Arsenal Suffers Heavy Blow in Title Race
From the 84th to the 87th minute, Aston Villa scored consecutive goals through Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, securing a 2-0 victory over hosts Arsenal in the 33rd round of the Premier League on April 14.
Aston Villa has proven to be a formidable opponent for Arsenal this season. In the reverse fixture at Villa Park back in December, Unai Emery’s side secured a 1-0 victory over the Gunners.
It was expected that Arsenal would seek redemption when playing at home in the Emirates Stadium in the 33rd round of the Premier League. However, the Gunners unexpectedly suffered a shocking defeat with a score of 0-2, a result that dealt a heavy blow to the club’s ambitions in the title race.
Currently, after 32 matches, Arsenal sits in second place in the Premier League table with 71 points. They are trailing league leaders Manchester City by a margin of 2 points. In the match against Luton Town on April 13, “The Cityzens” easily secured 3 points with a convincing 5-1 victory.
The Premier League title race is gradually becoming polarized. Manchester City has shown impressive form in the closing stages of the season. Meanwhile, both Liverpool and Arsenal have begun to falter at crucial moments. Just hours before the Arsenal vs. Aston Villa match, Liverpool suffered a 0-1 defeat at Anfield against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title are fading away. Arsenal performed reasonably well in the first half and created several clear-cut chances. However, the home team’s strikers lacked accuracy in front of Aston Villa’s goal.
Bukayo Saka’s trademark strikes lacked the necessary precision. Even when the goal was wide open, Leandro Trossard couldn’t beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
In the second half, the Gunners unexpectedly dropped their performance level. Even the Premier League’s most solid defense had a day lacking focus. In the 84th minute, Lucas Digne crossed from the left flank. Unmarked, Leon Bailey comfortably tapped in from close range, putting Aston Villa ahead.
After conceding, Arsenal had to push their team forward to find an equalizer. Before Mikel Arteta’s calculations could take effect, the hosts conceded another goal after a costly mistake by Jorginho. Ollie Watkins ran onto Youri Tielemans’ through ball, calmly slotting home to seal a 2-0 victory for Aston Villa.
