As this game ticked into the 95th minute, an enthralling contest had already lived up to its billing. And then mayhem unfolded inside the Arsenal 18-yard box and, subsequently, in the Villa Park stands, the 128-year foundations put to the test as Emiliano Buendía, enveloped by the rubble of splayed defenders and with virtually the last kick of the game, exhibited unthinkable composure to curl a first-time shot into the corner and seemingly blow the Premier League title race wide open.
Not for the first time, Aston Villa had been the architects of Arsenal’s downfall, though few envisioned a climax quite like this. David Raya blocked Youri Tielemans’s side-foot effort from inside the six-yard box and then Buendía saw his initial effort halted by a combination of Martín Zubimendi and Jurriën Timber before seizing on the loose ball. Buendía slipped as he shifted possession to Boubacar Kamara and Arsenal smelled danger, Ben White and Timber flinging themselves towards the ball.
