Arsenal lost their second league match this season. Now, Mikel Arteta’s team is just one point behind Liverpool. Liverpool became the top team after a disputed 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Aston Villa is getting closer to the top of the Premier League, trailing by just two points. They won 1-0 against Arsenal on Saturday with a goal from John McGinn. Arsenal had won 15 consecutive Premier League matches at Villa Park, but Villa’s recent back-to-back victories against Manchester City and Arsenal have raised hopes of a surprising title challenge, the first since 1981. The only goal in the match happened after seven minutes, with Villa’s captain McGinn scoring from Leon Bailey’s cross into the top corner.
McGinn expressed, “It’s been an incredible week for us.”
“We had a challenging time with our schedule, playing on Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday. I believe it affected our performance tonight, not our finest, but I’m not complaining.”
“In the second half, we showed character and determination. Credit to the substitutes who came on.”
Arsenal lost their second league match this season. Now, Mikel Arteta’s team is just one point behind Liverpool. Liverpool became the top team after a disputed 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Arteta had to watch from the stands due to a touchline ban. After the game, he had to hold back when questioned about a couple of controversial incidents.
In the second half, Arsenal believed they deserved a penalty when Gabriel Jesus was brought down by a challenge from Douglas Luiz.
In the second half, Arsenal believed they deserved a penalty when Gabriel Jesus fell after a challenge from Douglas Luiz.
Also, Kai Havertz had a goal disallowed for handball in the late stages of the game.
Arteta stated, “I have a strong opinion, yes,” but added, “I prefer not to comment.”
It was a satisfying win for Emery, who was fired by Arsenal four years ago.
Since returning to England more than a year ago, the Spaniard has had a significant and positive impact at Villa.
Emery mentioned, “It was a challenging week, and now, after earning these three points, we should be happy but also stay balanced.”
“I’ll talk again when we reach game 32 or 33. Right now, at game 16, we’re not in the race for the title.”
Arsenal missed several significant opportunities, leading to concerns about their ability to secure their first Premier League title in 20 years without a natural goal scorer.
“We were the better team, and we didn’t deserve to lose, but that’s how football goes,” said Arteta.
“The only thing we lacked today was scoring. We had some really good opportunities,” said the speaker.
Arsenal had their first significant opportunity even before Villa scored, but Bukayo Saka couldn’t connect with Gabriel Martinelli’s cross.
Moments later, Arsenal fell behind as McGinn skillfully controlled Bailey’s cross, setting up his fifth goal of the season.
Emiliano Martinez made sure Villa held onto their lead until halftime by stopping shots from Martin Odegaard and Jesus.
Arteta had a frustrating time watching as Villa relied on luck to hold their ground in the second half.
Ollie Watkins accidentally directed a corner towards his own goalpost, and then Odegaard missed another significant opportunity by shooting wide.
Saka did manage to score against Martinez, but unfortunately, he was ruled offside.
There was late excitement when Havertz used his strength to push past Matty Cash and score at the back post.
The ball seemed to touch both players’ hands as they fought for the ball, but the referee’s choice to call a handball against Havertz was confirmed after a lengthy VAR review.
Arsenal’s loss provides an opportunity for fourth-placed City to narrow the gap to four points from the top when the English and European champions play against Luton on Sunday.
