Two stoppage time goals sent Arsenal back to the Premier League summit with a dramatic 4-2 victory away to Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Villa twice took the lead only to be pegged back each time before a thrilling, ding-dong contest entered its frenzied closing stages. Jorginho’s fiercely struck long-range effort cannoned off the crossbar, onto the back of former Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez and into Villa’s net in the 92nd minute.
Martinez was forward for a last-minute corner when Fabio Vieira set Gabriel Martinelli speeding into Villa’s half as the substitute rolled Arsenal’s fourth goal into an unguarded net.
63 hours after losing top spot to Manchester City, Arsenal fell behind against Villa inside the opening five minutes of the lunchtime kick-off. Matty Cash robbed Oleksandr Zinchenko to spark a swift counter-attack which Ollie Watkins, isolated against William Saliba, ruthlessly capped off by picking out the bottom corner.
If Arsenal’s response to their midweek setback was sluggish at the start of the match, the Gunners rapidly regained their composure after Villa’s early opener.
Tyrone Mings had been forced into a desperate clearance against his own crossbar to deny Eddie Nketiah a tap-in before heading a cross to the top of Villa’s box after 15 minutes. Bukayo Saka walked onto the loose ball, battering a fearsome strike into the roof of the net guarded by his former teammate Martinez.
Villa, much like Arsenal, had their buildup picked apart by the opposition press in their last home match. However, Emery’s charges stuck to his principles. Boubacar Kamara – damningly at fault against Leicester City a fortnight ago – confidently received the ball in his defensive third, starting a surgical thrust up the pitch which concluded with Philippe Coutinho sweeping the hosts back into the lead in the 31st minute.
The narrow 4-4-2 Villa expertly slipped into off the ball forced Arsenal onto the flanks. Seemingly unconvinced by the option of Leandro Trossard on the left, the Gunners heavily favoured Saka’s right flank. Ben White put a cross in from that wing which Nketiah nodded onto the bar after the interval.
It was more scheming down the right which earned the corner that led to Zinchenko’s equaliser. Martin Odegaard received the short set piece, rolling a pass for his Ukrainian colleague to rattle the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Both sides conspired to score four sumptuous goals but Odegaard passed up the chance to find the net with a comparatively mundane sight of the sticks. Nketiah hounded Ezri Konsa off the ball, rolling it back for his captain to walk onto. Granted the freedom of the penalty box, Odegaard dragged his shot wide of Martinez’s goal in the final 15 minutes.
Leon Bailey came within the width of the crossbar of fully punishing Odegaard’s error, skipping down the right flank and drilling the ball towards the top corner which Aaron Ramsdale tipped onto the post.
Mikel Arteta had lamented Arsenal’s lack of efficiency during a winless run of four consecutive matches coming into the contest but his side snatched three crucial points at Villa Park to keep the race for the Premier League title in their own hands.