Arsenal Extend PL Unbeaten Run To Six Matches
23 October, 2021
Arsenal extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Friday night.
English Premier League
Result: Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa
Date: 22 October 2021
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Alexandre Lacazette and Albert Sambi Lokonga were both recalled to the Gunners line-up while Nuno Tavares got his first league start in place of the injured Kieran Tierney.
Mike Arteta's charges were all over Villa in the opening exchanges and they came close to going ahead in the 20th minute after Thomas Partey's volley inside the box rattled the frame of goal.
However, Partey eventually broke the deadlock for Arsenal three minutes later with a glancing header from a corner that shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez could only help into the back of the net.
Bukayo Saka should have doubled the lead for the hosts on the half-hour mark after a defence-splitting pass from Tavares saw him go clear on goal on the blind side but he fired a low strike straight at the diving Martinez.
Dean Smith's troops were struggling to create chances and a penalty decision went against them on the stroke of half-time after the referee consulted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) pitch-side monitor after Matt Targett caught the leg of Lacazette.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped up and while his spot-kick was initially saved by Martinez, he pounced on the rebound to give the Gunners a two-goal cushion at the break.
The visitors were not allowed to settle in the early stages of the second stanza as Emile Smith Rowe made it 3-0 for Arsenal just before the hour-mark with a deflected strike that wrong-footed Martinez after a through ball by Aubameyang.
Arteta was forced to make a change 22 minutes before time after Lacazette went down injured and was replaced by Martin Odegaard while Smith also made a tactical substitution in the same moment, as Jacob Ramsey replaced Emiliano Buendia.
Villa pulled a goal back eight minutes before time courtesy of a wonder strike by Ramsey that found the top corner from the edge of the box, but it was too little too late as the Gunners held on to move up to ninth on the log.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
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