Arsenal lost to Aston Villa, Man City benefited

Liverpool's defeat in the early match gave Arsenal more motivation. However, coach Mikel Arteta and his students fell into the same "trail" of their opponents. Arsenal was defeated by Aston Villa at home in round 33 of the Premier League.

Arsenal and Aston Villa create high-tempo plays. The match was exciting right from the first minutes when Arsenal actively pressed the opponent with quick plays.

The "Gunners" controlled the ball better in the first half. Arsenal's number of shots (14) is superior to the away team's (6). Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's excellent reflexes helped Aston Villa escape dangerous shots from Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal counter-attacked well enough to prevent most of Aston Villa's responses, but the home team still made mistakes. Gabriel Magalhaes' mistake almost made the "Gunners" pay the price. Arsenal fans howled when Ollie Watkins hit the post.

The situation reversed at the beginning of the second half. Aston Villa got into the game better after the break and put pressure on Arsenal. Luck was on the home team's side again when Youri Tielemans' beautiful shot hit the bar and post.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's attacks were no longer as threatening as in the first half. Bukayo Saka and his teammates rarely create coordinated attack situations to put pressure on the opponent's defense.

Unable to regain the initiative, Arsenal could not maintain concentration to fend off the opponent's attack. The awkward moment between the home team's defender and goalkeeper created an opportunity for Aston Villa striker Leon Bailey to score the opening goal in the 83rd minute.

Arsenal immediately pushed their team to attack, but without creating any response, they conceded another goal a few minutes later. Aston Villa counterattacked with only Watkins receiving the ball in the opponent's half of the field. The away team's striker calmly executed a delicate shot, destroying Arsenal's hopes of keeping points.

Losing 0-2 at home, Arsenal lost the top spot in the group after round 33. The fact that both Arsenal and Liverpool lost brought good news to Man City. Coach Pep Guardiola's team is 2 points ahead of its 2 opponents and has a more favorable schedule in the remaining rounds.

Premier League rankings 2023/24 round 33

*Everton was deducted 6 points, Nottingham Forest was deducted 4 points.