What a dramatic comeback Arsenal have made against Aston Villa. They conceded the first goal at Villa Park but sealed a thrilling victory by a 4-2 margin. This victory moves Arsenal to the top of the table.
As it happened
At Villa Park, Aston Villa hosted Arsenal this evening. Before this match, Arsenal were winless in their last four games. Therefore, they were desperate to win against Aston Villa to return to their winning ways.
Mike Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, benched Gabriel Martinelli because of his off-form. In spite of Martinelli, the boss deployed Leandro Trossard in the starting XI. However, Mike Arteta set up the team formation with a 4-3-3, while Aston Villa manager played his team in a 4-4-2 formation.
The home team stunned the visitors very early in the game. Aston Villa took the lead in just five minutes as Ollie Watkins found the net with the help of M. Cash. This match was a must-win for the Gunners, so they responded quickly. Within ten minutes, the visitors leveled the scoreline with Bukayo Saka’s shot beating Emi Martinez and earning the equalizer for the Gunners.
There was more drama coming in the first half. Aston Villa kept pushing the Gunners at their home ground. Their counterattack seemed very threatening in the first half. Aston Villa, however, took the lead once again before the break. This time, Philippe Coutinho’s powerful strike found the net for the home team. Arsenal failed to return this one in the first half. Therefore, the home team went to the break with a 2-1 lead.
Coming back from the break, Arsenal changed their playing style. They controlled the second half from the beginning. The gunners took 16 shots in the second half, whereas they had four shots in the first half. In the 61st minute, Arsenal leveled the scoreline with a goal from Oleksandr Zinchenko.
However, the home team could have killed the game in the 82nd minute if Leon Baily’s shot didn’t hit the post. Furthermore, Arsenal took the lead for the first time in the match as Gorginho’s bullet shot found the net after deflecting on Emi Martinez’s back. This goal came in the additional minutes. Moreover, Arsenal got another one from the counter-attack as Martinelli scored in the 90+8th minute. This one secured Arsenal’s 4-2 victory and retained the top position.
