Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2–1 at Villa Park after a dramatic finish, with Emi Buendía scoring the winner with the very last kick of the match. The late goal ended Arsenal’s 18-match unbeaten run in painful fashion.
The match was fast, open, and full of chances for both sides. Villa took the lead in the first half when Matty Cash smashed the ball past David Raya after a cross fell kindly for him in the 36th minute. Arsenal created good openings before the break but could not find a way past former Gunners keeper Emiliano Martínez.
After half-time, Arsenal responded strongly. Mikel Arteta brought on Viktor Gyökeres and Leandro Trossard, and the Belgian made an impact almost straight away. In the 52nd minute, Bukayo Saka won the ball in midfield, drove forward and forced Martínez into a save. The ball dropped to Trossard, who tapped it over the line for his third goal in three league games.
From there, both teams pushed for a winner. Raya denied Ollie Watkins with an excellent low stop, while Martínez made a brilliant fingertip save to stop Martin Ødegaard from curling in a late goal. Donyell Malen and Noni Madueke also went close at the other end as the match swung from side to side.
But deep into added time, the deciding moment arrived. After a scramble in the Arsenal box, Raya made another save, but Arsenal failed to clear the danger. The ball fell to Buendía, who guided it into the net to give Villa a fifth straight win and leave Arsenal’s players crestfallen.
Arsenal now turn their attention to Europe. They face Club Brugge away on Wednesday in the Champions League, before returning to Premier League action next Saturday at home to Wolves.
