Match report and reaction
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Jack Grealish's reaction
“It was unbelievable. I think it was deserved as well. I thought we were outstanding today. Everything about us. Our game management, our defensive display and the way we counter-attacked. We probably should have got another goal but we’ll take a 1-0 win over Arsenal any day. It’s been a bit of a tense day. The ball is in our hands now but nothing is done yet. We have a massive game against West Ham on Sunday and we’ll be giving it our all again. We have trust in ourselves with the way we’ve been playing and training and we’ve got trust in the management.”
He is then asked whether this was his last game as a home player at Villa Park. “I’m not too sure at the moment. I have one aim and that’s to keep this club in the Premier League.”
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Full-time: Villa 1-0 Arsenal
What a win for Villa! They’re out of the bottom three, climbing above Watford on goal difference. Trezeguet scored the precious winner here with a perfectly struck first-half shot. But this was was a splendid collective performance: Villa were composed, solid, aggressive and ambitious. That’s seven points from the last nine available. They go into the last day with survival in their own hands. Arsenal stay 10th. Here are the last day fixtures that matter most at the bottom of the table:
West Ham v Aston Villa
Arsenal v Watford
Everton v Bournemouth
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90+3 min: Villa substitution: Lansbury on, McGinn off. Villa are nearly there...
90+2 min: Tierney over runs the ball on the left. Villa have a kickout. Smith wants to make a substitution, and more gum.
90 min: Konsa clears another Arsenal cross, then McGinn is taken out in midfield by Willock. Freekick to Villa. There will be at least four minutes added time. Tick tock, tick tock ...
89 min: Reina watches a cross by Pepe all the way and rises to catch it. He punts it downfield to Davis, who holds it up well, allowing Villa to establish themselves in the opposing half, right where they want to be.
88 min: Pepe’s inswinging freekick is headed over by Mings. Corner to Arsenal. Tick tock, tick tock ...
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87 min: Targett thinks he’s dispossessed Pepe cleanly at the corner of the box but the officials disagree. So Arsenal have a freekick in a threatening position, and Targett has a yellow card.
85 min: Targett makes an enterprising run forward and swaps clever passes with Davis. But then his cross from the byline is cut out.
83 min: Villa have been magnificently composed so far. Focused vigilance, steadfast ambition. They’re so very nearly where they want to be. Tick tock, tick tock ...
82 min: Trezeguet flicks on a header to McGinn, who goes for a Hollywood volley from the corner of the box. But it‘s hammer horror that wobbles way wide.
80 min: McGinn rolls Kolasinac on the half-way line and sets off towards the Arsenal area ... but Kolasinac pulls him down from behind, choosing to take a yellow card rather than let that attack unfold.
79 min: Arsenal substitution: Willock on, Soares off.
78 min: Grealish provides the ammunition for McGinn, who opens fire from 20 yards. It’s ferociously struck but Martinez bats it away.
77 min: Soares’ cross put behind by Targett. Pepe delivers the inswinger. Nketiah outjumps at the edge of the six-yard box and glances a header ... against the post! It bounces up into the arms of Reina! Villa’s luck is in! Or is it? Tick tock, tick tock ...
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75 min: Grealish runs from his own half down the let, beating towo men and then slipping a pass through to Davis. The striker roves into the left-hand side of the box and aims a low shot towards the far corner. It whizzes past Martinez ... and wide of the post! That could have sealed it for Villa!
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73 min: Villa substitutions: Davis and Nakmba on, Samatta and Hourihane off. Davis can hold up the ball much better than Samatta, and Nakamba is more solid defensively than Hourihane.
71 min: Douglas Luiz will have to watch himself from now on: he’s collected a yellow card for a second strategic foul.
70 min: Dean Smith is chomping on gum on the sidelines. He knows how close his team are to rescuing their season. But he also knows how often they’ve chucked away leads late on. Tick tock, tick tock....
