Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal

Emiliano Buendia scored a last-gasp winner to move Aston Villa within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal after a sensational 2-1 victory over the Gunners on Saturday.

Buendia picked out the top-right corner with the last kick of the game to send Villa Park into raptures and deal Arsenal just their second league defeat of the season.

Mikel Arteta’s team had come back after Matty Cash’s 36th-minute opener through Leandro Trossard, who found the back of the net seven minutes after coming on at half-time.

But with the game seemingly on course for a draw, Buendia thundered home a stunning winner after David Raya had made a brilliant initial save to deny Youri Tielemans.

Arsenal stay on 33 points, while Aston Villa now have 30.

How the match unfolded

An end-to-end opening saw both Emiliano Martinez and David Raya tested, with the Villa goalkeeper springing down low to his left to thwart Martin Odegaard’s shot from distance.

Ollie Watkins then danced his way beyond Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber’s challenges but could not squeeze his shot past Raya, though Villa Park was soon celebrating.

Following patient build-up play, Pau Torres’ cross from the left deflected off Timber and towards Cash, who rifled a first-time strike through Raya’s legs after running off the back of Eberechi Eze at the back post.

But just seven minutes after being introduced at half-time, Trossard restored parity when he turned in from the left of the box after Martinez’s save had deflected into his path, but there was late drama in the encounter.

Having already seen Donyell Malen fire agonisingly wide, Buendia came up trumps with an excellent finish in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time after a chaotic scramble in the box.

Buendia proves his worth again

Buendia has often made an impact from the bench for Villa this season, but his contribution here is most certainly his biggest, and the effect it could have on his team’s season could be huge.

Villa started the match with the bit between their teeth, ensuring the Premier League leaders could not settle into an early rhythm, and their fast start was almost rewarded, but Watkins could only find the grateful palms of Raya from inside the penalty area.

But a theme of their play saw Unai Emery’s team continually target Arsenal’s left-hand side, as Eze, operating on that wing rather than centrally, struggled to keep pace with Cash’s marauding runs.

However, Villa’s persistence paid off just before the break, though Arsenal kept them on their toes at the other end, with Martinez on hand to comfortably gather Ben White’s attempt at goal on the second attempt after Bukayo Saka had breezed past Ian Maatsen.

The hosts succumbed to Arsenal’s resurgence after the break when Trossard struck the equaliser, but eventually found their feet again as Watkins drew a smart stop from Raya just before being replaced by Malen.

The Dutchman had a big chance to win it late on but could not punish Riccardo Calafiori’s mistake. Buendia was on hand to bail him out with another well-taken finish, which comes as another confidence boost ahead of a trip to Basel in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

Arsenal fail to jump Villa obstacle

Arteta labelled Arsenal’s trip to Villa Park as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, though it did prove to be the latter against a side in red-hot form.

Odegaard forced Martinez into a fine early stop, but the Gunners’ best attacking outlet proved to be Saka, who, in the 22nd minute, squared for Eze to tuck what he thought was the game’s opening goal, only for that to be quickly ruled out for offside.

Arsenal were playing without William Saliba or Gabriel Magalhaes for just the fourth time since the start of the 2022/23 season, and with Cristhian Mosquera also out injured, their stern defence was breached, though Arteta will not be happy with how his side fell behind.

Eze switched off at the back post, which allowed Villa to hit the jackpot through Cash, with Arteta responding at the break by substituting the England international for Trossard, while Viktor Gyokeres replaced Mikel Merino up front.

Trossard’s impact was immediate, with his goal coming after he had previously just missed the mark, but for all of their good attacking play after the break, they were undone after a moment of madness in their own penalty area.

Arsenal will look to get back on track in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, with a trip to Club Brugge up next on Wednesday.