Arsenal have every reason to celebrate after their crucial win, which could prove to be a turning point in this year’s title race, coming from behind twice to beat Aston Villa 4-2 at Villa Park with a massive hand from Emi Martinez.
In a high-scoring encounter, Arsenal came from behind to secure a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park, sending the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table.
Villa started the game brightly and took an early lead through Ollie Watkins, who pounced on a loose ball in the box and finished with aplomb. However, Arsenal responded quickly, with Bukayo Saka scoring a stunning half-volley to level the scores just a few minutes later.
The game continued to be an end-to-end affair, with both teams creating chances. Villa regained their lead through a goal from Philippe Coutinho, who showed his quality with a smart finish after some neat interplay in the box.
However, Arsenal came out with renewed vigour in the second half and pushed for an equaliser. They were denied by the woodwork when Eddie Nketiah’s header struck the crossbar, but they eventually found their breakthrough thanks to a long-range strike from Oleksandr Zinchenko that beat Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
With the scoreline level, both teams pushed for a winner in the closing stages of the game. Villa came close to scoring through a shot from Duran that was saved by Aaron Ramsdale, but it was Arsenal who ultimately found the back of the net again.
In the dying moments of the match, a shot from Jorginho rebounded off the crossbar and hit the back of Martinez’s head before crossing the line, giving Arsenal a 3-2 lead.
They then sealed the victory with a fourth goal from Gabriel Martinelli, who slotted the ball into the empty net following a quick counter-attack after Martinez had went up for a Villa corner.
After the game, Jorginho told to BT: “That’s the Premier League! That’s why it’s the best league in the world. It’s just beautiful!. It’s important after the last results we have ha, we had a chat at half-time and went back to doing the basics, we changed the game.”
Oleksandr Zinchenko added: “An unbelievable lesson for all of us, we just need to believe to the very end that we can achieve everything. This group is such amazing people, we can achieve everything we want. The reaction from the second half is perfect and the right way to go in future games,we just need to keep going, to keep fighting.”
The win takes Arsenal back to the top of the league table, three points clear of Manchester City, who were due to kick off shortly after the Arsenal match finished. It also ends their four-match winless run and sets them up nicely for a tough away fixture against Leicester City in their next game.
For Villa, it was a disappointing result, as they have now lost their last three games in a row. They face a trip to relegation-threatened Everton in their next fixture, and will be hoping to turn their form around and climb back up the table.
Overall, it was an entertaining match between two teams who played some attractive football and created a lot of chances. Arsenal showed great character to come from behind and secure the victory, and will be hoping to build on this result as they look to challenge for the Premier League title this season.