Drinks break
68 min: Pepe curls the ball from deep towards Aubameyang, who jumps to meet it but can’t keep his header down from 10 yards. “I can see where Jimsey (50 min) is coming from, but I can tell him that, as a Watford fan, I would absolutely kill for a sliver of hope right now,” sobs Mac Millings.
65 min: Douglas Luiz curtails an arsenal counter-attack. But he did so illegally, according to the ref, who rules that his challenge on Pepe was a foul. No matter, the freekick comes to nothing.
63 min: Tierney releases Aubameyang with a super pass down the left. The Gabonese dribbles into the box and tries to dab the ball to Nketiah at the edge of the six-yard box. But it’s not accurate enough. Villa can exhale.
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62 min: Soares belts in a cross from the right. Mings hooks it clear and gets clobbered by Nketiah in the process. No malevolent intent but an obvious foul.
61 min: Lacazette clips Grealish’s ankles from behind. Yellow card.
60 min: Arsenal substitutions: Pepe and Tierney on, David Luiz and Saka off. That heralds a switch to a back four, with Kolasinac partnering Holding in the middle.
58 min: This has been an accomplished performance so far from Villa. They’re been disciplined and shown little sign of nerves so far. And they’ve had the gumption to probe for a second goal rather than sit on their precarious lead. But there’s still over half an hour to go ....
56 min: Grealish feeds McGinn in the box. The Scot clips the ball across the face but there’s no one there. Hourihane retrieves it on the left and bends in a cross thats cleared behind for another corner. It’s not defended well by Arsenal and Guilbert gets off a shot from 12 yards. Which is deflected behind for yet another corner.
55 min: Konsa does well to block a shot by Aubameyang after a bungled attempted clearance by Mings.
53 min: David Luiz is penalised for shunting Grealish to the ground wide on the right. He then tells the linesman off by showcasing knowledge of some of the most popular English swear words. Who says footballers are out of touch? “Not sure if you’re watching this on Sky (although I assume you are), but what an engaging pundit Micah Richards is,” writes Charles Robinson. “Not only is he knowledgeable and insightful, but he’s damn funny too. He had the Sky punditry team in stitches during the half-time break, and it’s not the first time. He’s fast becoming one of my favourite analysts.”
51 min: Saka lifts a shot high over the bar from 10 yards after a cross from the right by Soares.
50 min: Arsenal impose pressure for the first time this half, with Ceballos leading the charge into the Villa box. But the defence holds firm and Guilbert eventually whacks the ball to safety. “It really is the hope that kills you,” pants Jimsey. “So many times this season I’ve seen Villa drop leads, fully expecting a loss from what would be three vital points. Arsenal don’t look sharp at all, they really are there for the taking.”
49 min: That last corner was wasted.
48 min: Douglas Luiz was excellent in the first half - in fact, he has been Villa’s best player since the resumption of the season - and he’s started this half well too, winning the ball of Ceballos in midfield to lay the foundation of another attack. Holding is froced into the concession of another corner.
47 min: Of the 10 matches in which Villa have been leading at half-time this season, they have won 5 and lost 4. Another goal would increase their chances of embellishing that stat today: Hourihane tries to create one from a corner, but David Luiz heads clear before Mings can connect with it.
46 min: Arsenal substitution: Xhaka on, Torreira off, presumably to avoid him being sent off later.
“For Arsenal, creativity is looking at the kind of premium you only get on expensive phone lines,” rings in Charles Antaki. “Only Ceballos looks capable of an incisive pass, but that only after an unnecessary amount of Guendouzi-style busy but aimless dribbling. Bring on Xkaka and Pepe, if Cazorla and Pires aren’t available.”
