Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal: All you need to know about the game

Arsenal suffered their second league defeat of the season as they were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa at Villa Park. The only goal of the game came just seven minutes in, as Villa captain McGinn rifled his shot into the top corner, setting a new club record of 15 consecutive home wins in the league for Aston Villa.

Despite dominating possession, Arsenal struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Villa’s defensive work causing them all sorts of problems. Carlos made two crucial goal-line clearances, denying Martinelli and preventing an own goal from a corner. Arsenal thought they had equalized when Saka found the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside. In the dying moments of the game, Havertz thought he had salvaged a point for Arsenal, but his goal was disallowed due to a handball in the build-up.

The defeat means that Arsenal missed the chance to go back into first place in the Premier League and now sit in second position with 36 points after 16 league games. Their next game will be against PSV in the UEFA Champions League at Philips Stadion on 12th December, 2023.

On the other hand, Aston Villa’s victory sees them stay in third place but are now just one point behind Arsenal. They are also just two points off Liverpool at the top of the table. Their next game will be against Zrinjski in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Overall, it was a disappointing result for Arsenal as they failed to capitalize on their opportunities and suffered their second league loss of the season. They will need to regroup quickly as they prepare for their upcoming Champions League clash against PSV. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be buoyed by their record-breaking win and will look to carry that momentum into their next fixture in Europe.