Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa (Martinelli 35′, Havertz 55′ | Tielemans 60′, Watkins 68′)
EMIRATES STADIUM — There will surely be more twists and turns but this felt like a significant day in the Premier League title race as one challenger won in the best way possible and another faltered in the worst.
Arsenal didn’t even lose but squandering a two-goal lead at home to Aston Villa to draw felt as good as a defeat. That it followed Liverpool’s last-ditch salvage mission at Brentford made the gut punch hurt even more.
Initially, the Gunners had coped well with two setbacks. A sense of dread washed over the fans making their way to the Emirates 75 minutes before kick-off when William Saliba’s name was missing on the teamsheet.
The Frenchman picked up a hamstring injury during the north London derby and while adrenaline ensured he completed that fixture it had dulled in the days leading up to Villa.
Saliba hasn’t missed much football since establishing himself as an Arsenal regular, starting in 58 of their last 59 Premier League games prior to Saturday, which is just as well as they tend to struggle without him.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Saliba has missed 13 of a possible 98 league matches; Arsenal have won only five of them.
“Tomorrow we will have more information [on his injury],” Mikel Arteta said. “Another test on him. For sure [we are worried]. Very worried.”
With Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu also out injured and Jakub Kiwior only named among the subs, Arsenal’s back four was unusually small, containing two players in Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly both comfortably under the standard six-foot mark. That proved to be important.
More bad news was to follow when Darwin Nunez scored his first top-flight goals since November to turn one point into three and extend Liverpool’s lead to seven points. Arsenal shaved one of those off, but it felt insufficient given their rivals have a game in hand.
Arsenal made a defiant start, controlling the controllables and blocking everything else out.
Emi Martinez was forced into his first save after just three minutes. Arsenal racked up four corners in the first 10 minutes as they did against Spurs in midweek, causing havoc with a couple of them.
Gradually, Villa settled. It was finely poised: Arsenal’s control vs Villa’s counter-punching. Nervous energy filled the Emirates. Arteta was booked for yelling at the fourth official for egregiously making the right decision to award Villa a throw-in. Thomas Partey inexplicably threw the ball straight to Watkins who lashed a dipping volley over the bar.
The home team and the home fans needed a lift. The roar that met their opening goal was one of joy but also relief. Leandro Trossard crossed to Gabriel Martinelli to score, one winger supplying the other. David Raya sprinted off, gloves curled into fists, towards the fans in celebration once Chris Kavanagh’s watch had given the go-ahead to point to award it.
Gabriel Martinelli gets on the end of Leandro Trossard's cross to open the scoring in North London!
pic.twitter.com/HOhHh9cxJK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 18, 2025
Martinez, ever the pantomime villain, blocked Martinelli’s awkward finish with his chest but couldn’t paw it away quick enough as it looped into the air and over the line.
Suddenly Arsenal were emboldened with confidence. The mountainous Amadou Onana limped off before the match restarted, depriving Villa of their midfield muscle. Maatsen was struggling, head spinning like he’d come out of the tumble dryer. Lucas Digne replaced him at the break but initially, at least, nothing changed.
Arsenal remained ascendant and deservedly doubled their advantage within 10 minutes of the restart with Trossard again the architect. The second was similar to the first, instigated by the Belgian’s jinking feet and pinpoint delivery and helped in by Martinez. Kai Havertz was a popular scorer after being horrifically abused last week.
It all felt surprisingly comfortable, before suddenly becoming incredibly difficult. Youri Tielemans led the Villa fightback, scoring and hitting the post in the space of two minutes.
Then boyhood Gooner Ollie Watkins grabbed his obligatory goal against Arsenal, inflicting a nightmare on the club of his dreams for the second time at this stadium in nine months.
What a finish from Ollie Watkins to equalise for Aston Villa at the Emirates
pic.twitter.com/Km1ai7Od9A
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 18, 2025
Like Arsenal, both of Villa’s goals originated from crosses. And they were each scored from positions to the right and centre of Raya’s penalty box, aka the Saliba zone.
The organisational safety blanket that the Saliba x Gabriel axis provides Arsenal is painfully absent when one or the other isn’t there. This collapse evoked painful memories of the 2022-23 run-in, when Arsenal’s form vanished without Saliba.
“Today we cannot concede the goals we have done. That line is so thin, we have been punished before and we cannot do it,” Arteta acknowledged.
Arsenal responded to a third crushing blow of the day well. It looked as though they had wrestled the three points back when Havertz turned in Mikel Merino’s volley, but it clearly hit his hand.
Merino hit a post and Trossard lashed a shot at Martinez’s shins and narrowly wide when possibly offside as they hunted desperately for a winner that never came.
Dropped points are becoming a feature of Arsenal’s season.
Only Brighton (with 10) and Crystal Palace (nine) have drawn more matches than Arteta’s side (eight). Seven of those stalemates have been against teams in the top half; they have won only two of 11 fixtures against such opponents. They have lost 12 points from winning positions.
Failing to beat those around them is a major flaw that will need to be fixed if Arsenal are to overhaul Liverpool.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/7L1OvmB
Post a Comment
EmoticonClick to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.