Aston Villa edges closer to Premier League summit, securing a tight victory over Arsenal, who squander a chance to claim the top spot.
At Villa Park, Aston Villa seized the lead as captain John McGinn netted after skillfully controlling Leon Bailey’s cross. In the late stages, referee Jarred Gillett disallowed a Kai Havertz goal for handball, a decision upheld by the video assistant referee following an extensive review.
Despite sustained pressure from Arsenal, Villa maintained their lead, reinforcing their recent triumph against champions Manchester City and securing a historic 15th consecutive home league victory.
The loss deals a setback to title-contending Arsenal, marking the end of their six-game winning streak across all competitions.
Are Villa title contenders?
Aston Villa’s current point tally after 16 games this season, a feat surpassed only in their title-winning 1980-81 campaign, fuels genuine optimism about breaking into the top four.
Speculation even suggests that Unai Emery, formerly associated with Arsenal, could propel the team into an unexpected title contention.
Remarkably, Villa stands as the sole Premier League club that has not relinquished a lead this season. Despite Arsenal creating more opportunities after falling behind, Villa maintained their offensive threat.
Ollie Watkins, though flagged offside at times, tested Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with two notable attempts.
In the second half, both Lucas Digne and Watkins saw their shots saved in counter-attacks. Villa’s disciplined and intense defense, coupled with a crucial late VAR decision, secured their third-place position, trailing Arsenal by just one point. Notably, this marks Villa’s first time winning their opening eight home matches in a top-flight season since 1932-33.
Late VAR drama denies Arsenal
On Saturday, Arsenal, initially leading the table, slipped to second place following Liverpool’s victory over Crystal Palace earlier in the day.
Mikel Arteta’s team had been on a four-match winning streak in the league since their last defeat at Newcastle in early November.
Despite the vibrant atmosphere at Villa Park, Arsenal created numerous scoring opportunities. Just before McGinn’s opening goal, Bukayo Saka missed a close-range shot, and in the first half, Gabriel Martinelli’s attempt was cleared off the line by Diego Carlos after he chipped the ball over Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard had two promising chances from 12 yards, with Martinez saving the first and the second one veering wide on either side of the halftime break.
Additionally, there was a penalty appeal early in the second half when Douglas Luiz made contact with Gabriel Jesus’ ankle in the box, but the VAR upheld the referee’s decision to play on.
Midway through the second half, Arsenal approached another scoring opportunity when Martinez spilled a routine corner, and the ball deflected off Watkins onto the post. The danger was averted with William Saliba ready to pounce.
In the second half, Saka found the net after skillfully maneuvering around Martinez but had mistimed his run by a fraction, resulting in the goal being disallowed.
The real climax unfolded in stoppage time when Havertz, attempting to control a cross, inadvertently hacked the ball into the Villa net. Although initially ruled out on the field, a VAR review confirmed that Havertz had unintentionally used his hand to control the ball.
Despite the late drama, Arsenal failed to create another clear chance, succumbing to their second league defeat of the season.