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In a monumental result for their Premier League survival hopes, Aston Villa pulled off a dramatic win over Arsenal tonight. The victory pulls the Villans out of the drop zone for the first time since February, and with just one game to go, their fate now rests in their own hands.
It was a tremendous performance from Dean Smith’s men overall. Despite giving up the lion’s share of the possession, Villa’s defenders largely kept Arsenal’s attackers shut out. And when they were handed a chance – via some slack marking from a corner – Trezeguet pounced to hammer the ball past Emiliano Martinez.
Surprisingly enough given Villa’s defensive issues this season, the single goal turned out to be all they needed.
Here are 5 talking points from tonight’s game.
#1 Villa grab their chance at survival with both hands
Just 12 days ago, Aston Villa’s hopes of avoiding relegation looked dead and buried. Stuck in the bottom 3 since February, Dean Smith’s men were beaten 0-3 by Manchester United. And worse for Smith, his players appeared to capitulate following United’s first goal.
Since then though, Villa have somehow managed to turn things around. A win over Crystal Palace was followed by a draw at Everton, leaving them clinging to a lifeline. Southampton’s win over Bournemouth on Sunday handed them more hope and of course, Manchester City’s 4-0 thrashing of Watford meant that a win over Arsenal would take them out of the drop zone.
That task sounded easier said than done, but somehow, Smith’s team pulled the result out. This wasn’t a lucky win, though. Villa had more shots on goal than their opponents tonight, and to a man, worked incredibly hard and put in one of their best performances of the season.
Had they played like this prior to the season’s suspension, they probably wouldn’t be in the trouble they are. Can they survive? On this showing, incredibly, yes.
#2 Smith’s tactical tweaks out-thought Arsenal boss Arteta
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been given a lot of credit lately, and for good reason. Coming into tonight’s game, his Gunners side had beaten Liverpool and Manchester City in back-to-back fixtures.
At Villa Park tonight though, the young manager was tactically beaten by his opposing boss Dean Smith.
Early on in the game, it looked like Arsenal would be able to open Villa up on the flanks by using a 3-4-3 formation using pseudo-wing backs in Bukayo Saka and Cedric Soares. With Villa preferring a flat back four, Saka and Cedric’s runs were giving the home side’s defence plenty of problems.
Following the first-half drinks break though, Smith tweaked his tactics somewhat. He moved to a 4-1-4-1 formation, forcing Jack Grealish and Trezeguet into deeper wide areas and preventing Arsenal from gaining overloads there.
That largely nullified Arsenal’s attack – particularly in the first half – and meant that despite the Gunners enjoying more possession, they weren’t really able to open Villa’s defence up. And when Arteta decided to overload the attack even more in the second half, Villa simply soaked up the pressure and looked to hit Arsenal on the break.
Smith’s tactics have come into question on numerous occasions during this season, but tonight he got them spot on.
#3 Have Arsenal been exposed somewhat?
For as well as Villa played tonight, it’s worth discussing Arsenal’s limitations right now. The Gunners gained as many plaudits as they did criticism after their recent wins over Liverpool and Manchester City, as both victories came through using a counter-attacking style.
However, in Arsenal's two most recent defeats – against Tottenham and then in tonight’s game – the same issue has raised its head.
Both games saw Arsenal have far more possession than their opponents. They took 69% tonight and 63% against Spurs, and in tonight’s game their pass success rate was an impressive 88%. However, in both matches, they simply didn’t create enough chances.
The Tottenham game saw them take 13 shots with just 4 on target. Tonight’s performance though was even worse – they had 7 shots, but didn’t manage one on target, and Villa keeper Pepe Reina was never truly tested.
The closest they came to scoring was when an Eddie Nketiah header – from a set-piece – struck the post late in the second half.
This suggests that – like Manchester United earlier in the season – the Gunners are much more effective as a counter-attacking unit. If they’re forced to open up a deep-lying, resilient defence, then they’re far more likely to struggle.
So what’s the answer for Arteta? Most likely, he needs a true playmaker to replace Mesut Ozil ready for next season. If Arsenal can’t provide him with that, then the book to beating them may have been written.
#4 Ezri Konsa shines again in Villa’s defence
Aston Villa’s defensive issues have been well-documented this season. Dean Smith’s side have leaked a total of 66 goals, more than any other Premier League side outside of already relegated Norwich. Had their defence been stronger, they may well not be in the trouble that they are.
However, since the season restarted in June, Villa’s back-line has looked much stronger than it did before. Despite taking on some of the Premier League’s most dangerous sides, they’ve only really capitulated against Manchester United. And even that was after a very questionable penalty decision.
Part of the reason for Villa’s stronger back line recently has been the rise of Ezri Konsa. The former Brentford man has made 24 appearances this season but has never truly shone until now. In recent games though, the England U-21 international has been fantastic.
He scored a key goal for Villa against Everton last week, but tonight was all about the defensive side of his game. Konsa and his teammates managed to keep out one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attacking units, and the 22-year old was exceptional.
Not only did he make numerous important blocks and clearances, but his passing was also excellent – only Jack Grealish scored higher than his 85% success rate.
If Villa survive, then building their defence around a partnership of Konsa and Tyrone Mings next season will undoubtedly be the best thing Smith could do.
#5 Poor defending costs Arsenal again
With the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette amongst their ranks, Arsenal are undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s best attacking sides. But Mikel Arteta’s team have let themselves down time after time with their defending this season.
Tonight’s game was no different. Arsenal have conceded 46 goals during the current campaign. And in a shocking statistic, almost half of those goals conceded have come from set-pieces.
Their recent loss to Tottenham stemmed from their failure to keep an eye on Toby Alderweireld during a corner, and the same issues repeated themselves tonight against Villa.
Conor Hourihane’s set-piece was admittedly hard to defend against, but it wasn’t like Tyrone Mings or Ezri Konsa were able to charge through to score. Instead, the ball went completely across the box following a flick of Mings’ head, and found its way to Trezeguet, who was completely unmarked.
Even then, the Egyptian forward need not have had a clear sight of the goal. Cedric Soares had a chance to close him down, and failed miserably. And sure enough, that allowed Trezeguet to lash a shot into the net.
With plenty of physicality in their defence in the form of David Luiz and Sead Kolasinac, Arsenal should simply be far more robust from set-pieces than they are. It’s something Arteta will need to work on heavily if he wants more success next season.
