Despite being rated higher, Arsenal once again had to bow to Aston Villa in the Premier League this season because they lost 2 goals in just 3 minutes.
Welcoming annoying opponent Villa at Emirates home field, Arsenal understands that this is a perfect opportunity to repay the debt borrowed in the first leg, and 3 points in this match will help the Gunners increase. gap with Liverpool, the team unexpectedly lost to Crystal Palace in this round.
Immediately after the opening whistle, Arsenal, with home advantage, attacked and created many dangerous situations towards goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. In the first half, captain Martin Odegaard was the home team’s best player.
The Norwegian star is truly the boss of the midfield, and also plays a constructive role in every аttаck of Arsenal. In the first 45 minutes, the 1998-born midfielder alone created no less than two good opportunities for teammate Kai Havertz, but his clumsiness and poor finishing ability made the German star unable to repay his captain.
If Odegaard is Arsenal’s brightest factor, then on the other side of the front line, goalkeeper Martinez had an excellent half to discourage his old team.
In the face of a series of storms that Arsenal created, the Argentine star still showed the bravery of a world champion, commanding his teammates to defend and turning Villa’s net into an impregnable place.
In the 40th minute, it was thought that the Gunners could open the scoring when striker Leandro Trossard had a close-range shot, but Martinez suԀԀenly raised his foot quickly, causing sadness for the home team’s audience.
Engrossed in attacking, Arsenal was almost caught in cold water if Villa striker Ollie Watkins’ shot did not Һit the post in the 39th minute.
Helpless against Martinez as well as the away team’s disciplined defense, Arsenal were sadly held back before the break.
Entering the second half, Arsenal was no longer able to easily control the match when Villa proactively raised the team to apply high pressure.
In the first 20 minutes of the half, Emery’s army was the one who controlled the match and created a few dangerous threatening situations towards David Raya’s goal. If you were luckier, Youri Tielemans could have broken the deadlock in the match in the 61st minute when the Belgian star had a left-handed shot and Һit the crossbar.
But the Villa players did not have to regret for too long because in just 3 minutes from minute 84 to 86, the away team had two consecutive goal celebrations.
Emery demonstrated his ability to read the game intelligently when striker came on as a substitute in the second half. Leon Bailey was the author of the opening goal. From an attacking situation on the left wing, defender Lucas Digne threw a nasty cross that eliminated the entire home team’s defense, helping Bailey easily score.
Continuing the excitement, Villa drowned Arsenal in the 86th minute. This time, Watkins put the ball into Raya’s net instead of the post like in the first half after a quick cоunterattack.
In the remaining minutes, Mikel Arteta’s team, despite their best efforts, could not score an honorable goal, thereby shooting themselves in the foot in the championship race.
Empty against Villa, Arsenal officially dropped to 2nd place on the rankings with 71 points after 32 matches, 2 points behind leading team Manchester City.