Arsenal player ratings vs Aston Villa: How cruel is that?! Galant Gunners throw bodies on the line but can't avoid late Emi Buendia-inflicted heartache as Eberechi Eze has a stinker
Emi Buendia struck with the last kick of the game to earn Aston Villa a 2-1 win against Arsenal and condemn Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders to a first defeat in 19 games in all competitions. It looked like the Gunners had battled back to claim a hard-earned point when Leandro Trossard came off the bench to cancel out Matty Cash's first-half opener, but substitute Buendia was on hand to fire in a dramatic winner in the final seconds of stoppage time to move Villa to within three points of the top of the table.It was an absolute sickener for Arsenal, who found themselves behind at half-time after Cash nipped in front of the ball-watching Eberechi Eze and fired a first-time effort through the legs of David Raya and into the net.A clearly frustrated Arteta made a double change at the break, with Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres replacing Eze and Mikel Merino, and the changes made an immediate impact, with Trossard turning the ball in from close range after Martinez had saved from Bukayo Saka.There were then chances for both teams to go in front, with Saka having one effort cleared off the line and substitute Donyell Malen firing wide at the other end. But as the clock ticked down it looked like both would had to settle for a point before Buendia's last-gasp heroics sent the home fans wild.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Villa Park...David Raya (7/10):Made one superb save when Watkins looked certain to score. Bit unlucky with Cash's goal, which fizzed through his legs from close range. So unlucky to be beaten late on.Ben White (7/10):Bright performance. Maybe not as eye-catching as he was against Brentford, but more positive signs as he gets more minutes in the bank.Jurrien Timber (7/10):You can see he's adjusting to the centre-back role. There was a tendency for him to drift towards the right-back spot at times, but still put in a real shift.Piero Hincapie (6/10):Good battle with Watkins. Was aggressive and on the front foot. Should have cleared his lines late on instead of putting the ball out for a throw, that proved costly as Villa scored soon after.Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):Arsenal's best player, even in the first half when the team was really poor. Good defensively and typically impressive going forward. Looked shattered as the second half wore on.Martin Zubimendi (7/10):Solid as always. Did well in the heart of the midfield in a pretty chaotic game.Declan Rice (7/10):Produced one fabulous block in the first half when the score was still at 0-0. Had one shot just before the break that he should have done better with. Ran himself into the ground as always.Martin Odegaard (6/10):Had a good chance early on that he put straight at Martinez. Saw plenty of the ball, but often from deep positions. Good run and pass for Saka in the build-up to Trossard's goal.Bukayo Saka (7/10):Had some good moments, but was unusually poor in possession at times. Far from his best, but did pop up with a crucial bit of play to set-up the equaliser. Unlucky to then not score himself, but his shot was cleared off the line.Mikel Merino (5/10):Has been so good of late, but was ineffective this afternoon. Never looked a threat and his link-up play just wasn't there. Replaced at half-time.Eberechi Eze (4/10):Bit of a passenger throughout. Never really got into the game and was caught ball-watching for the goal. Disappointing. Off at half-time.Leandro Trossard (7/10):Immediate impact. Introduced at half-time and popped up with the equaliser. Such a crucial player for Arteta.Viktor Gyokeres (6/10):Another half-time introduction which sparked an improvement. Just gave the Villa defence something extra to think about and stretched them with his runs.Gabriel Martinelli (N/A):On for the final few minutes.Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):Replaced Calafiori late on.Mikel Arteta (6/10):His half-time changes worked and so will be so disappointed by that crushing late goal.
Emi Buendia struck with the last kick of the game to earn Aston Villa a 2-1 win against Arsenal and condemn Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders to a first defeat in 19 games in all competitions. It looked like the Gunners had battled back to claim a hard-earned point when Leandro Trossard came off the bench to cancel out Matty Cash's first-half opener, but substitute Buendia was on hand to fire in a dramatic winner in the final seconds of stoppage time to move Villa to within three points of the top of the table.It was an absolute sickener for Arsenal, who found themselves behind at half-time after Cash nipped in front of the ball-watching Eberechi Eze and fired a first-time effort through the legs of David Raya and into the net.A clearly frustrated Arteta made a double change at the break, with Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres replacing Eze and Mikel Merino, and the changes made an immediate impact, with Trossard turning the ball in from close range after Martinez had saved from Bukayo Saka.There were then chances for both teams to go in front, with Saka having one effort cleared off the line and substitute Donyell Malen firing wide at the other end. But as the clock ticked down it looked like both would had to settle for a point before Buendia's last-gasp heroics sent the home fans wild.GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Villa Park...David Raya (7/10):Made one superb save when Watkins looked certain to score. Bit unlucky with Cash's goal, which fizzed through his legs from close range. So unlucky to be beaten late on.Ben White (7/10):Bright performance. Maybe not as eye-catching as he was against Brentford, but more positive signs as he gets more minutes in the bank.Jurrien Timber (7/10):You can see he's adjusting to the centre-back role. There was a tendency for him to drift towards the right-back spot at times, but still put in a real shift.Piero Hincapie (6/10):Good battle with Watkins. Was aggressive and on the front foot. Should have cleared his lines late on instead of putting the ball out for a throw, that proved costly as Villa scored soon after.Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):Arsenal's best player, even in the first half when the team was really poor. Good defensively and typically impressive going forward. Looked shattered as the second half wore on.Martin Zubimendi (7/10):Solid as always. Did well in the heart of the midfield in a pretty chaotic game.Declan Rice (7/10):Produced one fabulous block in the first half when the score was still at 0-0. Had one shot just before the break that he should have done better with. Ran himself into the ground as always.Martin Odegaard (6/10):Had a good chance early on that he put straight at Martinez. Saw plenty of the ball, but often from deep positions. Good run and pass for Saka in the build-up to Trossard's goal.Bukayo Saka (7/10):Had some good moments, but was unusually poor in possession at times. Far from his best, but did pop up with a crucial bit of play to set-up the equaliser. Unlucky to then not score himself, but his shot was cleared off the line.Mikel Merino (5/10):Has been so good of late, but was ineffective this afternoon. Never looked a threat and his link-up play just wasn't there. Replaced at half-time.Eberechi Eze (4/10):Bit of a passenger throughout. Never really got into the game and was caught ball-watching for the goal. Disappointing. Off at half-time.Leandro Trossard (7/10):Immediate impact. Introduced at half-time and popped up with the equaliser. Such a crucial player for Arteta.Viktor Gyokeres (6/10):Another half-time introduction which sparked an improvement. Just gave the Villa defence something extra to think about and stretched them with his runs.Gabriel Martinelli (N/A):On for the final few minutes.Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):Replaced Calafiori late on.Mikel Arteta (6/10):His half-time changes worked and so will be so disappointed by that crushing late goal.
