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Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2-1 on the evening of December 6. |
Arsenal know they are walking into a tactical minefield. Mikel Arteta knows Villa Park is not the place for title contenders to dream. For three seasons in a row, Aston Villa have left a stinging wound in Arsenal’s path: from erasing a two-goal deficit at the Emirates, to late punches that paved the way for Man City to turn the game around.
Villa is Arsenal's nemesis
Those memories are not just a reminder of a history of lopsided encounters; they also reflect a truth that Arsenal have yet to unravel: when the heat of the title race rises, they often slip up in exactly the wrong places.
Before the match of round 15 of the Premier League on the evening of December 6, Arteta anticipated everything: a Villa team that had won 12 of the last 14 matches, an Unai Emery as sharp as a scalpel, a team that was reaching a level of confidence that made every stand at Villa Park want to swallow its opponent. But even when anticipating every scenario, Arteta still could not neutralize the overwhelming energy that Emery infused into this team.
Villa are not just improving; they are challenging the very definition of a “stopper”. A ninth win in 10 games, again with a 90+4 minute goal in a clash between two top teams, no longer has the air of a phenomenon. It has the air of an ambitious, quiet, stubborn and capable contender.
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Arsenal fell, making the championship race hotter. |
Matty Cash’s opener was the perfect image of this current Villa side: bold, fast and always ready to pounce on the slightest of weaknesses. Minutes after Declan Rice had his shot blocked like a knife, Cash was there at the right moment to slot it past Raya.
It all happened so fast, so precisely, and completely within Emery’s carefully prepared script. It was no coincidence that Emery clenched his fists as the whole team rushed to the corner of the pitch to celebrate. It was a collective goal, the result of the effort to build a system that always operates at maximum speed.
Arsenal responded. They showed why they had won 17 of their 21 games this season: speed, intensity, fluid transitions. Trossard’s equaliser was built on Rice’s intensity, Ødegaard’s sharp pass, and Trossard’s cool positioning.
But after that moment, Arsenal could not keep their cool to finish the match. A team that wants to win the title must not only equalize, but also end all doubts as soon as they take the lead.
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Arsenal appeared exhausted before Aston Villa. |
That is the difference between Arsenal and a stubborn Man City. And that is also what Villa learned from… Arsenal. Emery’s team is patient, not wasting any movement but also not once completely retreating. They wait for mistakes, they exploit gaps, they use the power of the stands to push their opponents into chaos.
Villa's late punch
Buendia’s rise from the chaos of the pitch to tap the ball into the net in the 90+4 minute – sealing a 2-1 win for Aston Villa – was more than just a turning point. It was a statement: Villa Park was now a bastion of ambition. Goalkeeper Emilano Martinez’s run across the halfway line in celebration wasn’t just the joy of beating his former club; it was the mark of a team that believed they had entered the real race.
Arsenal lost this match not just because of bad luck. They lost because of familiar flaws: lack of coolness at the decisive moment, lack of a rhythm to control the stormy moments, and lack of courage to turn the advantage of the game into an advantage of the score.
The season is long. Arteta is right when he says: “Do your job and see what happens.” But what is happening is clear: Aston Villa, once a Premier League grey area, have become a defining force in the title race.
And Arsenal, if they do not correct their repeated stumbles, will continue to be turned into a target of ambition by Villa Park.
Source: https://znews.vn/arsenal-lai-dinh-cu-dam-tu-villa-park-post1609071.html
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