Half-time: Villa 1-0 Arsenal
What a satisfying half for Villa. Dean Smith spoke of his pride earlier this week that Villa’s “expected goals conceded” rate has been below 1 in every match since the restart, apart from the defeat by Manchester United. If I knew how to do that sort of calculation I’d prove that it’s definitely below that rate again here, as Arsenal have been kept at arm’s length for the entire half. But better than that, Villa have scored an actual goal! Trezeguet swept it home in fine style after a corner by Hourihane. Continue as they’ve gone so far and Villa are heading out of the bottom three! A huge half is coming up for them.
45 min: McGinn and Luiz launch a counter-attack from the edge of their own area. When Grealish receives it wide on the left, he carries it to the corner of the box and then fizzes a wicked shot just over the bar!
44 min: Now Arsenal have a corner, won by Nketiah, whose cross was put behind by Luiz. Konsa takes command to head the corner away.
42 min: Saka cuts out a cross by Guilbert, at the expense of another corner. Trezeguet gets on the end of it but his header is weak.
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41 min: Hourihane, from the right-hand side this time, floats over a decent delivery but David Luiz heads it away in the six-yard box.
40 min: A ponderous Arsenal move founders on Villa’s rock-like defence. Villa hurtle forward, with Samatta flipping the ball wide to Guilbert. Villa win a corner. They scored from their last one ...
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39 min: Ashley Preece is at Villa Park and can hear what the players are shouting.
"Ally! Do Torreira!" Mings yells at Samatta, telling him to drop on the Uruguayan who's looking to dictate the play for Arsenal from deep. Konsa, who's been in the right place at the right times, clears for an Arsenal corner. #AVFC
— Ashley Preece (@PreeceObserver) July 21, 2020
37 min: Villa are very disciplined. They’re keeping their shape well and making it very difficult to Arsenal to find a way through them.
35 min: Torreira booked for clunking late into Hourihane, just a few minutes after clattering Grealish. That’s just asking for trouble.
33 min: Aubameyang flights over a cross from the left. Lacazette ties to take it down and swivel to shoot, but Grealish is having none of that in the Villa box.
32 min: Torreira becomes the 1,396,873rd player this season to concede a freekick by fouling Jack Grealish. It’s a chance for Hourihane to offer another pearler of a delivery. But no, this one fails to beat the first man.
30 min: Villa have another injury worry: Samatta is down in pain, seemingly after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge. After the application of some spray, he resolves to try to run it off.
29 min: Arsenal have a freekick to the right of the Villa box. Lots of folks gather in the box to await the cross. But Soares pulls a sly one to Ceballos at the edge of the area. Ceballos balloons his shot into the empty stands.
GOAL! Villa 1-0 Arsenal (Trezeguet 27)
Oh wow! Are Villa about to climb out of the bottom three? Hourihane’s out-swinging corner from the left takes a flick off Mings’ head and runs all the way to Trezeguet, who smashes it first time into the net from 12 yards! Soares could have done more to charge down the shot but Trezeguet finished sharply. Pongo Waring would have been proud of that one!
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25 min: Remember I said Elmohamady was looking fine? Well, he wasn’t feeling it. So he’s just been replaced by Guilbert, who is a terrific player. I don’t really know why he hasn’t played more often recently.
24 min: “Do you or anyone else know the going rate for message planes?” demands-to-know Joshua Reynolds. “Is it in the hundreds or the thousands? What are people investing in these messages?” I’ve just done a quick google search and found one company offering the service from as little as £375. A quick search through my own mind reveals at least 83 things I’d soon spend such a sum on.
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22 min: Elmohamady, by the way, has looked fine since deciding he’d try to run off his hamstring knack. But he’s not been seen in a useful crossing position since then, as Villa have been mostly kettled into their own half.
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21 min: Arsenal win their third corner in quick succession. Douglas Luiz clears it. Then Villa try to launch a counter-attack but it piddles out almost immediately.
19 min: Soares runs on to a long diagonal pass from David Luiz, then attempts a cross that is turned behind for a corner by Targett. Targett then heads the setpiece away at the near post.
