After conceding five to the defending champions last week, Aston Villa returned to Villa Park, and kept a very well-deserved clean sheet against Arsenal to take what could be a vital point in an exciting 0-0 draw that lifted Villa back out of the relegation zone.
You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought Villa deserved more. Indeed, Villa had the better chances and on balance, really did deserve all the points on the day. And looking back over this stretch, while taking only the one out of nine on offer against United, City and Arsenal, there’s been some good football and Villa have said something about themselves.
As is becoming customary, Villa played a fine first half, showing good discipline and excellent work rate to frustrate Arsenal and keep them from finding any rhythm or comfort. The Gunners were able to fashion only a couple of chances despite predictably seeing more of the ball.
Lambert again went with Gabby, Benteke, and Weimann up front, this time with Karim El Ahmadi playing further upfield in the Ireland role, with Ireland on the bench. Enda Stevens retained the left fullback spot.
KEA, playing further up, was given a yellow at 21 minutes outside the Arsenal box for what only could have been ‘simulation’, and it was a poor call, never undeserving of a yellow. A no-call there was all that was needed, but if it had been going the other way, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the attacker get the call. It ended up making no difference, and there was little to distinguish the game for the opening 20 minutes or so.
Then at 26 minutes, Villa almost got themselves into trouble trying to play it out from the back, but Guzan was on hand to smother the trouble.
At 28, Guzan was called into action again in one of the rare moments Villa were opened up, and did what he has been been doing since taking over the number-one spot, making a great reaction save with his right leg off a shot that took a deflection to keep Villa level when they deserved no less.
Then at 37 minutes, it looked for a brief moment as though Villa had taken the lead, with Andreas Weimann pouncing decisively on a loose ball following a Villa free kick. But he was just offside.
And it stayed deadlocked heading into the half, with Villa finishing the half strongly and trying to stay on the front foot.
The second half ushered in a more open game from the start. At 50 minutes, Eric Lichaj was brought in for Ron Vlaar, who apparently picked up some sort of calf injury. It seemed a bad omen, but Villa, and Ciaran Clark, rallied and held firm.
Around 58 minutes, Villa won a series of corners, but once again couldn’t convert. Yet the pressure remained relentless, and Cazorla and Arteta could never get comfortable and truly start pulling strings through the middle. While Villa may not have had the ball glued to their feet, they kept winning it back.
At 62 minutes, Matthew Lowton had an important block on Podolski who was in with a good look. Aaron Ramsey shot high and wide from the back post following a flick-on from the ensuing corner.
Then Brett Holman came on for KEA at 63 minutes, a move that subsequently almost changed the match.
First, at 67 minutes, he and Christian Benteke worked a nice series of passes straight down the middle, which led to a Gabby Agbonlahor shot from the left that went straight at Szczesny, and seemed as though the move would’ve yielded more.
A sign of Villa’s defensive effectiveness, came in the substitutions of Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain for Gervinho and Arshavin as an increasingly frustrated Arsene Wenger looked for some sort of cutting edge up front.
Yet it was almost immediately after Arshavin’s introduction in the 77th minute that Szcezesny was called upon to save the game for Arsenal, getting the slightest of touches to a Brett Holman rocket that put it onto the crossbar and out of harm’s way.
It was the last best chance of the game. The match stayed open, up-tempo and in the balance, but Villa were to get no closer.
But the takeaway for Villa’s young side will once again be the character, work, composure and discipline on display. It was an enthralling encounter, with Villa always in the hunt.
This is a very young side, and they not only frustrated a talented Gunners side and held them scoreless, they really could’ve won. Which says a lot following the Manchester City result. Their heads aren’t down, their spirits aren’t broken, their confidence isn’t shot. They kept their focus and held on for the draw when they might’ve felt hard done by not to be winning, and did themselves a world of good by taking something from the game. They never stopped working.
I liked what we had on display in the rain today. Villa were unlucky, but if they keep playing like that in the upcoming stretch of games, they’ll get themselves out of trouble and start truly finding their feet.
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