Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, giving up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League in dramatic fashion.
Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage-time winner completed a remarkable comeback for Unai Emery’s side and dealt a huge blow to the Gunners’ title hopes.
Matty Cash gave Villa a first-half lead in the 36th minute with a powerful shot that hit the back post, taking advantage of Arsenal’s struggle to contain the hosts’ energetic pressing.
The right-back’s half-volley from a deflected cross caught David Raya by surprise, much to the delight of Villa Park, and rewarded the home side’s dominant opening.
Mikel Arteta reacted decisively at the interval, bringing on Leandro Trossard and Victor Goqueres for the ineffective Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino.
Aston Villa hope to lure Chelsea summer signing with surprise move in January
It will make your head spin.
The Belgian substitute made an immediate impact just seven minutes into the second half, scoring the rebound after Emiliano Martinez had only been able to deflect Bukayo Saka’s initial shot. It looked like Trossard’s poacher’s instincts at the back post had brought Arsenal level and decisively shifted the momentum in the visitors’ favor.
Throughout the second period, Arsenal maintained overwhelming possession and created multiple chances to win. Noni Maduke was well-placed in the closing stages to find the side netting, while Declan Rice orchestrated a deep attack despite suffering from a calf strain against Brentford in midweek.
However, Villa meekly refused to surrender.
Emery’s tactical changes proved inspired when Buendia was brought on for Matty Cash in the 85th minute, with Lamarre Bogarde dropping to right-back, pushing the home side into a more aggressive attacking shape.
The Argentine playmaker made a decisive intervention late in stoppage time, reacting quickly to a loose ball inside Arsenal’s penalty area and firing home with his right foot to secure all three points.
This defeat was Arsenal’s second of the season and ended their unbeaten run of 18 games in all competitions. More importantly, Man City will have the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to just three points if they beat Sunderland later today.
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal – Player of the match | match rating |
|---|---|
Emiliano Martinez | 7.8 |
Declan Rice | 7.7 |
Matty Cash | 7.5 |
boubacar camera | 7.5 |
Martin Odegaard | 7.2 |
via scorer | |
For Villa, the win extended their excellent home record to just one defeat in their last 25 league games at Villa Park, keeping them in contention for Champions League qualification despite sitting third in the table.
There is also the question of whether Emery’s men are true title contenders right now.
Stuart Pearce says Youri Tielemans stole the show against Arsenal
With that debate in full swing, former England defender Stuart Pearce singled out one of Villa’s stars to thank for making it a truly great afternoon for Emery in the Midlands.
Commenting on the match on talkSPORT, Pearce named £150,000-a-week midfielder Youri Tielemans as Player of the Match.
The Belgian international appeared to have caught the eye against Arsenal, with Pearce describing his performance in the engine room as “outstanding”.
“Great,” Pierce exclaimed.
“His passing skills, his receiving skills, he was outstanding.”
Tielemans, whose contract expires in 2027, has just made a firm case to Villa bosses about his long-term future.
The 28-year-old only recently returned to full fitness after missing six league games with a calf problem, but was left out of the starting XI for Villa’s thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton.
Emery’s decision to start Tielemans today was a brilliant one and his performance will give the player great confidence ahead of Villa’s trips to FC Basel and West Ham.
