustained on international duty, also making a key contribution off the bench.
“Always he is doing his task. Always. He is a hard worker,” said Emery of Rogers, who was sarcastically cheered by Villa supporters during last month’s win over Bologna.
“Through it, it is coming, his performances The team needs the work and then the capacity and skills.
“Today, Watkins played fantastic for 30 minutes. I watched him today thinking: ‘wow’.
“He didn’t score, but he was fantastic. Morgan has done the same progression. We can be brilliant or not brilliant, but we always have to work.
“Morgan is playing and scoring because he helps the team for 90 minutes. He has the capacity for 90 minutes. It is very important.”
Villa visit Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday before hosting Manchester City next Sunday.
Emery continued: “When they scored we felt disappointed but we had the same mentality.
“The key was how we competed and adapted tactically to what they demanded of us.
“Also, how we could impose our capacity. The quality of the players is very important.
“The enthusiasm to follow the plan, playing together, there was positive energy being added after our poor start. That’s important.”