Aston Villa closed the gap at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 victory for Unai Emery’s side as Emi Buendia scored deep in stoppage time.
Disappointed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pointed out his team’s failure to clear the ball seconds before Aston Villa’s stunning winning goal. The Gunners missed out on a chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League with a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Villa Park.
The hosts took the lead in the first half through Matty Cash, before Leandro Trossard pulled Arsenal back into the game with his latest goal off the bench. However, rather than equalizing, the hosts increased the pressure and in the final minute of stoppage time, Emi Buendia tipped the ball into the net.
The move sparked celebration and left Unai Emery’s side firmly in the title race, just three points behind the leaders. And Arteta bemoaned the fact that his players failed to clear the line following a long ball from Emi Martinez, leading to a scramble and eventual winner.
“We got off to a really good start in the second half,” he told TNT Sports. “We were very dominant, but then the same problems came back. We allowed too much space to certain opponents. We gave the ball away to ourselves before the game really started and we gave it away to the point where we could have lost the game.”
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“The goal kick was long, the second ball…the ball was cleared. There was a lot of individual action and a lot of confusion in the box and we ended up losing the ball. So it hurts.”
It was Arsenal’s second defeat all season, ending their unbeaten run in all competitions since defeating Liverpool in August.
Arteta added: “It will be like this every week. We are 18 games unbeaten and the margins are very small. Today we have to focus on ourselves and certain standards. Sometimes our individual level was not good enough. We have to go again.”
“The level of consistency with everything that happened to us was incredible. I have no argument to think otherwise.”
Meanwhile, Villa, who had been in a hopeless slump this season, recorded seven consecutive wins in all competitions, making manager Emery overjoyed. “I’m very happy. This week I was able to make the plays I needed to, compete, demand myself, adapt to my opponent, and play with character.”
“We dominated at times, we got into the box, we played hard and aggressive when we needed to. Villa Park is special and the supporters transmit their energy to us. Their reaction is great.”
“We’re going to focus on one game at a time. We know that the only way is to focus on each competition. We want to play well in the Europa League, but the Premier League is our priority. We have to respond like we did today.”
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