The best version of Arsenal returned in time for the derby against him Aston Villa, which he beat on the scoreboard and in the game, taking the lead, the pace and the chances (3-1).
The Emirates stand celebrated every ball it touched Smith-Rowe. The young canterano was the lighthouse by which Arteta’s men were guided from the midpoint. A Spanish technician who trusted Lacazette after his great second half against the Palace, with the aim of recovering him for the cause when it seemed almost out.
He didn’t have much of a chance to snatch the ball on Villa to the Gunners, who moved and understood each other perfectly, arriving with astonishing simplicity to the opposite field, where Dean Smith’s men fell back.
The occasions followed one another. Aubameyang had it in a daring scissors very promptly and even scored in a later play that did not raise the score due to a previous foul by Lacazette. It was not a striker, but Thomas, the one who broke the tie. The former Atlético de Madrid, after hitting the post in a previous shot, debuted as a scorer with the ‘gunner’ shirt in a corner kick that he does not even know how he played but that surpassed Emiliano Martínez (23 ‘).
He endured the Aston Villa a while more thanks to Emi, who stopped a shot sung to Saka. He couldn’t do anything later. In adding the first Lacazette received a clear penalty from Targett that was whistled through the VAR. The Argentine, an expert in the field, guessed the shot of Aubameyang, who had the fortune to score the rebound (45 ‘).
Ings tried to change the dynamics after passing the changing rooms in a spirited action by Villa, the first in the whole game. Ben White crossed paths and it ended there. The ‘gunner’ domain returned and with it the third goal, the work of Smith-Rowand. Pass to the precious space of Aubameyang and shot by the Englishman who entered with some fortune after touching Mings and the stick (56 ‘).
There it seemed to end the game, also for Lacazette, who before time requested the change due to an injury (one more) that seemed muscular. This relaxation resulting from the scoreboard cost Arsenal a few nervous minutes after the goal of Ramsey (82 ‘). Watkins almost had the second to the minute, but the mini ‘crisis’ of the team did not pass from there, which threw possession to kill the game.
Arsenal
31
ASTON VILLA
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Thomas, Lokonga (Maitland-Niles, 73 ‘); Saka, Lacazette (Odegaard, 68 ‘), Smith-Rowe; Aubameyang (Martinelli, 90 ‘)
Aston Villa: Emi Martínez; Konsa, Tuanzebe (Bailey, 46 ‘), Mings; Cash, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Targett; Buendía (Ramsey, 68 ‘); Ings (El-Ghazi, 77 ‘) and Watkins
Goles: 1-0, Thomas (23′); 2-0, Aubameyang (45′); 3-0, Smith-Rowe (56′); 3-1, Ramsey (82′)
Referee: Craig Pawson. Yellow cards to Lokonga and Aubameyang for Arsenal and Watkins, Mings, McGinn, Targett and Douglas Luiz for Aston Villa
Spectators: 59,496 at the Emirates Stadium
see match file