"They're going to pay a heavy price" - Arsenal slammed for their performance against Aston Villa despite 4-2 win

Tony Cascarino slammed Arsenal for their performance in their 4-2 win against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday (February 18).

The clash at Villa Park was a closely contested affair. Two injury-time goals helped the Gunners register a come-from-behind win. Cacarino, though, said that Mikel Arteta's side have work to do to win the Premier League this season. He told talkSPORT (via SportBIBLE):

"The one thing I felt after the game yesterday is, you're not going to win the title doing that. Going toe to toe with the opposition. You're not going to do it. You've got to convince your players, 'We're might have to win games 1-0'."

👎 “You’re not gonna win the title doing that.”

⚽️ “You’ve got to convince your players that you might have to win games 1-0.”

😬 “Going toe to toe, they’re going to pay a heavy price.”

Tony Cascarino reacts to Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Aston Villa https://t.co/JUaZxF9Jta

Cascarino added that the Gunners will have to win games more convincingly to win their first league title in nearly two decades. He said:

"Yesterday was too toe to toe. It could have gone either way. I think Arsenal need to be really careful about doing that. I always admired the year that Leicester won the title - they did it in two ways in one season. They went toe to toe early on, and then they were quite cautious and didn't give much away."

The pundit continued that the Gunners did a better job at keeping clean sheets earlier in the season than they are doing in the second half of the campaign. Cascarino said:

"I think they had five 1-0s in the second part of the season, and they got over the line. I think Arsenal need to get over the line if they're going to win the title. Going toe to toe, they're going to pay a heavy price. That's a bit dangerous for them. They're a better side than that. They can win games with keeping a clean sheetebecause they did that earlier on in the season."

Arteta's team returned to the summit of the Premier League with their thrilling win over Aston Villa. They have 54 points from 23 games and lead second-placed Manchester City by two points with a game in hand.

What's next for Arsenal in Premier League?

Arsenal will next make a trip to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday (February 25). The Foxes are 14th in the standings with 24 points from 23 games.

Just a boyhood Gooner scoring his first Arsenal goal 🤩 https://t.co/J2dL6AkpWr

Arsenal need to keep winning games to clinch the league ahead of holders Manchester City, who are one of the best teams in the English top flight. There's very little room for error to keep Pep Guardiola's side from completing a three-peat.