Arsenal 3-2 Aston Villa: Three reasons why The Gunners managed a comeback victory | Premier League 2019/20
Arsenal completed a comeback victory over Aston Villa, winning 3-2 at the Emirates despite having fallen to a 2-1 deficit and being a man down for over 50 minutes of the match in the Premier League on Sunday.
John McGinn put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute, before Ainsley Maitland-Niles was shown a red card for a second bookable offense in the 40th minute to make Arsenal's task much more difficult.
Nicolas Pepe opened his goals account for the Gunners 15 minutes into the second half when he converted from the spot after the continuously improving Matthew Guendhozi had been fouled in the penalty box, but Unai Emery's men fell behind once again barely 60 seconds later to a Wesley header.
Calum Chambers restored parity with nine minutes to go, and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ensured all three points with a splendid free-kick from just outside the box.
The victory sees Arsenal climb up to 4th on the table and in this piece, we shall be highlighting three factors that contributed to Arsenal's comeback victory over Aston Villa.
#3 Their second-half fightback
Over the years, Arsenal have faced criticism of having a soft underbelly, and not possessing the wherewithal to go for the kill when in commanding positions.
This is a problem that still exists till this day, and nowhere was this more evident than in the clash against Watford last week.
At Vicarage Road, Arsenal let a very comfortable two-goal half-time lead evaporate as the hosts totally dominated proceedings and dictated the tempo of the game upon resumption of the second 45, with Unai Emery's men being very lucky to have left Hertfordshire with a points.
Against Villa, with Arsenal one-man down and trailing; going by their antecedents, the game was as good as over, and when Wesley put the visitors ahead right from kickoff after Pepe's equalizer, it seemed like the game was going to script.
However, the North London outfit showed great grit and determination to salvage something from an improbable situation, and while they were not at their aesthetic best in the game, no one can accuse the Arsenal players of not showing heart and commitment.
Long ball after long ball was hauled into the Villa box, as the home side tried to force the issue, and they got their reward when Callum Chambers got to the end of one to level matters for Arsenal.
Aubameyang's exquisite free-kick wrapped up proceedings with six minutes to go, and while it might have seemed highly unlikely at half-time, Arsenal's second half determination played a major role in seeing them get the victory.
Also check out: Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule