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Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal: Match report, player ratings, expert analysis, fan reaction and more

All the action from a massive clash at Villa Park

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Title challengers Arsenal fought back from behind twice as they reinstated their gap at the top of the Premier League with a battling performance against Aston Villa and former boss Unai Emery.

Arsenal’s poor week continued in the opening minutes at Villa Park, as some careless play saw Oleksandr Zinchenko robbed on the halfway line, before Ollie Watkins ran beyond William Saliba to hand the home side the lead, and leave the Gunners looking at a fourth consecutive game without a win in the Premier League.

But the Gunners rallied, and began to circulate the ball threateningly, restoring parity minutes later thanks to a sumptuous volley from talisman Bukayo Saka from 16 yards out that flew past Emiliano Martinez before he had time to react to draw his side level.

But parity did not last long. More poor pressing from Arsenal saw the hosts cut through Arteta’s side’s midfield, before a cute dummy cut Granit Xhaka out of the game, allowing Philippe Coutinho to find the bottom corner and hand the title-chasers another mountain to climb.

Arsenal improved in the early parts of the second half, with Eddie Nketiah hitting the crossbar after rising above two defenders from a Ben White cross.

And, as they pushed for an equaliser, summer addition Oleksandr Zinchenko duly provided, sweeping home from a Martin Odegaard short corner to level the clash once more.

But, deep into stoppage time, Arsenal took the lead for the first time in the game, with Jorginho’s strike rebounding off the underside of the crossbar and back off the head of Emiliano Martinez to hand Mikel Arteta’s side their first win in five games, and take them back to the top of the Premier League.

There was even time for a fourth, with Gabriel Martinelli running the ball into an empty net after Martinez had gone up for a corner, in a game that will hand Arsenal mammoth confidence that they can still compete for the biggest prize this season.

Player ratings

Aston Villa

  • GK: Emiliano Martinez (6) – Did well to suck some of the pressure out of the game from restarts, pushing his luck at times and picking up a booking for his troubles. Very unlucky to see Jorginho’s strike come back off his own head.
  • RB: Matty Cash (7) – Produced an excellent pass for the opening goal of the game, and did well to keep Leandro Trossard very quiet before making an excellent last-ditch challenge on Martinelli
  • CB: Ezri Konsa (6) – Another strong outing from the defender, who could do nothing about either goal.
  • CB: Tyrone Mings (5) – Produced a poor clearing header for the Arsenal equaliser but otherwise kept Eddie Nketiah relatively quiet.
  • LB: Alex Moreno (5) – Struggled to deal with Bukayo Saka throughout the game, and the majority of Arsenal’s threat came down his side.
  • CM: John McGinn (7) – Pressed well in the first half, but struggled in the second. Had one tame effort on goal that didn’t trouble Aaron Ramsdale.
  • CM: Boubakar Kamara (7) – Continues to prove an excellent addition in the Villa midfield, and put in another top performance for his side.
  • CM: Douglas Luiz (6) – Worked hard in midfield and kept Martin Odegaard very quiet in the first half. A yard off the pace in the second and taken off on the hour.
  • RW: Emiliano Buendia (7) – Hardworking and was efficient in getting his side up the pitch in the first half especially.
  • ST: Ollie Watkins (7) – Found a fine finish for the opening goal and worked hard for his side in the press too. A strong outing from the attacker.
  • LW: Philippe Coutinho (7) – Worked hard defensively and took his goal well before being taken off on the hour.

Substitutes

  • Jacob Ramsey (7) – Was excellent in midfield and added masses of energy for Villa.
  • Leon Bailey (7) – Created one excellent chance from which he hit the crossbar.
  • Leandro Dendonker (5) – Couldn’t really add anything to the Villa side.
  • John Duran (6) – Added some energy and presence to the Villa frontline
  • Lucas Digne (5) – Continued to struggle with Bukayo Saka like Alex Moreno had before him.

Arsenal

  • GK: Aaron Ramsdale (6) – Made one excellent save to deny Leon Bailey with the score at 2-2.
  • RB: Ben White (6) – Suspect for the second goal and couldn’t support Saka enough going forwards in the first half. Much, much better in the second.
  • CB: William Saliba (5) – Looked to be running in treacle for the opening goal
  • CB: Gabriel (6) – Excellent in defence for Arsenal, and helped make up for Saliba’s seeming rustiness.
  • LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (5) – Lacked any of the incision that he is in the team for in the first half. Improved with the team in the second and took his goal excellently.
  • DM: Jorginho (8) – The best of a bad bunch in midfield in the first half. Lacks the physical presence of Partey, but continues to dictate play for Arsenal and his deflected strike ensured a much needed three points.
  • CM: Martin Odegaard (6) – Began poorly but grew into the game. Guilty of missing a sitter in the second half but ran the show after half time.
  • CM: Granit Xhaka (5) – Had another poor game, especially in the first half, and will be counting down the days until Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey return.
  • RW: Bukayo Saka (7) – Arsenal’s only bright spark in the first half, and took his goal excellently. Battled on through injury and remained a key outlet for the Gunners.
  • ST: Eddie Nketiah (5) – Had very few chances but hit the crossbar with a header and should have grabbed an assist when Odegaard inexplicably fired wide.
  • LW: Leandro Trossard (5) – Couldn’t really get into the game in the first half as Arsenal’s entire left side struggled. Far less influential than his substitute appearances have been.

Substitutes

  • Gabriel Martinelli (6) – Didn’t offer much but ran the ball into an empty net to make sure of the three points.
  • Takehiro Tomiyasu (7) – Excellent when coming on
  • Fabio Vieira (6) – Wasn’t particularly threatening, but found a precise ball to find Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time.
  • Kieran Tierney (N/A) – Came on in added time.
  • Rob Holding (N/A) – Came on in added time.

Expert analysis

Fan reaction

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Ben Browning

Football writer and analyst. Long-time writer of all things Arsenal and avid watcher of European football. Happy to discuss all things football over on Twitter.

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