MIKEL ARTETA BLAMES FAILURE TO CLEAR BALL FOR ASTON VILLA'S LATE GOAL
Unai Emery's Aston Villa secured a huge 2-1 win over Arsenal, fueling title talk. Arteta slams his team's inability to clear the ball before the late winner.
A frustrated Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, pointed to his team's failure to clear the ball right before Aston Villa scored a late, surprising goal. The Gunners missed their chance to widen their lead in the Premier League, losing 2-1 in a dramatic match at Villa Park.
Matty Cash put the home team ahead in the first half, but Leandro Trossard equalised after coming off the bench. Instead of building on that, the home side put on the pressure, with Emi Buendia scoring the winning goal in added time.
The goal set off huge celebrations, as Unai Emery's team is now only three points from the top, very much in the title conversation. Arteta was upset that his players didn't clear the ball after a long pass from Emi Martinez led to the scramble that resulted in the winning goal.
"We started the second half really well," he told TNT Sports. We were very much in charge, but then we had the same old problems. We gave the other team too much space. We gave the ball away, which almost cost us the game before it did.
Long goal kick, second ball...just clear it. Individual mistakes and too much going on in the box, and we end up losing. It hurts.
This is only Arsenal's second loss of the season, ending their long run without a loss in all competitions since they lost to Liverpool in August.
Arteta added, "Every game will be tough." We've gone 18 games without losing, and the margins are very small. We need to focus on ourselves, and some of our usual standards weren't there today. We need to get back to it.
Our consistency has been amazing, considering everything that's happened to us. I have no reason to think otherwise.
Meanwhile, Emery was thrilled as Villa, who had a bad start to the season, secured their seventh straight win in all competitions. He said, “I’m so happy. We played this week the way we needed to—competing, pushing ourselves, adjusting to the other team, and playing with confidence.
We were in charge at times and got into the box, being intense and aggressive when we needed to. Villa Park is special, and the fans give us energy. Their response was fantastic.
“We're going to take it one game at a time. We know we need to focus on each competition. We want to do well in the Europa League, but the Premier League is our main focus. We need to respond like we did today.”
MARTIN ODEGAARD RALLIES ARSENAL SQUAD AMID FEARS OF PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE "COLLAPSE"
Martin Odegaard says Arsenal’s title race is wide open. Read why Wayne Rooney is defending the players against fan boos.
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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard isn’t backing down. Even after Manchester City edged out the Gunners 2-1 at the Etihad, he says the Premier League title race is still wide open.
That loss stung; it leaves Arsenal on the verge of losing the top spot they’ve held for over 200 days. If City beat Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday, Arsenal’s stretch at the summit ends, with just five games left in the season.
But the story isn’t over yet. Even if City pulls level on points, Odegaard wants his teammates focused on one thing: bouncing back with a win against Newcastle at the Emirates this Saturday.
“We have to keep going,” Odegaard said after the match. “This was always going to go to the wire, so we have to stick together, keep working, and look to the next game. We’ll move on, bounce back, and right now, it’s all still to play for. Honestly, this is the fun part of the season; we can’t wait for the next game.”
It’s been a tough stretch for Arsenal. Sunday’s loss marked the fourth defeat in a row across domestic competitions, starting with City beating them in the Carabao Cup final, a surprising FA Cup defeat to Southampton, and a crushing home loss to Bournemouth.
The cracks are showing, and some supporters have started to worry Arsenal are “bottling” their title charge. The Emirates felt tense after the Bournemouth game, the crowd frustrated enough to boo as the players left the pitch.
But there’s not much time to dwell on it. While City are juggling their FA Cup semi-final this weekend, Arsenal host a shaky Newcastle side. It’s a golden chance to reset and claw back some momentum.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney has stepped in with a message for Arsenal fans: now’s the time to rally. Speaking on the BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show, he didn’t mince words. “Arsenal fans need to be better. I saw them boo the team. Look, Arsenal have been brilliant all season. They’re having a bad run, but fan support means everything to those players.”
He gets it: getting booed after a tough run cuts deep. “Arsenal’s players have worked so hard to be in this position. If you want to win the league, the fans have to help. They’re desperate to win, but they have a part to play.”
GABRIEL JESUS CLASHES WITH HECKLING CITY FANS DURING HIGH-TENSION 2-1 DEFEAT
Gabriel Jesus reminds Man City fans of his 11 trophies during a heated spat at the Etihad. Is the pressure hitting Arsenal?
Gabriel Jesus got into it with a Man City fan on Sunday, and the whole thing boiled over during Arsenal’s tense Premier League match at the Etihad. Jesus, now 29, didn’t even make it off the bench. Mikel Arteta chose to bring on Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Viktor Gyökeres instead as Arsenal fell 2-1. So Jesus just kept himself busy warming up on the sideline.
He spent five years at City, from 2017 to 2022, before heading to Arsenal. But that history didn’t buy him any love from the crowd. During his warmup, with cameras rolling for a social media clip titled “I love watching Arsenal cry,” a City supporter behind him started heckling, shouting, “Judas, what’s the score?”
Jesus snapped. He turned, walked right up to the fan, pointed at himself, then at the pitch, and shot back: “I have won 11 titles here.” The fan wasn’t impressed. “Yeah, but who are you now? Who are you now?” Jesus responded with a mocking hand gesture.
If you go back, Jesus joined City from Palmeiras when he was just 19. Over five and a half years, he scored 95 goals in 236 games. That run saw City win four league titles, four EFL Cups, an FA Cup, and two Community Shields. He was a big part of all that.
In 2022, he decided he wanted more starts, so he moved to Arsenal for £45 million. He began well in North London, but things haven’t gone smoothly since he’s struggled with injuries, including a major knee issue he only got back from in December, and he’s started just two league matches since. So far, he’s scored 31 goals in 120 appearances for Arsenal, but he’s still waiting for his first piece of silverware with them.
And after Sunday’s loss, Arsenal saw their lead at the top shrink to just three points. Man City also have a game in hand; they can grab the top spot if they beat Burnley on Wednesday.
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