Arsenal-Aston Villa : An year end clash

The last one of the year promised to be a humdinger. Two from the top three of the table were going at each other.

Aston Villa were on a hot streak, one short of a record-breaking run of wins. One of them, just a few weeks ago, was against the league leaders Arsenal, courtesy of a last-gasp goal at Villa Park.

Arsenal, though leading the table, always looked to be labouring. It was some own goals and a magical Raya save ( read the match report here) that kept them going. Over the past few weeks , fans were a bit nervous, and experts were ever so subtly suggesting the emergence of a familiar failing.

As Darren England blew his whistle, the Emirates roared, they were all charged up and wanted revenge. Villa had been Arsenal’s bugbear for some time now and they yearned for revenge. A sort of a New year gift was expected.

The first half was more of a sparring match. Villa tried their version of dark arts by slowing down the game, sitting back and counterattacking. Amadou Onana was the hub of the sporadic thrusts, as Arsenal missed the imposing presence of an injured Declan Rice. Ollie Watkins missed from close range as he dragged the ball wide. At the other end, Viktor Gyökeres worked hard but was wasteful when it mattered. 

It all turned around after the break. An injured Onana was withdrawn, and now the Villa midfield lost control . Arsenal changed gears, and in the Villa technical area, Unai Emery may have sensed what was coming. The brows narrowed, and the crease lines huddled tighter on his brow.

Martins day out  

It was the two Martins, Odegaard and Zubimendi, who ran the show. While the Spanish Martin was already up and running, the Norwegian one is coming into his own after an injury absence. Leandro Trossard ran around with purpose, and Jesus coming on for Gyökeres was to get a much-needed reward and a yellow card for thanking the Lord. 

But it was big man, or “Big Gabby” as Arteta refers to him, who set the tone in a dead-ball situation. Another perfect Saka delivery from the corner flag had both Emiliano Martinez and Gabriel rising together to meet the ball. The Villa keeper fluffed his lines, and the ball he failed to collect cleanly rolled off Gabriel to send Arsenal into the lead. As if on cue, the situation changed.

Arsenal were everywhere, and the next goal, just four minutes later, was a class act.

Odegaard pressed hard enough to get possession in the midfield. Zubimendi read the lines well and got himself between two Villa shirts to wait for the neat through ball he knew was coming. Martin Odegaard. always the master of a weighted pass obliged. A flick of the feet, a pass emerged, perfect in weight and speed. Zubimendi looked up for a second and flicked the ball past an advancing Martinez. A vintage Arsenal goal had just happened. The signs were now ominous for Villa.

There was no respite  after that sweet finish. The Villa half was a busy place now. Odegaard had a go, Timber came close, and the much-awaited Villa comeback never came. Trossard was rewarded for his efforts when Timber pushed a second ball for him to sweep in. 

Jesus thanks the Lord

Jesus came on and was immediately on the scoreboard. It was an end-to-end goal. Odegaard aerially flicked on a backline clearance to Zubimendi, who laid it on to Trossard, who was steaming past him in anticipation. A cross to the top of the box found Jesus. In a moment that he had waited for over a year, Jesus took just a slight touch and buried the ball into the net. 

The demolition was complete. Villa’s run had stalled. They failed to take a shot at the goal for almost all of the 90 minutes. They had two chances and missed both. Would it have been different if they had scored? It could have been, but Arsenal eventually rediscovered their goal-scoring mojo, and it’s not easy to imagine a different outcome today. 

As the whistle blew after a consolation Ollie Watkins goal, out on the sidelines, Emery, visibly upset, shook his head, wrinkled his nose and walked away into the tunnel. The nice but at times gloomy Emery had not foreseen this. It was a collapse that he had not seen coming. But then, it could have been worse had Arsenal converted all their chances.

The crowd had got what they wanted, North London for Forever rang out and continued to boom out from a bright Emirates glowing in the contrast of the late evening darkness. 

Arsenal end the year on top

While the evening put Villa back 6 points from the top, Emery should be proud of his guys. They have proved that stunning things can be achieved even without a deep pocket and with a bunch of committed players. There is more to come from Villa, and this blip, hopefully, is just that.

Arsenal, on their part, played freely and scored a few of their very own goals, not the “own goals” that kept them afloat for a few weeks now. With many of the difficult away games now behind them, Arsenal would like to think they are in a good position. Manchester City is lurking, but there is something different in this Gunners side this time around. 

If one were to jot down a takeaway and an unsolicited advice from the match, here they are

The takeaway: This season may have just become a two-horse race. Aston Villa may find it difficult with the squad depth they have. Liverpool will need to get out of the miserable situation they are in. 

The unsolicited advice: Referee Darren England should be careful; one can’t flash a yellow card at Jesus for thanking Jesus. Remember the Lord is always watching.

====================

If you are here…. consider subscribing to Sportzcorner for more stories

Sportzcorner

Sudhir Bhattathiripad

Sportzcorner 

Twitter : @tvsbhatta