Villa’s winning run ends with defeat at Arsenal, watched by Dave Woodhall.
It had to happen some time, and in the circumstances this was probably as good a time as any. Going to the Emirates so soon after that incredible last-ditch win at Villa Park was always going to be difficult and having to go there without both the suspended Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara, in addition to the long-standing injury list and an unscheduled AFCON absence, made a hard task even harder.
Unai pulled another surprise by leaving John McGinn out of the starting eleven; a tacit nod, perhaps, to a 31 year old’s need for a rest midway through the busiest part of a long season. Super John he may be, Superman he (probably) isn’t. Even without the talismanic Scot, Villa started brightly and if Ollie Watkins had made the most of a first half chance the game might have gone differently. It might also have been different if Amadou Onana, who in Kamara’s absence had been doing the work of two men, hadn’t been struggling after an early injury and forced off at half-time.
There’s no point in saying that another turning point may have been if Arsenal’s opener had been disallowed for a foul on Emiliano Martinez, or a deserved second yellow card given – these things don’t happen to The Likes of Arsenal. They don’t get tight offsides such as their third goal given against them, either.
But that’s not to say Villa really deserved anything from the game. Arsenal on form are the best side in the country and they soon worked out how to combat the absence of Onana, while Unai won’t be happy by the way Villa’s defence seemed to lose their shape during the half-hour when the game was lost. Then again, with two vital components missing a bit of leeway can be allowed.
Indeed, it’s rare to come away from a four-goal defeat with a feeling of reasonable content rather than angry disappointment. Arsenal may be good, but as we’ve already shown this season, they can be beaten. They can’t be beaten, though, when half the team is out, a further vital component is taken off halfway through the match, there’s a bench full of inexperience and they get the benefit of every refereeing decision. There were also a couple of positives to take from the night. Ollie Watkins’ goal might have only been a consolation but it was his third in two games and shows that with luck his bad spell is over. Similarly, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and George Hemmings made the most of their cameos towards the end and the experience should do them some good.
It was also a decent night elsewhere. If we’re being honest, Villa’s target this season is to finish third and other results went in our favour – being nine points clear of the team in fifth place halfway through the season is much better than anyone could have hoped for back in August. One winning run might be over but there’s no reason why Saturday can’t see the beginning of another.
