Bailey Helps Aston Villa Defeat Title Contenders Arsenal
3 min read
This win means that Aston Villa is currently in fourth position in the premier league table
Aston Villa produced two late goals to ruin Arsenal’s hope of winning the premier league title. The goals were scored by Reggae Boyz star Leon Bailey and striker Ollie Watkins. The game was played in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
This Arsenal loss now means that Manchester City are the favorites to win the title. This is because Liverpool also lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace. Manchester City is currently leading the table with 73 points while Arsenal and Liverpool have 71 points respectively.
Arsenal began the game brightly and it was no surprise that they were dominating the possession of the ball. Aston Villa were forced to defend for their lives in the early moments of the game. Arsenal should have taken the lead in the 18th minute when Bukayo Saka found Gabriel Jesus inside the Aston Villa box. The Brazilian striker proceeded to shoot into the side netting. Coach Mikel Arteta must have been disappointed because this was an easy chance.
In the first half, Aston Villa’s best chance fell to Watkins after Arsenal’s Gabriel Maghales made a mistake inside the box. Watkins took a shot but his effort came off the post.
Arsenal had a few more chances to score but the game ended at 0-0 going into halftime.
Aston Villa put up an improved performance in the second half. They pinned Arsenal in their own half and kept creating numerous chances. Leon Bailey was brought on to replace Moussa Diaby in the 61st minute.
Villa’s dominance eventually paid off when Luca Digne crossed the ball behind Arsenal’s defenders. The ball found Bailey who finished off the move from a tight angle. This goal was impressive because Bailey used his weaker right foot.
The Arsenal players were clearly frustrated by Bailey’s goal and they began attacking aggressively. Their relentless attack forced them to commit many players forward. Unfortunately for them, this exposed them to counter attacks. It wasn’t long before Yuri Tilemans found Ollie Watkins with a long ball. Watkins sprinted towards Arsenal’s goal and he found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. He proceed to score one of the goals of season by dinking over goalkeeper David Raya. This goal happened in the 87th minute, only three minutes after Bailey’s goal.
Watkins’ goal killed off the match and it was clear that the Arsenal players were deflated.
This must have been a sweet win for Aston Villa coach Unai Emery because he was previously sacked by Arsenal. He must have enjoyed inflicting damage on his former employers. In fact, he even won the first leg between the two teams. The Spaniard was seen dancing on the touchline when Bailey scored the opener.
Bailey said that he was glad that he helped his team secure three points. He said that he believes that his teammates will take confidence from this win.
This win means that Aston Villa is currently in fourth position in the premier league table. They can play in next season’s champions league tournament if they maintain this position.
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