Arsenal count the cost of defensive injury
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Declan Rice of Arsenal shows his frustration during the 2-1 loss
Arsenal’s defeat at Aston Villa was made even more painful because the goal that won it came late. Mikel Arteta said that it could have been sooner. He said: “We could have lost the game by giving away two balls before we scored the goal.”
Gunners’ defensive effort was not lacking. They threw themselves in front shots time and again. Seven blocks were their second highest total in a single game this season. The repeated last-ditch defenses revealed their fragility.
Most of the time, desperate measures are not required. This is not the norm, as Cristhian Moquera was added to an injury list that already included William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Piero Hincapie & Jurrien Timber were forced to play together at centre back for the first. It has been a difficult season for Arsenal. Arsenal conceded in 4 out of 5 games since Gabriel was injured, compared to 3 out of 17 before.
Villa were outstanding, but Arsenal was there to be taken. Villa created a lot of chances, as evidenced by their total of 2.27 anticipated goals against. The total accounted for about 25% of Arsenal’s total over 15 Premier League games in this season.
Nick Wright
Villa, now title contenders
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Aston Villa have improved in recent weeks. After failing to win any of their five Premier League matches, they now have nine wins in their last 10. In their last home game against Wolves, they were not good. But the last couple of games have changed all that.
2025-12-06 18:00:00
