DOOR’S NOW OPEN FOR CITY
Lacklustre Gunners cannot cope with heat of title race
THE mark of true champions is being able to handle pressure.
And, one-by-one, they crumbled. First Liverpool, then Arsenal lost their nerve, as Mikel Arteta could not take advantage of what could be a pivotal week in the title race.
It was Gary Lineker who came out with the famous quote: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end the Germans always win.”
That can be updated to: “Twenty-two men chase a ball for nine months and at the end Manchester City always win.”
Pep Guardiola’s men applied the heat by thrashing Luton on Saturday to go top for the first time since November – and neither of their rivals were able to respond.
In fact, they both fell apart, and City now look favourites to land a fourth title in a row. Arsenal looked tired, flat and short of ideas.
Gabriel, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko were poor at the back and the forwards were just as lacklustre.
Aston Villa deserved to win after being far superior in the second half.
The victory, thanks to goals by Leon Bailey and Ollie
Watkins, also gave their topfour chances a huge boost.
Emiliano Martinez came back to haunt his old club, John McGinn ran the midfield and the Gunners had no response.
Why manager Arteta chose to tinker with his line-up is anyone’s guess.
Leandro Trossard came into the midfield and it did not work. They looked unbalanced and toothless in attack.
Trossard came closest to scoring when his point-blank effort was saved by Martinez’s toe in an even first half.
Arsenal could not hold their nerve in last season’s title race, and you cannot help but feel
ARSENAL 0 ASTON VILLA 2
that will come back to haunt them again.
Arteta’s men go to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday and, if they go out, their season will be in real danger of falling apart.
Arsenal got frustrated and blew it againstVilla.
Martin Odegaard was superb in the first half but
60 seconds of play proved crucial.
Gabriel’s poor clearance struck Zinchenko, the ball fell to Watkins and his shot hit the post.
Arsenal raced up the other end, Gabriel Jesus’ low cross found Trossard and he was denied by Martinez’s toe.
But make no mistake, if it was 50-50 in the first half, it was all Villa after the break.
Manager Unai Emery, who has long since proved his point after an unhappy 18-month spell in charge at the Emirates, set his team up brilliantly and Arsenal could not find a way through.
The hosts had a huge let-off when Zinchenko’s weak challenge did not stop Youri Tielemans, and the midfielder’s shot struck the bar and then the post.
Lucas Digne’s low cross then split the defence, Gabriel was outmuscled, Saliba let it go and Bailey fired in at the back post.
Villa quickly made it 2-0 after 87 minutes when Tielemans’ long ball sprang Watkins, who ran from inside his own half and held his nerve before showing excellent composure to dink the ball over goalkeeper David Raya.
ARSENAL (4-3-3): Raya 6; White 6 (Tomiyasu 67, 6), Saliba 5, Gabriel 5, Zinchenko 5 (Nketiah 87); Rice 6, Odegaard 7 (Smith Rowe 79), Trossard 5 (Martinelli 67, 6); Saka 6, Havertz 6, Jesus 6 (Jorginho 79).
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Martinez 8; Konsa 7, Carlos 7, Torres 7, Digne 7; Zaniolo 7 (Moreno 80), Tielemans 8, McGinn 9, Rogers 7; Diaby 6 (Bailey 61, 7), Watkins 8.
Goals: Bailey 84, Watkins 87.