Arsenal travels to Villa this afternoon as they look to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
Four games without a win in all competitions have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup and pushed them behind Manchester City in the title race.
Mikel Arteta and his squad’s mettle has truly been tested in recent weeks and today’s game with Aston Villa pits them against former manager Unai Emery, who has made the Midlands side into a threatening if highly inconsistent outfit.
With City playing later, a point will be enough to lift Arsenal back to the summit, albeit potentially temporarily. But in reality this is a must-win game for the visitors, who have dropped Gabriel Martinelli to the bench.
The hosts will be upbeat about their chances as Arsenal have lost two of their last three visits to Villa Park and also head into this fixture on the back of a defeat to Manchester City.
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History with Arsenal?
After winning three consecutive Premier League games against Arsenal from July 2020 to February 2021, Aston Villa have now lost each of their last three against the Gunners.
Only against West Ham United (14) have Arsenal won more Premier League away games than they have against Aston Villa (13), though they have lost two of their last three visits to Villa Park.
Aston Villa lost 4-2 against Leicester in their last home league game, but haven’t lost consecutive matches at Villa Park since April last year. However, one of those defeats back then was against Arsenal.
How Arsenal line up today
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Trossard.
Subs: Turner, Tierney, Holding, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Nelson, Martinelli.
Trossard’s first PL start for Arsenal
Two changes to the Arsenal team that were beaten by Manchester City. Ben White returns at right-back in place of Takehiro Tomiyasu, while Leandro Trossard comes in for Gabriel Martinelli. It is a full Premier League debut for the Belgian in an Arsenal shirt.
The Aston Villa line-up is in
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; McGinn, Luis, Kamara, Coutinho; Bailey, Watkins.
Subs: Sinisalo, Traore, Chambers, Young, Duran, Digne, Bailey, Dendoncker, Ramsey.
Away shirt for the Gunners today
A famous face in the home dressing room
In the week it was Will Ferrell and now Tom Hanks is the latest Hollywood celebrity.
Of course, the actor is one of the surprisingly high number of famous people who inexplicably support Aston Villa.
The warm-ups are in full flow with kick-off in just over 15 minutes…
Mikel Arteta plays down Arsenal title chat
Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League title – and always have been.
That’s according to Mikel Arteta who said ahead of today’s game: “I don’t think we have ever been favourites, I don’t think that has changed.
“Man City have been the No1 candidates from day one because they have been in that position for much of the last five years.”
Countdown to kick-off
The last four meetings between these teams at Villa Park have been evenly split, two wins apiece, with just five goals scored.
Kick-off!
Referee Simon Hooper blows his whistle and Aston Villa vs Arsenal gets underway!
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
1: Both sets of players take a knee before kick-off and they are also wearing black armbands following the news of the death of former Chelsea and Newcastle player Christian Atsu.
Arsenal, starting a game not top of the Premier League for the first time since August, get us underway!
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
2: OVER! Douglas Luiz has a penchant for the spectacular but that wild, swerving drive from all of 40 yards goes a long, long way off target.
4 mins: Arsenal have Odegaard sat on Douglas Luiz when Villa have the ball to try and shut down the Brazilian from orchestrating play.
Lots of technique in that Villa midfield, with Coutinho back in the XI.
GGGGOOOOOAAALLLL!!! Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
5 mins: WATKINS!
8 mins: Mikel Arteta’s side have faced plenty of tests in recent weeks and here is another.
Villa looking happy to let them have non-threatening possession now, with the confidence they can break quick and get at the Arsenal defence.
Very little to threaten Martinez’s goal, too.
10 mins: Nketiah very lucky to avoid a booking for diving outside the box.
“Same old Arsenal, always cheating,” sung out by the Villa fans.
Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
8: Unai Emery had been pacing the touchline in the early stages. His eagerness for his current side to start brightly against his old one was plain to see. And boy have they delivered for him.
Villa Park is rocking – and Arsenal’s title challenge could be rocking too!
11 mins:
Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
12: OFF THE BAR! INCREDIBLE DEFENDING!
That’s why he’s got the new contract! Mings somehow diverts a diving header from Nketiah onto the bar. The Arsenal man looked certain to convert from six yards out!
An offside flag finally goes up against White from the pass through from Jorginho, which kind of spoils the fun, but Mings and Nketiah weren’t aware of that at the time. An incredible passage of play!
Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
Since his debut in the Premier League in 2020/21, only Harry Kane (57) has scored more Premier League goals among English players than Ollie Watkins (32).
GGGOOOOOAAALLLL!!!! Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
16 mins: SAKA!
Mings turns a harmless cross right back into the danger area but take nothing away from the finish, Saka absolutely leathers his effort into the top corner!
All square.
Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
Only Erling Haaland (30) and Harry Kane (18) have been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Bukayo Saka (17).
18 mins: Zinchenko takes aim from 30 yards and picks out the goalkeeper with a dipping effort.
20 mins: Saka is down for Arsenal after a tangle, but that’s just an impact injury competing for the ball and he’ll carry on.
23 mins: Xhaka goes down under Cash’s pressure and the Gunners are looking like the side much more likely to grab another goal.
25 mins: Saka now has at least a goal or assist in 15 of his last 20 Premier League appearances. That is some form!
27 mins: Luiz hits a free-kick into Arsenal’s wall and Saka does well to bring the ball clear as Moreno looks to recycle the opportunity.
GGGOOOOAAAALLLL!! Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal
32 mins: COUTINHO! WHAT A GOAL!
Super, flowing football from Villa down the left flank and worked into the Brazilian, who finishes from the penalty spot.
Against the run of play, the hosts lead again!
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal
Philippe Coutinho has scored his fifth Premier League goal against Arsenal, versus no other side has he scored more in the competition.
68 mins: Trossard, a fairly quiet performer on his first league start for Arsenal, is replaced by Martinelli.
71 mins: Martinelli looks threatening on a counter from a Villa corner and has home defenders swarming around him by the time he gets to the box, and his pass to Nketiah is overhit.
74 mins: Arsenal looking a bit flimsy at the back with any goal now likely to be the winner, although Villa’s latest attack falls down after an errant Bailey ball towards the box.
McGinn places a long-range hit at the goalkeeper and the game is opening up…
76 mins: Cash, whose had a fine game, tackles the ball into touch and Martinelli looks to have hurt his knee in that.
The corner is looped towards Saka and his mishit effort is hammered clear.
78 mins: Final Villa substitutions as Watkins and Moreno depart for Duran and Digne.
79 mins: Vieira and Tomiyasu replace Xhaka and White now for Arsenal, the right-back having played rather well.
Aston Villa chance!
82 mins: WHAT A SAVE!
Superb touch, run and shot by Bailey which rattles the underside of the crossbar, having received a faint touch by Ramsdale.
84 mins: Gabriel flicks a header over from Odegaard’s free-kick, Martinez caught in no man’s land…
Martinez booked for time wasting at the restart.
86 mins: Arsenal back on the offensive and Jorginho threads a lovely pass into the box, for Saka to latch onto and spin. His low shot is right at Martinez.
90 mins: Arteta furious as a free-kick is called back for a moving ball, the Arsenal boss sarcastically mimicking the referee’s motion to pull the play back!
The board goes up for six added minutes…
90+2 mins: Great play by Ramsey to rob Martinelli and spark a counter.
Duran into the box and his effort is palmed away by Ramsdale!
90+3 mins: GOAL! Aston Villa 2-3 Arsenal (Martinez OG, 90+3)
INCREDIBLE SCENES AT VILLA PARK!
That goal could be worth the transfer fee for Jorginho alone!
It goes down as an own goal – the January signing rifles a shot against the bar and the ball goes in off the former Arsenal goalkeeper’s head!
There’s nothing Martinez could do about it!
Aston Villa 2-3 Arsenal
90+6: Holding and Tierney are thrown on for Zinchenko and Odegaard as Arsenal try to see out these final moments to secure a huge win.
Aston Villa 2-3 Arsenal
90+7: VILLA CORNER!
Nerve-shredding moments for Arsenal supporters…
Martinez is going up!
Aston Villa 2-3 Arsenal
90+8: Digne to take… HOLDING AWAY!
AND THERE’S NO GOALKEEPER….!
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal (Martinelli, 90+8)
MARTINELLI SEALS IT!
Holding’s header is right into Martinelli’s path and he launches the break. He plays it out to Vieira and when he gets it back Martinelli is charging into the penalty box and towards an unguarded foal, with Martinez having gone up for the corner.
The Brazilian is celebrating before he puts it away and confirms a vital comeback win for Arsenal!
FT: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal
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