If this was the afternoon when Arsenal let it all slip then Mikel Arteta will know they have only themselves to blame. His side were handed the perfect opportunity to lay down their title credentials after Liverpool had been surprisingly beaten by Crystal Palace, but instead it was Unai Emery’s Aston Villa who celebrated wildly at the final whistle after late goals from substitute Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins delivered a hammer blow to Arsenal’s chances of ending a 20-year wait to be crowned champions.
It was a victory that will have tasted particularly sweet for Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal in November 2019 after just 18 months in charge but is now a step closer to guiding Villa to Champions League qualification next season. Things could have been even worse for the home supporters – most of whom stayed until the bitter end in hope rather than expectation of a comeback – had Watkins and Youri Tielemans not seen their efforts strike the woodwork either side of half-time.
