In the early hours of January 19th, Beijing time, Arsenal drew 2-2 with Aston Villa at home in a key match of the 22nd round of the Premier League. In the first half, Martinelli broke the deadlock with a tackle shot. In the second half, Havertz expanded the lead with a sweeping shot in front of the goal, Trossard assisted twice, Tielemans and Watkins scored two goals in a row to level the score, and Havertz's handball goal was disallowed.
Arsenal remained unbeaten in 12 league games (7 wins and 5 draws), accumulating 44 points in 22 rounds, trailing Liverpool by 6 points after playing one more game. Meanwhile, Villa accumulated 36 points, surpassing Manchester City to temporarily rise to seventh place in the league table.
[Key Focus]
In the 35th minute, Trossard crossed the ball, and Martinelli followed up with a tackle shot in front of the goal. The ball had completely crossed the goal line before being saved by Big Martin. The referee ruled the goal valid, and Arsenal led 1-0 against Villa.
In the 55th minute, Trossard crossed the ball again, and Havertz volleyed it into the net, extending Arsenal's lead to 2-0 against Villa.
In the 60th minute, Digne crossed the ball to assist, and Tielemans headed the ball into the net, bringing the score to 1-2 for Villa.
In the 68th minute, Cash crossed the ball, Havertz missed the header, and Watkins followed up to score, as Arsenal conceded two goals in a row and the score was leveled.
In the 87th minute, Merino volleyed the ball into the net, but Arsenal's winning goal was disallowed due to Havertz's handball.
[Highlights]
In the 9th minute, Arsenal's corner kick created danger again, but Thomas' shot was saved by Big Martin.
In the 13th minute, Mattson blasted a shot from the penalty area, which was saved by Raya.
In the 19th minute, Trossard curled a shot, and Big Martin made a diving save.
In the 29th minute, Havertz cut inside from the right side of the penalty area and shot, but Big Martin saved the ball again.
In the 32nd minute, Thomas made a mistake in throwing the sideline ball, and Watkins intercepted the ball and shot high.
In the 40th minute, Thomas played a through ball into the penalty area, but Merino missed the excellent opportunity and shot wide.
In the 48th minute, Havertz headed the ball after receiving a set-piece, but the ball went high under interference.
In the 62nd minute, Arsenal had a scare in front of their goal when Skelly made a passing error, and Tielemans' shot hit the post and went out of bounds.
In the 74th minute, Rice took a long-range shot outside the penalty area, and the ball narrowly missed the post.
In the 91st minute, Arsenal launched a series of attacks in front of Villa's goal, but Big Martin made two heroic saves to keep the goal intact.
In the 93rd minute, Arsenal missed the chance to win, as Trossard's shot went wide.
[Technical Statistics]
[Player Ratings]
[Starting Lineups]
Arsenal starting lineup: 22-Raya, 5-Thomas, 12-Timber, 6-Gabriel, 49-Skelly, 8-Odegaard, 23-Merino, 41-Rice, 11-Martinelli (replaced by 30-Sterling in the 82nd minute), 29-Havertz, 19-Trossard
Substitutes not used: 32-Neto, 3-Tierney, 15-Kiwior, 17-Zinchenko, 20-Jorginho, 37-Oyedegi, 46-Cabia, 47-Kakuri
Villa starting lineup: 23-Martinez, 2-Cash, 4-Konsa, 5-Mings, 22-Mattson (replaced by 12-Digne in the 46th minute), 8-Tielemans, 24-Amadou Onana (replaced by 26-Bogarde in the 37th minute), 41-Jacob Ramsey (replaced by 31-Leon Bailey in the 85th minute), 44-Boubacar Kamara, 27-Morgan Rogers, 11-Watkins (replaced by 9-Douglas in the 79th minute)
Substitutes not used: 18-Godin, 25-Olsen, 10-Buendia, 17-Donny Malen, 20-Nedeljkovic