Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa - Report
For just a couple of minutes, Villa threatened to pull off a result which would have dramatically altered the mood of their season.
When Douglas Luiz scored directly from a corner for the third time since July and the second time in the space of nine days, Steven Gerrard’s team were suddenly level against Premier League leaders Arsenal with 16 minutes to go.
Yet normal service was quickly resumed, Gabriel Martinelli stabbed home from Bukayo Saka’s cross and the Gunners held on for a 2-1 win which on the balance of the 90 minutes was more than deserved.
For Villa this was their fourth defeat in five league matches and a tricky one to assess. There were times, in the first half, when the viewing was almost painful, Gerrard’s team subjected to wave after wave of attacks by hosts brimming with confidence and boasting the division’s only remaining perfect record. Villa were fortunate to only be trailing to Gabriel Jesus’ 31st minute goal at the break.
In the second half they were much improved after the break but once more lacking ideas in the final third. It took a remarkable goal to see them draw level and there was no escaping the sense it only served to wake their opponent up. Once Martinelli had restored the home side’s advantage, another leveller never looked likely.
Gerrard would no doubt point to the character shown as a positive but effort is a minimum requirement. Next up is a home match against Manchester City and goal machine Erling Haaland. It seems likely things will get worse before they get better. The gulf between Villa and those teams at the top of the table looks a considerable one.
Tyrone Mings had recovered from the illness which saw him miss the 1-0 defeat to West Ham, returning the line-up as one of four changes as Gerrard returned to the team beaten 3-1 at Crystal Palace in the previous Premier League away match.
The other three returning players, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey and Emi Buendia, combined in a move which ended with the latter shooting over when being closed down.
Otherwise, it was all one-way traffic, a raucous home crowd quickly raising the volume as their team attacked and Villa tried to hold them at bay by any means possible.
Mings wrestled Saka off the ball, leading to howls of derision when referee Rob Jones waved away appeals for a penalty and an encore when VAR Darren England agreed.
After Boubacar Kamara was penalised for tripping Martinelli, the hosts played the free-kick quickly to catch out the visiting defence but Martinez proved equal to Jesus effort at the near post. From the corner Villa failed to clear and Gabriel saw a shot deflect agonisingly wide.
Villa were somehow surviving. Kamara sold Mings short with a pass and Jesus stole in, Martinez palming the cross who missed the clearance, with Mings then throwing himself in the way of Martin Odegaard’s effort. When the visiting backline was breached, Saka arrived to meet Martinelli’s cross at the far post and promptly blazed it over the bar.
Having fought so hard to stay level, the manner of Arsenal’s opener made conceding doubly frustrating for Villa. Martinelli was allowed too much time on the left, Granit Xhaka’s run was not tracked and when the latter’s low cross took a nick off Ezri Konsa’s boot, Martinez could not hold the ball. Jesus was never going to miss from six yards out.
Martinez, who swapped the Emirates for Villa Park two years ago, faced inevitable derision from the home crowd but redeemed his error somewhat to prevent his former club extending their advantage before the break. An instinctive one-handed stop at point-blank range denied Jesus, with Matty Cash hooking clear as Saka looked to stab in the rebound. Then, with just seconds of the half remaining, Martinez threw himself to his left to keep Martinelli’s drive out of the top corner with his fingertips.
Odegaard was the next to be denied by the Villa keeper early in the second half, though his free-kick may have been heading just wide before it was pushed around the post.
The visitors were at least seeing a bit more of the ball but when they got into the final third their play was too often ponderous, Bailey in particular guilty of running into cul-de-sacs.
Gerrard finally made a change with 17 minutes remaining and within 60 seconds it paid dividends. Luiz’s first touch was a corner kicked behind for another and from that he repeated his trick from the pre-season friendly at Walsall and the previous week at Bolton, the goal allowed to stand after a VAR check for a possible foul by Watkin on keeper Ramsdale.
Arsenal’s response was swift. Saka crossed and though Martinez got a hand to Martinelli’s shot, he was unable to prevent it crossing the line. This was not a night the Argentina international will remember fondly.
Teams
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale, White (Tomiyasu 64), Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Xhaka, Lokonga, Martinelli, Odegaard (Smith Rowe 81), Saka (Nketiah 87), Jesus (Holding 87) Subs not used: Soares, Vieira, Marquinhos, Smith, Turner (gk).
Villa (4-3-3): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, McGinn (Luiz 73), Kamara (Ings 83), Ramsey, Bailey, Watkins, Buendia (Coutinho 73) Subs not used: Chambers, Augustinsson, Young, Archer, Iroegbunam, Olsen (gk).
