Unai Emery’s Aston Villa severely dented Arsenal’s Premier League title bid as two late goals gave them a deserved 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
In yet another twist in the run-in, the Gunners were well beaten as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins struck within three minutes of one another to stun the home fans.
Liverpool had lost at Crystal Palace earlier on Sunday and a fifth league defeat of the campaign for Arsenal leaves Mikel Arteta’s side in second – two points behind reigning champions Manchester City.
Villa were brilliant in a second half they dominated and their superiority eventually paid off as substitute Bailey tapped home at the back post before Watkins took advantage of Arsenal’s high line to burst through on goal and finish with aplomb.
This was former Arsenal boss Emery’s first trip back here with Villa and it was one he would have enjoyed as the Spaniard danced up the touchline when Bailey broke the deadlock.
Sandwiched between both legs of a Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich, this Villa match was always going to prove a test for Arsenal and it was one they failed.
Kai Havertz forced Emiliano Martinez into a low save early on before both Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka saw efforts hit the side-netting.
Gabriel Magalhaes has been a rock at the back for Arsenal this season but he gifted possession to Watkins, who almost took full advantage only to see his shot come back off the inside of the post.
Arsenal went straight down the other end and almost took the lead themselves only for ex-Gunner Martinez to make a stunning reflex save to keep out a close-range Leandro Trossard attempt.
Saka then curled a shot inches wide as Arsenal could not find a way through to relieve some of the pressure building around the Emirates.
The sides went in level at the break but Villa were the much better outfit after the interval, restricting the hosts to just four shots in the second half.
With his side in the ascendancy, Emery turned to his bench and introduced Bailey in place of Moussa Diaby, although it was Youri Tielemans who came close moments later.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was caught in possession on the edge of his own box, with Tielemans robbing the ball and hitting both crossbar and post with a fierce drive.
Arteta replaced Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Jesus as he looked to freshen things up but in the closing stages it was Champions League-chasing Villa who would push on to get the three points their performance thoroughly deserved.
Bailey was in the right place at the right time as Lucas Digne’s low cross evaded everyone and landed at the back post where Bailey swept home into an empty goal.
Arsenal reacted by moving even higher up the pitch but it was to prove their undoing as a long ball over the top was raced onto by Watkins, who broke from his own half to collect, hold off Emile Smith Rowe and clip a wonderful finish over David Raya.
While the result could have a massive baring on the destination of the Premier League title, it also improves fourth-placed Villa’s hopes of Champions League qualification as they now move three points clear of Tottenham.
Postecoglou hails 'fantastic' youngster Moore after late Vissel Kobe winner
Ange Postecoglou saluted "fantastic" Mikey Moore, after the teenager struck a late winner in Tottenham's J-League World Challenge clash with Vissel Kobe.
The 16-year-old was the hero with his 88th-minute strike sealing a 3-2 victory at the Japan National Stadium in what was Spurs' first match in their preseason tour of the Far East.
Academy graduate Moore became Tottenham's youngest Premier League player when, aged 16 years and 277 days, he made his senior debut against Manchester City in the penultimate game of last season.
And Postecoglou insists the England youth international, who has scored 10 goals in 12 appearances at under-17 level, is deserving of his first-team opportunities.
"Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "He's earned his spot on the roster at the moment; he did at the end of last year.
"He got a run with the first team because we could see in training that he was handling himself really well, and that's followed through into pre-season training.
"He's been good in all the games; he probably should have had three tonight, but he did take his goal well by being in the right areas.
"All we can do is keep allowing him to develop. We have to remember that, last year, he had some injuries, and he is only 16.
"I think the future with a lot of our young guys looks pretty promising, but it's our responsibility to make sure they realise their potential and continue to work hard at their game."
Spurs made it three wins from three during preseason, following their 5-1 and 2-0 victories over Hearts and Queens Park Rangers respectively.
"I thought it was a good game," Postecoglou added. "The conditions did make it difficult for both teams, and we've had a hard week of training.
"Credit to the boys. I thought we played some decent football, and they put in as much effort as they humanly could out there.
"You want to provide some sort of entertainment for the supporters who made a great turnout tonight, not just Spurs supporters, but football supporters in general. It's always nice to give back in that way and, overall, I was pleased."
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
