Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points as Gunners complete comeback in crazy affair | Premier League 2022-23
Arsenal overcame a first-half deficit to beat Aston Villa to secure the top spot in the Premier League on Saturday, February 18.
Arsenal were coming off an unprecedented dip in form, securing just one point out of a possible nine in their last three games. They fell out of the lead in the Premier League after losing 3-1 to Manchester City on Wednesday. Manager Mikel Arteta opted to hand starts to winter signing Leandro Trossard and Ben White, who replaced Gabriel Martinelli and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, were looking to avoid three defeats in a row after losing to Leicester City and Manchester City. Unai Emery, who faced his former club for the first time since returning to the Premier League, made a host of changes, including the return of Tyrone Mings from illness alongside John McGinn and Philippe Coutinho.
It was a brilliant start for Aston Villa as Arsenal were caught on the ball high upfield. Matty Cash released Ollie Watkins, who went past Gabriel and finished past Aaron Ramsdale, marking his fourth consecutive Premier League game with a goal.
The Gunners kept the pressure on and soon got the equalizer. Ben White clipped a ball into the box which was cleared poorly by Mings. It fell kindly for Bukayo Saka, who unleashed a brilliant left-footed half-volley past Emiliano Martinez.
Arsenal continued to be dominant in possession but it was Villa who restored their lead. Alex Moreno got on White's wrong side and delivered a low ball into the box, which was finished well by Philippe Coutinho.
The game was poised well at 2-1 at half-time. All three results looked possible.
Arsenal piled on the pressure as Eddie Nketiah struck the crossbar with a header. Aston Villa eventually crumbled when Arsenal released Oleksandr Zinchenko on a well-worked corner routine and the Ukrainian drilled it past to equalize.
Both managers looked to the bench to spark some change. Gabriel Martinelli came on for Leandro Trossard while Emi Buendia made way for Leon Bailey.
Martin Odegaard then spurned a glorious chance when Eddie Nketiah robbed Ezri Konsa on the edge of his own box and squared the ball to the Norwegian, only for him to send his shot wide.
Late on, the game turned into an engrossing affair, with Arsenal creating regular chances and Villa being a constant threat from the counter. Leon Bailey struck the post and Jhon Duran had another great chance.
The end-to-end action had an unbelievable end in the 93rd minute when Jorginho's brilliant strike rattled off the bar and bounced back in off Martinez to deliver the win for the Gunners. They added a fourth when Martinez went ahead for a corner and Gabriel Martinelli rolled the ball into an empty net.
Arsenal regained top spot temporarily with a fantastic 4-2 win, with Manchester City set to face Nottingham Forest later in the day. With that said, here are five talking points from the game.
#5. Arsenal need to address their defensive troubles
Despite the win, Mikel Arteta will not be happy with his team's recent defensive struggles. The Gunners have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games in the Premier League and it has been a key component in them losing their lead at the top of the table.
For Villa's first goal, they were easily cut through by a single pass when they lost the ball high upfield and the second goal also had some questionable defending from Ben White. If Arsenal want to finish the season as champions, it is important that their defense regains their form.
#4. Unai Emery can take positives from this game
Although the result did not go their way, Aston Villa will be relatively pleased with their performance. They were able to keep pace with the league leaders for extended parts of the game, mostly keeping their shape and posing a constant threat on the counter.
Unai Emery has done a great job in lifting the team from 17th to the midtable since his arrival. He will also be happy with a good showing from striker Ollie Watkins, who bagged a goal in four consecutive games.
#3. Bukayo Saka continues his brilliant season
It has been a season to remember for Saka as he leads Arsenal to an unprecedented title challenge. The 21-year-old has been Mikel Arteta's most instrumental attacking player and he added to his season tally today with a brilliant half-volley in the first half. He now has 10 goals and eight assists in the season and finished the game with six shots (two on target) and three dribbles completed.
#2. This game is what the Premier League is all about
Arsenal and Aston Villa played one of the most exciting games in recent memory. It was truly an engrossing affair, which saw the Gunners go into half-time with a 2-1 deficit only to show their mettle and roar back in the second half. They completed their comeback in stoppage time in a game that had goals, narrow misses and much more.
#1. Arsenal regain a footing in the title race
Arsenal's recent dip in form saw them lose their lead at the top of the table, culminating in a mid-week loss to Manchester City which saw them get overtaken for the first time in the Premier League standings since November.
Early on, it looked like their poor run would continue as Aston Villa played some great football but the Gunners held on and fought well to produce a result. The title race is now well-poised and the Gunners' return fixture against City at the Etihad could be a true title decider.
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Arnav Kholkar