Arsenal shocked by Aston Villa as Bailey and Watkins damage title ambitions | first division

If this was the afternoon that Arsenal let him slip away, then Mikel Arteta will know the blame lies with him. He was given the perfect opportunity to leave his title credentials after Liverpool were Surprisingly defeated by Crystal PalaceInstead, it was Aston Villa who celebrated wildly at the final whistle after late goals from substitute Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins dealt a blow to their chances of ending a 20-year wait to be crowned champions.

A victory that will have been especially sweet for Unai Emery, fired by Arsenal in November 2019 after just 18 months in charge, but is now one step closer to guiding Villa to Champions League qualification next season following this famous victory. Things could have been even worse for the home fans (most of whom stayed until the bitter end hoping rather than expecting a comeback) if Watkins and Youri Tielemans hadn't seen their shots hit the woodwork. both sides of the break.

But just as Arsenal's young team showed their fallibility this time last season to allow Manchester City to overtake them, they will fear those failings have returned at precisely the wrong time after some disastrous defending gave Bailey the opening goal to six minutes from time before Watkins rounded things off. with his 19th of the season.

Arteta had insisted his team could “simply focus on what we can do” but the shock defeat of Jürgen Klopp's side at Anfield had certainly given Arsenal fans a step forward on their journey onto the pitch. Tottenham's rout at Newcastle on Saturday had given Emery's side even more incentive to get a result against their former employers and looked to be a considerably more dangerous proposition than the 4-1 thrashing of City 11 days ago, with Watkins leading the way. the attack this time.

However, it was perhaps the absence of Villa's key midfielder Douglas Luiz through suspension that encouraged Arteta to deploy Havertz in central midfield and return Gabriel Jesus to the central striker role, one of three changes from of the team that tied the first leg against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

If Havertz had made the most of two decent chances that came his way in the first quarter of an hour, the gamble would have paid off. But he failed to reach Bukayo Saka's cross before firing straight at Emiliano Martínez following a brilliant pass from Leandro Trossard. Jesus was next to waste a chance when he headed wide after being spotted by Saka at the far post before the England winger fired into the side netting from a tight angle thanks to a pinpoint pass from Martin Ødegaard.

Oleksandr Zinchenko had much to thank Trossard for when the Belgian striker made a crucial intervention on the edge of the Arsenal box to deny Watkins a goal after a quick counter-attack with the left-back nowhere to be seen. Zinchenko then attempted a speculative effort from inside Villa's half after intercepting Martínez's weak goal kick, but it never seemed to beat the Argentine goalkeeper. It seemed inevitable that Arsenal would find a breakthrough, but Diego Carlos was able to beat Havertz after another thrilling run through the center of Villa's defence.

Arsenal were then lucky to escape after a wayward pass from Gabriel Magalhães hit the unsuspecting Zinchenko in the back, but the unfortunate Watkins saw his shot bounce off the post and to safety. Less than 30 seconds later, Martinez incredibly managed to deflect Trossard's shot off the goal line after Jesus set him up in a breathless finish to the first half in which the hosts took 14 shots but failed to find the breakthrough they desperately craved. .

To their credit, Villa had managed to frustrate Arsenal for long periods by keeping the ball and that pattern continued in the second half. Jesus fell to the ground claiming an improbable penalty after tangling with Diego Carlos when he could have attempted a shot and referee David Coote dismissed his appeals.

Arteta looked frustrated on the touchline as his team struggled to regain their rhythm after the break and the home fans' anxiety began to rise. Perhaps sensing it could be their day, Villa fans found their voices when their team won a corner just after the hour and Tielemans saw his brilliant effort hit the crossbar and post after dispossessing Zinchenko on the edge of your area.

Martinez was then on hand to deny Jesus' shot after a quick Arsenal breakaway downfield as Arteta turned to Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe from the bench. But as time went on, Villa looked more likely to find the crucial goal and so it proved when Bailey hit the far post after William Saliba had allowed Lucas Digne's cross to reach him before Watkins put the final nail in. Arsenal's coffin with a shot stuck in the top corner.