Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal: Unai Emery and John McGinn masterclass enough to see off Arteta’s brigade

In latest football news, Aston Villa have strengthened their grip on the Premier League top-four spot once again after they defeated league leaders Arsenal in a thrilling 1-0 victory, which comes after the Villans defeated Manchester City few days ago. With this harsh defeat, Mikel Arteta’s men have surrendered the top spot to Liverpool, who previously completed a miraculous comeback against Crystal Palace courtesy a Harvey Elliot screamer on the dying minutes, thus Gunners slipping on the second place.

Aston Villa- Premier League contenders?

Aston Villa has been one of the best and consistent teams this season. Owing to their exuberance and brilliance on every sectors in the game coupled with strict vigil from former Arsenal and Villareal man Unai Emery, the Villans have indeed presented themselves as one of the serious title contenders, thus increasing pressure on the Premier League’s “Big Six”.

With an European qualification achieved last season due to several top-class stars in the form of McGinn, Emi Martinez to name some few, Aston Villa would look to announce themselves on the biggest stage of Europe- the UEFA Champions League, and they seem to be well on course to achieve this feat this season.

As of the present scenario, the Villans are standing on a perfectly positioned third spot, following Liverpool and Arsenal, and they are leading defending champions Manchester City, a side who barely loses a Premier League game. But Unai Emery and his men have achieved the unthinkable feat of defeating Pep Guardiola’s City few days ago, and it seems to be a cherry on the top for them when they ousted Arsenal last night. Thus, it would be safe to say that Villa has perturbed the top four spots, adding an extra flavor for themselves, well poised for a top-four finish.

Masterclass tactics on display from Emery

With an intense clash on the cards coupled with Emery meeting his former “friends” at Arsenal, both sides had gone with a strong line-up, aiming for all three points as history was beckoning for both. If Villa achieved a victory, they would etch their names on the history books by extending their winning streak to 15 consecutive home games, and if Arsenal won, they could have snatched the top spot away from Liverpool.

Emery went with his traditional 4-4-1-1 formation, with Ollie Watkins marshalling the attack, followed by former Leicester City man Tielemans. The midfield comprised of a four-throng set-up, comprising seasoned players in the form of Bailey, Kamara, Luiz and goal scorer McGinn, with defensive duties vested upon Konsa, Carlos, Torres and Digne. Argentina’s favorite custodian Emi Martinez was asked to shoulder his duties between the sticks, as he has lived up to his responsibility beautifully so far.

As for the visitors Arsenal, it was a trademark 4-3-3 style, with Arteta on the stands, as his attack was filled with stars like Jesus, Martinelli and Saka, who were closely followed by Odegaard, Havertz and Rice, Defensive responsibilities were presented to the seasoned four-throng set of Saliba, Gabriel, White and Zinchenko. David Raya started the game with Ramsdale once again on the bench.

John McGinn- the hero of the night

With players assembling after the start, it took just seven minutes for Emery’s side to break off as they drew first blood after showcasing a brilliant display with magical “Emery-ball” at play. An attack which was presented from a brilliant play by Emi Martinez at the back, the ball was touched by almost every Villa player before the ball was laid off towards the Arsenal box. It was McGinn who displayed his Scottish talent to swivel past a quartet of Gunners’ defenders, before slotting the ball past Raya in a slick attack.

Arteta was seen on the stands owing to a touchline ban, and saw a Martinelli attack being thwarted away by Carlos after it beat Martinez at the goal. Arsenal skipper Odegaard decided to fire his own shot but saw Carlos come into play once again, before Ollie Watkins and Martinez almost conspired to score an own goal.

Emery turned to his bench to inject some energy, as Digne fired a powerful shot past Raya to confirm their victory, who further thwarted Watkins as Villa ensured that they earn all three points.

With this historic victory, Aston Villa maintained their spot intact, while Arsenal lost their top spot to Liverpool, who are looking dangerous at the top, after they secured a comeback victory against Crystal Palace. A historic feat for Emery with historic victories against City and Arsenal, the boss was heard saying, “I’ve never achieved this and I won’t again in my future as a coach. It’s amazing, brilliant. This week was the most difficult week, having Man City and Arsenal here, but after it we have to try to understand we are competing well. The next challenge will be Sheffield United and another tough match.”

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Arsenal boss Arteta was quite unhappy with the missed chances by his team, as he was heard saying to Sky Sports, “You have to put the ball in the net and that’s the only thing we missed today because we generated some big, big chances. Villa didn’t create anything but we still lost the game. Villa are a good side and in a really good moment now. We have to congratulate them.”

It looks that Villa have turned Villa Park to a fortress, and as of the current scenario, it looks difficult to be breached.

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