Sports Desk, Apr 15 (EFE).- Arsenal conceded two late goals to lose to Aston Villa 0-2 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, dealing a serious blow to their English Premier League title bid.
Arsenal’s defeat was preceded by Liverpool’s shock 0-1 loss to Crystal Palace, which put Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in pole position in the three-way title race.
The results left City remaining on top of the table with 73 points, two clear of Liverpool and Arsenal, who could have gone ahead with wins in their respective matches.
Villa had their own reasons to press hard for a win, as they seek a place in the Champions League next season.
They remained firmly on track to achieve their target after goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, respectively, in the 84th and 87th minutes sealed a superb victory.
“We knew that this moment could come. Now it’s about reacting and keep believing and doing what we can,” said a defiant Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta after the match.
“We had one of the best performances in the first half that we had this season by far against a really good team, it should have been three or four or more.
“It didn’t happen in the second half, momentum shifted, we could not control and generate what we did in the first half,” he said.
Arsenal, who won 10 of their last 11 Premier League matches, had 14 shots on goal in the first half but lost steam in the second when they could make only four attempts.
Villa punished them for their sluggishness, as Bailey tapped home a Lucas Digne cross six minutes from time and Watkins latched onto Youri Tielemans’ through ball to chip over David Raya three minutes later.
Watkins, who hit the post in the first half, equaled Christian Benteke’s club record of 19 goals in a top-flight season with the goal.
Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is ahead of him with 20 goals in the ongoing campaign.
Villa coach Unai Emery was a proud man after the win.
“I’m very proud of our work, the players and the supporters,” he said.
It was Villa’s 19th win in the Premier League, the most by the club in a 38-game season, which kept them in fourth place with 63 points. EFE
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