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Arsenal fell to a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, April 14.
The Gunners entered this contest on the back of a great run of form. They were unbeaten in their last seven games leading up to this fixture. In that span, they secured five wins and two draws as they continued their pursuit of the Premier League title.
They defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 away from home in the league, before drawing 2-2 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in their last outing. Mikel Arteta made two changes to that lineup as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus came in for Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho.
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Arsenal made a good start to the contest and were eager to take control of the proceedings from the get-go. They kept the ball for 56% of the first period in a bid to force a defensive error from Aston Villa. However, the visitors were fairly solid as well. The Gunners attempted 14 shots in the first half, forcing three good saves from Emiliano Martinez.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, could not do much in front of goal despite arriving in decent positions. Arsenal's defensive organization meant that Villa barely had a chance to penetrate their box properly. As a result, Unai Emery's men failed to hit the target with seven first-half attempts but Ollie Watkins hit the post. The teams were deadlocked at 0-0 at the break.
The second half saw Aston Villa come out of the blocks with much better intensity than the first. Emery's introduction of Leon Bailey shortly after the hour-mark helped the visitors as he looked sharp with the ball. Additionally, Arteta had one eye on their Champions League second-leg quarter-final clash against Bayern on Wednesday and took key players off.
This allowed the Villans more space and control of the ball as they kept 54% possession in the second period. They burst into life late in the game after some sloppy defending by Arsenal. Lucas Digne played Bailey through and the Jamaican scored from a tight angle to make it 1-0 in the 84th minute.
Boyhood Gunners fan Ollie Watkins then put the nail in the coffin with a lovely chipped finish to seal a 2-0 win for Aston Villa just three minutes later. This defeat sees the Gunners fall to second place, two points behind new leaders Manchester City. On that note, here are the player ratings from tonight's contest.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 6/10
Raya played well for most of the game but had a lapse in concentration late in the game. His positioning for Aston Villa's first goal was questionable as he failed to get to the ball despite two separate attempts. He also played three long balls.
Benjamin White - 7.5/10
White played for just over an hour and had a decent outing. He won six duels, making six tackles, one clearance, and one interception. He passed the ball with 86% accuracy, including two key passes. White was booked for a foul in the first period.
William Saliba - 6.5/10
Saliba had a decent game against Aston Villa as he won six duels, making three clearances and two tackles.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 6.5/10
Gabriel won two duels and passed the ball with 91% accuracy. He received a booking for a foul on the cusp of half-time.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6.5/10
Zinchenko nearly played the entire 90 minutes but was withdrawn just before that. He passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including one key pass. He also made two interceptions.
Declan Rice - 7/10
Rice had a decent game in Arsenal's midfield as he passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including two long balls. He also won five duels.
Kai Havertz - 6.5/10
Havertz looked off-color for his team as he missed some great chances to test Emi Martinez in Aston Villa's goal. He won five duels but was booked for a foul in the second half.
Martin Odegaard - 7.5/10
Odegaard put in an energetic performance against Aston Villa and passed the ball with 86% accuracy, including two key passes. He also completed three dribbles and won five duels.
Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Saka put in another good performance for Arsenal as he passed the ball with 81% accuracy, including three key passes. He also won six duels and attempted four shots, all of which were off-target.
Gabriel Jesus - 7/10
Jesus had a decent game for the Gunners but was unable to score with any of his three attempts. He completed two dribbles and won four duels.
Leandro Trossard - 6.5/10
Trossard had a rare subpar game for Arsenal and was subbed off in the second half.
Substitutes
Takehiro Tomiyasu - 6/10
He replaced White and put in an average performance.
Gabriel Martinelli - 6.5/10
The Brazilian winger had a decent cameo for Arsenal having come on in the second period.
Emile Smith Rowe - 6/10
Smith Rowe replaced Odegaard but was unable to make a similar impact on the pitch.
Jorginho - 6.5/10
The Italian came on in the second half and played well.
Edward Nketiah - N/A
He came on with very few minutes to play and hence does not warrant a rating.
