Arsenal slip while Villa let rip with late goals

• Published date: 15 April 2024
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

It was a victory that will have tasted particularly sweet for Unai Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal in November 2019 after just 18 months in charge but is now a step closer to guiding Villa to Champions League qualification next season following this famous victory. Things could have been even worse for the home supporters – most of whom stayed until the bitter end in hope rather than expectation of a comeback – had Watkins and Youri Tielemans not seen their efforts strike the woodwork either side of half-time

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

Arteta had insisted that his side could “just focus on what we can do” but the surprise defeat for Jürgen Klopp’s side at Anfield had certainly given Arsenal’s supporters a stride in their step as they made their way to the ground. Tottenham’s thrashing at Newcastle on Saturday had given Emery’s side even more incentive to get a result against his former employers and they appeared to be a considerably more dangerous proposition than the team thrashed 4-1 by City 11 days ago, with Watkins leading the attack this time.

Three changes

Yet perhaps it was the absence of Villa’s key midfielder Douglas Luiz through suspension that encouraged Arteta to deploy Kai Havertz in central midfield and shift Gabriel Jesus back into the central striker’s role as one of three changes from the side that drew the first leg against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Had Havertz made the most of two decent chances that fell his way inside the opening quarter of an hour then the gamble would have paid off handsomely. But he could not quite reach a cross from Bukayo Saka before firing straight at Emiliano Martínez after a brilliant pass from Leandro Trossard. Jesus was next to waste a chance when he headed wide after Saka had picked him out at the far post before the England winger fired into the side-netting from a tight angle thanks to Martin Ødegaard’s precise through-ball.

Oleksandr Zinchenko had plenty to thank Trossard for when the Belgian forward made a crucial intervention on the edge of Arsenal’s box to deny Watkins following a quick...