Categories: Sports

FT: Aston Villa 2 – 4 Arsenal LIVE Premier League Match Coverage

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.

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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.

Follow all the LIVE blogs below:

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The warm-ups are in full flow with kick-off in just over 15 minutes…

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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.

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“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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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! 

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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).

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