Arsenal suffered a setback in their bid to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League as they faced a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
The loss halted the Gunners’ impressive five-match winning streak on home turf in the league.
With Liverpool’s surprising loss to Crystal Palace earlier in the day, the Gunners had the opportunity to seize control of their title destiny. However, Aston Villa proved to be formidable opponents, delivering a resolute performance on Arsenal’s home turf.
In the 84th minute, Lucas Digne’s precise pass found Leon Bailey, who calmly slotted the ball into an empty net to give Aston Villa the lead.
Just three minutes later, Ollie Watkins capitalised on a killer pass, confidently scoring past the goalkeeper to secure a hard-fought victory for Villa and keep their European aspirations alive.
- Liverpool suffer second straight loss at Anfield as title hopes hang in the balance
- Man City thrash Luton to go top of Premier League
The defeat dealt a significant blow to Arsenal’s title ambitions, as it handed Manchester City a considerable advantage in their quest for a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
With Villa now three points ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal sitting in second place, two points behind league leaders Manchester City, the result has reshaped the top of the Premier League table.
While Arsenal’s title hopes have been dented, Aston Villa’s pursuit of a top-four finish has received a significant boost.
Despite the setback, manager Mikel Arteta remains hopeful of ending the club’s two-decade-long Premier League title drought.