EMERY HAILS ‘AMAZING’ ARSENAL AFTER COMEBACK

UNAI EMERY hailed the ‘amazing’ character of his ten-man Arsenal side as they twice battled back from behind to beat Aston Villa. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s seventh goal in seven games earned the Gunners a thrilling victory at the Emirates. John McGinn had given Villa a surprise lead but, despite Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ sending-off late in the first half, club-record signing Nicolas Pepe equalised from the penalty spot. Villa regained their lead just 89 seconds later when Wesley turned home but they were pegged back again when Calum Chambers hit his first Arsenal goal since August 2016. Aubameyang (right) then provided the winning moment to take Emery’s side into the Premier League’s top four. ‘We want to feel something special with our supporters, to connect with them and today the character was amazing,’ said Emery. ‘Playing with one less player was not easy. We lost some control but we took some risks to come back. ‘We are creating a good spirit with our supporters and the players are feeling that. ‘Our commitment, fighting each ball, taking some risks, that is good. That character, that connection with our supporters. We can be happy.’ Villa boss Dean Smith was left frustrated that his side failed to control the tempo of the match once they had a man advantage. ‘The game became too open with them at ten men,’ he said. ‘We lost our fearlessness but for some reason we retracted second half and that put us under pressure. We scored again and had a good five-minute spell but retracted again. ‘The players lost a bit of belief. You look at the goals we conceded and they are sloppy.’