The latest clash ended in heartbreak as Emi Buendía struck with the final touch of the match, handing Aston Villa a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Villa Park and snapping our 18-game unbeaten run.
In a fast-paced, end-to-end contest, Villa took the lead on 36 minutes through Matty Cash, who finished cleanly after a well-worked move. After the break, Arsenal emerged renewed and levelled through Leandro Trossard, who again found the net for a third straight league game after returning from injury.
Both sides created a raft of chances, with David Raya and Emiliano Martínez pulling off a string of excellent saves to keep the scoreline tight. The decisive moment came in stoppage time, when Buendía seized on a goalmouth scramble to seal Villa’s fifth win in their last six home games and condemn Arsenal to a rare defeat.
Villa Cash in
Heading into the match, Arsenal sat top of the table while Villa were third, and the mood in both camps was high as kick-off approached. Arsenal nearly took the lead early on when Martin Ødegaard's smart ball recovery led to a shooting opportunity that Martínez saved, and Raya then reacted quickly to deny Ollie Watkins at the other end after he beat the Gunners’ central pairing.
Bukayo Saka was active throughout, first forcing a save from Martínez with a drilled effort, then delivering a cross that Ødegaard failed to convert. Shortly after, Saka found Ebere Eze with a cut-back, only for the offside flag to deny the goal.
The home side’s opener came with a deflection off Jurrien Timber’s head from Pau Torres' cross, looping into the far corner to give Villa the lead. Arsenal continued to press, but chances were not converted as Ben White and Declan Rice wasted late-half opportunities as the teams headed in at the break.
Trossard’s impact continues
Antonio Conte’s absence from the dugout aside, Arsenal’s break brought changes as Viktor Gyökeres and Leandro Trossard were introduced. Trossard nearly made an instant impact when he connected with an Ødegaard cross, only to see his volley narrowly miss.
On 52 minutes, the sub did not disappoint. After Saka won possession and combined with Ødegaard, his cross-shot was saved by Martínez but fell perfectly for Trossard to prod home, securing his 50th Premier League goal and restoring parity.
Yet Villa remained dangerous, showing why they have hardly been beaten at home recently. Raya produced a vital save to deny Watkins as Arsenal struggled to clear the ball from danger, and Martínez also denied Ødegaard’s long-range effort, tipping it onto the crossbar and over.
Late nerves and a dramatic ending
As the clock ticked toward the final whistle, Ronnie Marlen and then Noni Madueke threatened for Villa, with the latter’s shot hitting the post in added time. In the closing seconds, a scramble inside the Arsenal box ended with Buendía calmly steering the ball home after Raya’s initial save, ending Arsenal’s hopes of rescuing a point.
What’s next
Arsenal return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Club Brugge for a Champions League fixture, followed by a home Premier League match against Wolves the next Saturday. After a short break, the Gunners head to Everton on Saturday, December 20.
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