16 min: Saka curls in a low cross from the left. Konsa boots it into touch. Arsenal come again. There’s a whiff of passivity about Villa, as they’re not doing a hell of a lot to win the ball back.
15 min: The pace of this game has dropped a lot since the bubbly start. The onus is on Villa to make something happen but they’re being patient about it.
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13 min: Saka skitters towards the box and then ping a pass to Aubameyang. But it was too hard and the striker couldn’t get it under control. A defender wellies clear.
11 min: Elmohamady has gone down with sore hamstring. He looks unlikely to continue. Dean Smith will no doubt be ruing the cryotherapy ban again. Frédéric Guilbet is warming up.
9 min: There’s a loud buzzing sound and the cameras aren’t showing whats causing it. But Nick Ames has the answer:
A plane trailing a banner reading: "Back Arteta, Kroenke out" is circling Villa Park.
— Nick Ames (@NickAmes82) July 21, 2020
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7 min: Kolasinac clears a cross from the right by Grealish, but only as far as Elmohamady, who swings it back into the centre. McGinn rises to meet it near the penalty spot but bops it over by a couple of yards.
6 min: McGinn tries to hold off Kolasinac and get in a cross, but Kolasinac is too strong for him. The defender steps in to clear the danger.
4 min: Reina boots the ball straight into touch when trying to pick out a teammate. That’s the second time already.
2 min: It’s been a bright open start, with both quick to attack as soon as they gain possession. Neither has managed to work a shot yet though.
1 min: Villa v Arsenal is go!
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“All Arsenal fans will be hugely buoyed by the team’s performances against Liverpool and Man City,” toots Charles Antaki. ‘And, by the same token all Arsenal fans will be now resigned to the fact that it can’t last, it won’t last and by the end of the evening it’s likely not to have lasted. Unless it does last. But thinking that means that it won’t. Probably.”
Arsenal are first on to the pitch, with red tracksuit tops disguising their yellow away shirts. Next come the hosts, in their traditional colours.
“Of the three remaining teams struggling to stay up who among them is best positioned to not be in this same pickle next season?” asks Mary Waltz. Villa. They were always in a race against time this season given how many changes they had to make; but they’ve improved as they’ve gone and, if they stay up, players such as Douglas Luiz and Trezeguet will be real forces next season. Plus, Dean Smith has already said that if they do stay up, the clubs billionaire owners will sanction another splurge to reinforce where required.
Mikel Arteta makes six changes to the side that started the FA Cup humbling of Manchester City. Dean Smith sticks with the same side that should have beaten Everton last time out, but didn’t. In other words, here are the teams:
Aston Villa: Reina; Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Luiz, Hourihane; Trezeguet, Samatta, Grealish
Subs: Nyland, Guilbert, Hause, Nakamba, Lansbury, Jota, Lansbury, Davis, Vassilev
Arsenal: Martinez; Holding, David Luiz, Kolasinac; Soares, Ceballos, Torreira, Saka; Nkettiah, LAcazette, Aubammeyang
Subs: Macey, Bellerin, Tierney, SOkratis, Matiland-Niles, Willock, Smith, Xhaka, Pepe
Preamble
Hello. Manchester City have done Aston Villa a favour by dispatching Javi Gracia’s Quique Sanchez Flores’ Nigel Pearson’s Hayden Mullins’ Watford but at some point Aston Villa are going to have to start helping themselves. Now would be ideal. A win would lift them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. So Villa need a Gay Cavalier. Can Ali Samatta, Keinan Davis or someone else summon the spirit of Pongo Waring and fire Villa to safety? That’s what we’re here to find out. Dean Smith’s men have been more solid defensively since the restart so an escape from the bottom three is not unthinkable. But they need to starting taking more chances. The problem for them today is they’re up against the Premier League’s most in-form team, an Arsenal side who have suddenly pulled themselves together and toppled Liverpool and Manchester City, no less. Without further ado, let’s get it on.
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