Arsenal lost disappointingly to visiting team Aston Villa in the 33rd week of the 2023/2024 Premier League duel, Sunday (15/4/2024). The Gunners surrendered with a score of 0-2.
Playing at the Emirates Stadium, this match is crucial for Arsenal to continue to heat up the competition at the top. If they win, Mikel Arteta’s squad will return to the top of the standings.
Unfortunately, this time Arsenal lost cleverly to Villa. Arsenal continued to attack throughout the match, but it was Villa who managed to steal two goals through the actions of Leon Bailey (84′) and Ollie Watkins (87′) in the final minutes.
This result is bad for Arsenal, who are currently stuck in second place in the Premier League standings with 71 points, behind Manchester City.
Arsenal started the match with confidence. Aston Villa was forced to defend, even though the match was relatively open. 10 minutes running, there are no threats from either team.
In the 18th minute, Arsenal had a ripe opportunity. Saka received Odegaard’s pass on the right, followed it up with a cross to the far post, but Gabriel Jesus’ header went wide.
Villa seemed to rely on a counter-attack scheme. Until 30 minutes had passed, the visiting team was waiting more for the opportunity to steal the ball and launch a quick attack.
In the 40th minute, Arsenal almost conceded. Watkins steals the ball as a result of Gabriel’s blunder. Entered the penalty box, but his shot hit the post.
In the 41st minute, it was Arsenal’s turn to threaten. Receiving Odegaard’s pass, Trossard fired from close range in the penalty box, but Martinez was able to stop the ball.
There were no goals until the end of the first 45 minutes. The 0-0 score sent the players to the dressing room.
The match continued again with a rhythm that was not much different. Arsenal continued to try to dismantle Villa’s defense, but the visitors still played very neatly. 10 minutes passed quickly.
Until the 70th minute, Arsenal had fired a total of 17 shots, 4 of which were on target. Meanwhile Villa has not yet fired a shot on target.
Mikel Arteta saw his team at a dead end and tried to make changes with substitutions. Arsenal tried again.
Arsenal have not yet found a solution to penetrate Villa’s tight defense. The visitors also seemed satisfied with a defensive game, not really chasing goals. The match entered the final 10 minutes.
In the 84th minute, Arsenal conceded. With a quick counterattack scheme, Digne’s cross failed to meet Torres, but the ball fell right in front of Bailey at the far post. Hard shots and goals! Arsenal 0-1 Villa.
In the 87th minute, Villa secured victory. Tielemans’ through ball landed perfectly for Watkins. The English striker then outwits Smith Rowe and shoots. Goal! Arsenal 0-2 Villa.
