Sports
Back on track: Arsenal fight back to win and return to top of table
Arsenal fought from behind twice before claiming a 93rd minute winner at Aston Villa – thanks to the head of former goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Gunners had lost three of their last four games heading into this clash and got off to the worst possible start when Ollie Watkins beat the offside trap to fire home an opener for Unai Emery’s men. Bukayo Saka hammered in an equaliser with, before Philippe Coutinho finished off a brilliant team move to put Villa back in front before the break.
However, Oleksandr Zinchenko equalised just past the hour mark, but the Gunners looked set to be frustrated as the game headed into injury time. But when Jorginho’s fine 25-yard strike clattered the crossbar and bounced down, their luck was in, as it hit the back of the head of Martinez, and rebounded into the net, before Gabriel Martinelli wrapped up the win late on. Here are six talking points from a huge show of character from Mikel Arteta’s men.
Title hopes back on track
It looked like it would be five games without a win in all competitions for Arsenal with their title challenge has been seriously dented. But they dug deep in stunning fashion to put their title challenge back on track with a remarkable win.
They now move three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, with a game in hand over Pep Guardiola’s side. The luck was on their side at Villa Park, something that all title winners need to have.
Mikel Arteta can finally sleep soundly, with his side’s title challenge firmly back on track. They are now back in control of the title race, with the manner of Saturday’s win likely to feed into their momenteum.
It would be fair to say that Philippe Coutinho’s time at Aston Villa has not gone the way the Brazilian would have hoped. He had made just six starts in the Premier League heading into Saturday’s game, but was given a chance from the off against the Gunners.
It was a chance he made the most of, completing 79 per cent of his passes and being a threat throughout. But the highlight of his afternoon came, unsurprisingly, with his goal.
Villa had moved up the pitch in impressive fashion having played out from the back, with Coutinho picking up the ball in the Arsenal box. With many expecting him to fire to the right, Coutinho instead slid the ball low to the left and proved he can still deliver in the big games.
Unai Emery clearly has unfinished business in the Premier League and he showed once again why he is considered to be one of the top coaches in the division. His gameplan worked to perfection, coming so close to securing his side an impressive win against the title challengers.
A point would have extended his impressive record against the Gunners. In his previous four games as manager against them Emery had been yet to lose, winning once and drawing three times.
But that record is now at an end, with Arteta showing his coaching ability to turn the game on its head with his substitutions. Emery was left shellshocked at full-time, but he will take heart from his side’s performance.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been one of the signings of the season since his arrival at Arsenal from Manchester City. But Aston Villa appeared to have a successful plan for how to deal with the Ukrainian, who tends to cut inside as an inverted fullback.
Villa packed the midfield to ensure there was little space for Zinchenko to roam into inside, with Arsenal somewhat blunted as a result. But as the game progressed, the Ukrainian international was able to grow increasingly involved in the game.
And he produced a stunning goal to keep his side’s title hopes alive just past the hour mark. With the ball loose from a corner, Zinchenko fired low past Emi Martinez from outside the box, rescuing a point for the visitors.
Still fight in the Gunners
Having endured their worst run of form of the season and seen Coutinho put Aston Villa back in-front, Arsenal’s squad may have been forgiven for dropping their heads. Instead though, the Gunners carried on fighting and scrapping to get back into the game.
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