Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins proved a thorn in Arsenal’s flesh once more as he accomplished his aspect’s comeback with the equaliser in a 2-2 draw within the Premier League on Saturday.
Arsenal appeared heading in the right direction to erase the reminiscence of final season’s residence defeat by Villa when Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz scored from shut vary both aspect of half-time.
Victory would have put Arsenal again to 4 factors behind leaders Liverpool however Villa burst into life when Youri Tielemans headed them a lifeline on the hour and Watkins met a Matty Money cross with a volley to degree eight minutes later.
It arrange a frantic finale by which Arsenal thought that they had received it when Mikel Merino’s effort deflected off Havertz into the web however it was dominated out for handball.
Arsenal are on 44 factors to Liverpool’s 50, having additionally performed yet another recreation. Villa moved up a spot to seventh.
Reuters studies that Liverpool’s stoppage-time victory at Brentford and the absence of key defender William Saliba put one thing of a dampener on the pre-match temper at The Emirates.
Unai Emery’s Villa arrived, realizing a repeat of late 12 months’s win would put them fourth, however Arsenal appeared decided to maintain hanging on to Liverpool’s coat tails.
Leandro Trossard was the catalyst for Arsenal and he created each targets in virtually equivalent style.
Within the thirty fifth minute, he burst down the left and crossed for Martinelli to prod a volley that Villa keeper Emiliano Martínez couldn’t fairly stop from crossing the road.
Trossard lashed an effort simply over the bar earlier than discovering area on the left within the fifty fifth minute to cross low into the realm the place Havertz timed his run nicely to information an effort previous Martinez.
Villa has not obtained began within the second half however halved the deficit when substitute Lucas Digne crossed for Tielemans to position a diving header previous David Raya.
Arsenal have been all of a sudden rattled and Tielemans struck the publish with a shot.
Villa sensed the stress within the stadium and when Money floated a chic cross into the realm it was met by the lurking Watkins who guided his volley excessive into the web earlier than wheeling away to rejoice in entrance of the guests’ ecstatic supporters.
