What is the solution to diminishing the authority of the kings? This was a topic of discussion among the Aston Villa fans, who are currently enjoying a successful period. It also presents a challenge for their manager, Unai Emery, who is becoming more secure in his role with each passing week.
The simple answer is a club-record 15th straight home league victory, one which came against the erstwhile leaders, Arsenal, nonetheless. John McGinn’s early strike was sufficient to move Villa – who survived a late VAR check when Arsenal had a goal ruled out for handball against Kai Havertz – to within two points of the summit and one behind Arsenal. Perhaps Villa really are bona fide title contenders, as Pep Guardiola suggested in midweek.
Villa Park once again held an exciting match for the second time in four days. Following their impressive defeat of Manchester City on Wednesday, there was speculation about whether Villa would have the mental and physical strength to deliver another strong performance.
They eventually faded, but the outcome was clear and evident within seven minutes when Villa’s captain scored to take the lead. McGinn was the finishing touch to a smooth team play as Villa moved from midfield to score against David Raya. Leon Bailey outplayed Gabriel Magalhães and Oleksandr Zinchenko, the only change in both lineups, and then calmly found McGinn waiting near the six-yard box. With his back to goal, McGinn controlled the ball with his right foot and quickly turned past Ben White to score with his left foot on the next touch.
As John McGinn was being praised by the Villa supporters, Mikel Arteta, who was serving a touchline suspension, watched on with a serious expression from the directors’ box. He sat next to Edu, the sporting director, and Miguel Molina, his tactical assistant coach, with Vinai Venkatesham, the departing chief executive officer of Arsenal, in front of them. It’s understandable that Arteta would be frustrated, especially considering the impressive record of Villa not losing any of their last 21 games in which they scored first, winning the last 10 in a row. Although Arteta was not present, his predecessor Emery, whom he replaced after an unsatisfactory 18-month tenure, was orchestrating yet another dominant and aggressive performance by Villa.
Villa had to display various sides during the match and dug deep to defend against waves of pressure from Arsenal. The situation looked bleak for Arsenal, but unlike City earlier in the week, they continuously pushed Emiliano Martínez’s goal. Martínez, the former Arsenal goalie who won the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards in October, made a smart save from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard before halftime. Ødegaard also had a chance but should have done better. Havertz made a breakthrough on the left and expertly cut the ball back for Jesus, whose effortless first touch on the penalty spot set up Ødegaard perfectly. However, the Arsenal captain, who had previously sent a shot into the side netting, lacked enough conviction in his strike and his shot was too close to the Villa goalkeeper.
The Arsenal team took to the field a few minutes before the start of the second half, with Moussa Diaby coming in for Villa, who had to substitute the injured Bailey. Arsenal had a winning streak of six games and were determined not to lose here. They responded well and created multiple opportunities. For Villa, this was an intense match where they had to switch to survival mode a few times.
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Ødegaard attempted a shot with the side of his foot, but it went wide. This happened after Havertz ran into an open area on the left side and Bukayo Saka, who was given his debut by Emery five years ago when he was at Arsenal, had a goal disallowed for being in an offside position. Aston Villa almost unintentionally gave Arsenal a chance to tie the game when their goalkeeper, Martínez, accidentally hit the ball off of Ollie Watkins and it hit the post. In the second half, Lucas Digne held onto Saka’s yellow shirt, resulting in him receiving a routine yellow card.
There was a contentious moment in the 90th minute. Arteta, unable to do anything from the sidelines, watched as VAR Michael Salisbury reviewed referee Jarred Gillett’s call to disallow substitute Eddie Nketiah’s goal. This decision was made after Havertz was deemed to have committed handball while under pressure from Matty Cash. Despite Arsenal’s persistent efforts, Villa managed to hold on for another impressive win.
Villa’s previous loss at this stadium in the league was to Arsenal in the middle of February. The match ended in a 4-2 defeat, with two goals being scored in stoppage time. This resulted in Villa being placed in the middle of the table, with the possibility of relegation still being a distant but unlikely possibility. This season, they are competing at a higher level, with endless possibilities.
Source: theguardian.com
