Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Nick Szczepanik

Arsenal player ratings vs Aston Villa as Matteo Guendouzi stars in comeback

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a late winner as 10-man Arsenal came from behind to beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

The opening goal came from John McGinn, the Scot latching on to Anwar El Ghazi's cross and converting.

Arsenal suffered a further setback shortly before half-time as Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off for crashing into Neil Taylor and earning a second yellow card.

Arsenal were handed a lifeline just before the hour when Bjorn Engels fouled Matteo Guendouzi in the box.

Nicolas Pepe stepped up to stick away the resulting penalty, but the Gunners' joy was short-lived as Villa immediately restored their lead through Wesley, the Brazilian sweeping in a Jack Grealish pass.

Calum Chambers dragged Arsenal back on to level terms in the 81st minute by latching on to a loose ball and rifling home.

Only moments later the Gunners managed to turn the game on its head Aubameyang winning a free-kick from another Engels foul before standing up to ping the ball into the Villa net.

Here's how they rated:

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a late winner (Getty Images)

Arsenal

Leno 6: Saved twice from McGinn before the Villa man beat him from close range.

Maitland-Niles 3: Two yellow-card challenges, and injured himself making the second one.

Sokratis 4: Left floundering in Grealish’s slipstream for Villa’s second.

David Luiz 5: Hollywood passes going forward, Keystone Cops defending, especially for Villa’s second.

Kolasinac 6: Had his hands full with Trezeguet but battled hard as ever.

Xhaka 5: Should have done more to justify the captaincy than complaining to the referee.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent for an early bath (Getty Images)
Matteo Guendouzi starred for the Gunners (Action Images via Reuters)

Guendouzi 8: MOTM. Badly at fault for McGinn’s goal but was still Arsenal’s main driving force in midfield.

Pepe 5: Flashes of the unexpected, but not enough of them. A risky penalty low down the middle.

Ceballos 5: Buzzed around ineffectively and it was no surprise when he was replaced in the second half.

Saka 6: The liveliest of Arsenal’s forwards attackers but Villa crowded him out. Sacrificed after the red card.

Aubameyang 6: Got very little change out of Mings and Engels but kept going and won the decisive free kick.

Subs: Chambers (Saka 46, 7), Willock (Xhaka 72), Torreira (Ceballos 72)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.