Now, here's an admission. Ever since around 10 to 5 on Saturday evening, I've been catching myself smirking. Either merely feeling it in my face, or looking at my ugly mug in the mirror whilst I was getting ready to go out yesterday evening. I know that there's a hell of a long way to go yet, but I'm sure that we'd have never guessed how much our mood may have altered between 9.30pm on Wednesday and now. Or even from 2pm Saturday (when Arsenal were still trailing 2-1 at Villa Park) and now. Football. Bloody hell!
Pick the bones out of that, then, I hear you say. And I shall.
No huge suprises in the Arteta selection - I did think that Tierney may get a start, but Super Mik loves what Zinchenko brings to the side too much - and as we'd guessed still no Partey. Trossard for Martinelli had looked inevitable, and White was back in for Tomi. Jorginho, looking more and more like a very smart piece of business, deputised ably for Partey. Don Unai, having watched his side concede 4 at home last week, changed 75% of his back 4 and drafted our old friend Coutinho back into the starting XI.
But there were concerns from early on. The team looked nervous, too much time was being spent on the ball, and there wasn't enough movement higher up the pitch as the team continued to adjust to its Parteylessness. And within 5 minutes disaster struck as Zinchenko (overlapping for a change) lost the ball to Cash wide on the left, the latter's driving run infield and through ball freed Watkins, and the striker got away from Saliba and hit a cross shot back past Ramsdale into the far corner. Could Bill have done better? Perhaps. But so could Zinchenko have done. And Gabriel, who backed off Cash instead of engaging him. And even Ramsdale himself. Disappointing, and just what we didn't need after Wednesday's deflation.
Thankfully, that woke Arsenal up; if only somewhat. Villa aren't that good, after all, but confidence had been further hit by the early concession. Nonetheless Arsenal started to move the ball a little quicker, and it only took 11 minutes for the equaliser to come; Saka lashing in on the volley from around the penalty spot following England centre half (?!?) Tyrone Mings' weak headed clearance. I leapt to my feet at this point. Thank goodness!
Things started to get a little spicy from that point, with Saka - as usual having his ankles targetted by his full back - commenced a war with Moreno. Starboy is offered insufficient protection by referees - unlike that thespian Grealish - and perhaps had taken heed of Thierry Henry's recent words when he'd reminded Saka that all great players have a nasty streak about them. Certainly, in this game, he gave some back. Late in the half, he trod on Moreno's ankle. I thought that it was accidental (I would do, I guess) - unlike some of what was being meted out to him - but for the rest of the game the Villa fans, well-known for their class and impartiality, booed our Starboy every time he touched the ball. And specifically following a 'handbags'-type melee late in the first half that shouldn't detract from a couple of unnecessary Villa challenges - Mings on Odegaard and then Coutinho on Saka.
On the half hour, Villa retook the lead. A sweeping move following an Arsenal corner that Martinez claimed bravely and then - for a change - got his team moving quickly. Arsenal backed off once more, and nobody got near enough to a single Villa player as they swept the length of the pitch. Following a clever dummy by Buendia, Coutinho wrong-footed Ramsdale from the edge of the area. Poor. Again. And whilst I'm not going to point fingers specifically at Jorginho here, his defensive capabilities aren't the same as Partey's - and we missed the Ghanaian's physicality at that point.
And so Arsenal went in at half time a goal down. A spark - perhaps understandably - had been missing. And what followed in the second half showed just what this Arsenal team had about it. Grit. Determination. And the willingness to go right to the end. They were transformed by whatever went on in the dressing roon, came out early for the second half and proceeded to pound away at Villa for most of the rest of the game.
At which point the pantomime sideshow that is Emi Martinez started to come to the fore. He wasted time at every opportunity (understandably at 2-1, I guess), but all this did was help to set up what was to follow. The away fans, who remember him more for his constant whining at losing out to Bernd Leno in 2020 than for his Cup Final heroics weeks earlier, gave him all the gyp he deserved.
And the main thrust of the game was by now very much towards the Villa goal, as Arsenal's increased intensity and swifter use of the ball forced the home side back. Jorginho got onto the ball more often, Odegaard started to find more space, and Saka was fouled more and more... at one point I thought he'd have to come off. The combinations between Odegaard and Saka, and also White - who was sublime at times in this game - were making life extremely difficult for Villa (I've said this before, but Arsenal need to work the ball more down their right as a general rule in my opinion).
On 61 minutes, Arsenal were level. Villa fell asleep at a corner, and a pre-planned move to give Zinchenko loads of space on the edge of the area led to the Ukrainian firing home hard and low to Martinez's left for his first Arsenal goal. Well-deserved at that point, and game very much on.
Chances came and went - particularly for Nketiah - as the intensity built and the clock ticked on. As far as Eddie is concerned, I'd be more worried if he wasn't getting into position to score. But he is. And he's doing his best. There's no point laying into the guy; he needs encouragement. And there frankly isn't an alternative until Jesus returns. The award for Miss of the Match goes, however, to Odegaard who, set free by Nketiah (who had robbed Konsa in the box), proceeded to miss the target completely when entirely free just 12 yards outl. Was that going to be it?
But interestingly, at 2-2 and as Emery allowed the game to open up as he looked to hit Arsenal on the break and sneak the win, it ended up playing into Arsenal's hands. Villa's formation had stifled Arsenal for a long time, but gaps started to appear as the game reached its climax. There were admittedly chances at both ends, as Ramsdale earned his wages, but ultimately Villa's loss of shape cost them. It reminded me of the good old days when Emery's Arsenal midfield was often non-existent due to lack of discipline (I'm looking at you, Matteo Guendouzzi!).
And it took until the 93rd minute - the beginning of referee Hooper's added on Martinez Shithousing Time - for karma to strike for the Villa keeper. In an unlikely turn of events, the ever more influential Jorginho let fly from fully 25 yards. The ball cannoned off the crossbar onto the head of the stricken Martinez and into the net. And this was probably the perfect way to take the lead. Late on, and a Martinez own goal. Oh how we celebrated. And how we laughed! Karma's gonna get you, Emi.
And just to add salt to Martinez's wounds came the icing on the cake. A 97th minute Villa corner. Martinez takes it into his own hands to go up for it. But it's headed clear, Vieira plays in Martinelli, and the Brazilian strokes the ball into the empty Villa net with Martinez a mere 50 yards out of position. Job done and cue celebrations massive enough to alert Richard Keys, the FA and The Celebration Police.
And so, despite the continued doubts about fragile confidence levels, squad depth, fatigue and to some extent temperament, Arsenal had bounced back and ticked off another win - when anything else may have been terminal. But as it was there was more fun to come as Manchester City, despite laying siege to the Forest goal for almost 90 minutes, fluffed their lines, let in a late equaliser, and left Arsenal suddenly two points clear again; with a game in hand. And the perfect end to the perfect day was completed by Chelsea's pathetic home defeat to Southampton. Cue the smirk.
Next 6 games; Leicester away, Everton home, Bournemouth home, Fulham away, Palace home and Leeds home. A fairly benign set of fixtures; especially compared to what's to come in April. In that time, City have to go to Newcastle and also come up against a reinvigorated Liverpool. It'll be level games at that point, and we'll see exactly where we are. But Arsenal must continue to push, and take advantage of City's unexpected cock up.
Let's see. It's a little more hopeful now. COYG!
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