"It's all gone a bit Gunnersy" - Gary Lineker makes cheeky claim on social media as Arsenal lose to Aston Villa
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker aimed a cheeky dig at Arsenal after their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday (April 14).
The Gunners were presented the opportunity to go top of the league standings after Liverpool suffered a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace earlier in the day. However, Mikel Arteta's side failed to capitalize after putting together an uninspiring second-half display at the Emirates.
The north Londoners were the better side in the first half. They took 18 shots compared to the visitors' 11 and hit the target on four occasions. But it wasn't to be as two late goals in the second period sealed their fate.
With the Gunners now second and two points short of leaders Manchester City, Linker wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter):
"It's all gone a bit Gunnersy."
Arsenal also managed to throw away the Premier League title last season after leading the race for an incredible 248 days. Eventually, a poor run of results towards the back end of the campaign saw them finish five points behind winners Manchester City.
Arteta's side have yet another important assignment coming up in midweek as they travel to Munich for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final draw. This tie is well poised after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates.
With six games to go in the league, Arsenal need to win the rest of their matches and hope for a slip-up from Pep Guardiola's team along the way.
Mikel Arteta provides Martin Odegaard update after Arsenal's Premier League loss to Aston Villa
Arsenal fans may have been left worried after their captain Martin Odegaard's night against Aston Villa was cut short. The Norway international, who was seemingly his team's best player on the night, was replaced by Emile Smith Rowe in the 79th minute.
The substitution raised questions over the fitness of Odegaard, who has contributed 10 goals and seven assists across competitions this season. On the night, he managed an 86% passing accuracy and made two key passes.
Speaking after the match on Sunday, Arteta said about his midfielder (via Mirror):
"He was feeling something. He was feeling something. He could not continue."
Odegaard will be key to the Gunners' set-up when they travel to Bavaria to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League. He's scored twice and assisted one so far in Europe's highest club competition this season.