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There was only one result that Arsenal needed to get when they travelled to Aston Villa yesterday afternoon in the only Premier League game of the day due to other teams being involved in FA Cup duties, and that was to get three points.
Anything short of three points, even though they'd still be in 4th place, would not have really positioned them strongly for that spot with the other teams hot on their trail. They understood this and saw the task through grabbing all three points.
I was initially surprised when I saw Bernd Leno in goal and I kept wondering what Arteta was smoking until I saw the news that Ramsdale had picked up an injury and Martinelli was also out ill. Good enough, Leno isn't a bad choice of course and he did well on the day.
It was a big surprise to see the shape Villa put out on the pitch. It looked like they had determined to sit back and hit on the counter. For a team that was playing at home, I think that wass too counterproductive. I've always known Villa to be an attacking side and on their good day, could hurt you; reason the game was thought to be a banana skin for Arsenal. Moreso, they have also won their last three home games against the Gunners.
Arsenal controlled the game and everything there was with Villa sitting deep in their own half. It gave Arsenal the whole time to design and create things, even though they struggled to find the final ball.
Thomas Partey came closest when his shot was saved by Emiliano Martinez, or better still say he hit the shot straight at the goalkeeper. Like I noted in my last post, he's getting better with his shooting, at least getting it on target, but he could have done better with that to either side of the post instead of a straight effort at the goalkeeper. His was better than Emile Smith Rowe's initial effort that failed to hit the target, also from a very good position even though I had thought Odegaard would hit that ball himself rather than set up Smith Rowe.
I think the difference in the playing styles of Smith Rowe and Martinelli is quite clear and would create options for Arsenal. Smith Rowe likes to be unpredictable with his movements even when coming inside from the flank while Martinelli is very direct with his play. The latter needs to keep looking for ways tweak his style when his direct style isn't working.
Saka was enjoying his reign on the right side and caused problem there everytime he was on the ball. He combined well with Odegaard and most of Arsenal's playing came from his side. Saka nearly made his torment count when he sent in a cross that was deflected by Konsa towards his own goal. Thanks to Martinez who was quick to get down to his left and prevent an own goal. That was the closest Arsenal came to scoring for all their possession and attack.
Deservedly though, they took the lead in the 30th minute and it was no surprise that Saka was at the end of it. He initiated the attack from a free kick by sliding in Cedric Soares towards the byline. The right backs cut back was deflected and the ball found its way to Saka who had made his way to the edge of the box, and instinctively fired a low shot into the crowd, but Martinez saw the ball late and couldn't react early enough to save. It was not the finest of Strikes, but as long as it had enough to beat the goalkeeper, that's what matters.
I expected Steven Gerrard to rip into his players at half time because their play made the game look less like a Premier League game with Arsenal doing all the playing. They couldn't string passes together and misplaced passes. Whether or not the former Liverpool captain did this at the break, it changed nothing, especially in the opening seconds of the second half as they went from bad to worse, but thanks to Arsenal who couldn't put the game beyond their reach.
Ollie Watkins had all along been isolated in the game, but he created the best chance for the hosts in the final 22 minutes when he twisted and turned in the Arsenal area, but his shot deflected off Smith Rowe and then the post.
Villa's only shot on target came with the last kick of the game from a free kick from Philippe Coutinho, whose effort towards goal was punched away to safety by Leno. His teammate were obviously expecting the ball in the middle and Martinez had even made his way up into the Arsenal area. They would have been left disappointed he decided to go for goal himself, but without that, they wouldn't have had any effort on target.
Coutinho looked off on the and the summary of his game was evident in the series of misplaced passes he had. It looked like if he didn't click, there was nothing happening for Villa on the day.
Despite Arsenal seeing more of the ball and dominating play it was not a win that was too convinicng. They couldn't find a second goal to kill the game off and had to endure another nervy finish. This has happened in successive games and while I think they need to do better to kill games off, I must also commend them for having been able to keep their ground in those games and hold on to the win unlike in previous years where they'd have capitulated.
With this, Arsenal are four comfortable points ahead of Manchester United as the race for the final Champions League spot looks destined to head to the wire.
Another game without conceding from a corner kick for the Gunners. Having now faced about 128 corner kicks in the league, thanks to set-piece specialist, Nicolas Jover who joined from Manchester City in July of 2021. I'm waiting for the end of the season to eulogize him, hopefully with Arsenal not conceding any goal from corner kicks this season.
Thank you for reading!