Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2-1 at Villa Park courtesy of goals from Matty Cash and Emiliano Buendia, either side of Leandro Trossard's equaliser.placeholder image
Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2-1 at Villa Park courtesy of goals from Matty Cash and Emiliano Buendia, either side of Leandro Trossard's equaliser. | Getty Images
Result, report and player ratings from Aston Villa’s stunning 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Premier League.
Emiliano Buendia’s last-gasp 95th-minute strike earned Aston Villa a dramatic 2-1 victory over Arsenal at a deafening Villa Park, enough to soar to within three points of the Premier League leaders.
The Villans, who took the lead through Matty Cash’s venomous low strike 36 minutes in, were pegged back by impact substitute Leandro Trossard’s tidy finish just after the interval. But Buendia, who has often come in clutch for Villa early on this season, struck a dagger in the Gunners’ hearts with the last kick of the game.
Cash’s emphatic finish, straight through the legs of Raya at his near post, was the highlight of a frantic and end-to-end first period which saw Emiliano Martinez pull off a string of important saves. The intensity continued after the break, too, as both sides threatened on the transition.
Trossard’s goal was certainly coming as the Belgian proved a handful for opening scorer Cash, but Villa, albeit shipping many Arsenal chances in the second half, didn’t give up hope of stealing the victory. And that’s what they did as Buendia reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box after an Arsenal defensive scramble, firing through a crowd of bodies.
In beating the often imperious Arsenal, Villa extend their winning streak to seven matches in all competitions. Unai Emery’s side have now won nine of their last 10 Premier League matches and are the Gunners’ closest challengers, second in the standings and three points adrift.
Emery insisted before the game that his team are ignoring the noise of a potential title race, but, with another game against Arsenal coming up before the New Year, the Villans cannot be completely ruled out, it would seem. Just imagine if they had started the season better.
Here’s how BirminghamWorld reporter Charlie Haffenden rated the players on a memorable Saturday.
Goalkeeper and defence ratings
Emiliano Martinez: Returned from injury with an impressive display between the sticks as he made seven saves in total – from Saka, Rice, Odegaard (thrice), White and Trossard. Many of the saves were routine, but necessary. Martinez couldn’t do much about Trossard’s leveller. 8
Matty Cash (off 87’): Scored the brilliant opening goal, nutmegging Raya with fierce power and precision. Pocketed Eze in the first half, prompting the Arsenal attacker to be substituted at the break. Struggled a little with Trossard initially, but sured up. 8
Ezri Konsa: Whether it was Merino in the first half or Gyokeres in the second, Konsa dominated against Arsenal’s centre-forwards. The England international was simply too physical for them – and he made a couple of really important clearances from crosses in the second half. 8
Pau Torres (off 87’): Assisted Cash’s goal with a dangerous cross, whipped into a dangerous area and eventually guided to the far post by an Arsenal head. Did well to make a host of recoveries throughout but went off late on with a suspected injury**. 7**
Ian Maatsen: Had a mixed game against Saka as he stood up to him well on many occasions but was beaten too easily at the byline on others, including ahead of Trossard’s goal. Down the other end, Maatsen made a couple of great dribbles to fast-track Villa attacks. 6.5
Midfield and attack ratings
Boubacar Kamara: Fought hard to keep the likes of Saka, Odegaard and Rice at bay as best as he could. Kamara couldn’t stop Arsenal’s best on some occasions but he made some great tackles, notably one on Merino in the first half. The Frenchman also made a great block from a Saka shot in the second period and notched the assist for the last-gasp winner. 8
Amadou Onana (off 75’): Used his physicality well to win possession back for Villa and force transitions. Wasn’t involved as much as he would have hoped in his side’s attacks, but that wasn’t really his role. 6.5
John McGinn (on 75’): Didn’t have as many flash moments as we’ve seen recently but played a vital role in winning so many turnovers, frustrating Arsenal. McGinn looked exhausted as he came off, after giving everything. 7
Youri Tielemans: Displayed excellent awareness throughout, often passing through tight spaces. Tielemans was rarely - if ever - fazed by the Arsenal high press and was given plenty of creative freedom in the number 10 role. He also completed a couple of perfectly timed sliding tackles. 8
Morgan Rogers: Enjoyed the challenge of regularly taking on Saka and White, often beating them with his quick feet. Dwindled a little as the game went on but remained a threat. 7
Ollie Watkins (off 66’): Deserved a goal as he made several brilliant runs in behind and tested Raya with powerful shots in both halves. Watkins also held up the ball well when called upon. 7
Substitutes ratings
Donyell Malen (on 66’): Kept the opposition defenders busy with his quick runs in the channels off the bench. 6.5
Lamare Bogarde (on 75’): Slotted in at right-back and did a decent enough job to halt Arsenal late on. 6.5
Jadon Sancho (on 75’): Didn’t do a great deal beforehand but was involved in the lead-up to the winner as he fought hard to reach the ball first and square into the six-yard box. 6.5
Emiliano Buendia (on 87’): Netted the winner with a brilliant, controlled finish through several Arsenal defenders. Perhaps deserves a better rating, but his limited minutes on the field mean he cannot quite match others in the team. 7.5
Victor Lindelof (on 87’): Unlike Buendia, Lindelof didn’t make much of an impact in the final few minutes. N/A
Continue Reading