Arsenal vs Aston Villa Review
Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title took a significant hit as Aston Villa came back from being two goals down to secure an exciting 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium. This result marked Unai Emery’s fifth unbeaten match in seven encounters against his former team (with three wins and two draws). After witnessing Liverpool defeat Brentford earlier in the day, Arsenal recognized the need for a strong response against a well-performing Villa team. The Gunners nearly scored early on when Gabriel Martinelli’s close-range shot was saved by Emiliano Martínez, while at the other end, David Raya blocked a powerful shot from Ian Maatsen.
The contest maintained its end-to-end action as the first half went on. After Ollie Watkins missed a good opportunity for the visitors, Arsenal took the lead in the 35th minute. Leandro Trossard delivered a fantastic cross to Martinelli, who managed to get in front of Maatsen and scored, marking his seventh goal of the season.
Mikel Arteta’s team carried their momentum into the early part of the second half and quickly increased their advantage, with Kai Havertz scoring from another precise Trossard assist. However, the visitors responded quickly, reducing the deficit within five minutes when Youri Tielemans perfectly timed his run to finish Lucas Digne’s cross into the bottom corner. Just a minute later, Tielemans hit the post, as the visitors looked to stage an impressive comeback.
Villa equalized with 22 minutes left on the clock when Watkins, unmarked at the back post, volleyed Matty Cash’s cross into the top of the net. This set the stage for an exciting finish as both teams sought a late goal. Arsenal believed they had scored the winner in the 88th minute, but Mikel Merino’s shot was disallowed due to a handball by Havertz. The home team kept pushing, with Merino hitting the post during stoppage time, but Emery’s team stood strong under pressure to secure a well-deserved draw.