Arsenal dealt huge title race setback as Gunners blow Aston Villa lead - 5 talking points
Share:
Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League title took another blow after Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to secure a draw at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners took the lead when Gabriel Martinelli converted Leandro Trossard's low cross and they were 2-0 up and flying when Kai Havertz beat Emiliano Martinez from another Trossard ball into the box.
But things started to go wrong for the home side when Youri Tielemans got goalside and buried a diving header into the near post from Lucas Digne's cross. And it got even worse when Ollie Watkins volleyed in via the underside of the crossbar from Matty Cash's ball to the back post.
There was plenty of drama left, though, with Mikel Merino's bobbled shot going in via a deflection off Havertz, which VAR adjudged to be a handball. Merino then struck the post in added time before Trossard dragged a shot wide, but Arsenal couldn't find the winner they craved to leave them six points adrift of Liverpool, who scored two injury-time goals to down Brentford earlier on Saturday.
The gigantic Bukayo Saka-shaped hole in the Arsenal team of late has been a real and obvious problem for Mikel Arteta. His hamstring injury has been felt keenly by the Gunners, who have become very reliant on the England man for a creative spark in the final third.
Ethan Nwaneri offered hope of life without Saka when he scored in the 1-1 draw at Brighton, but the weight of expectation has fallen mainly on Trossard and Martinelli. The general consensus has been disappointing, with both struggling to match the incredible output of their stricken team-mate.
