Arsenal slump as Aston Villa edge closer to premier league safety with win

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal’s season “is not good enough for this club” after defeat at Aston Villa confirmed their worst finish since 1995.

The Gunners can now finish no higher than eighth in the Premier League after Trezeguet’s strike gave Villa three massive points.

“It has to hurt and we have to suffer, it’s not good enough for this club,” Arteta says.

“We need to improve in many areas, the team and individually.”

A 10th league defeat means Arsenal, playing in their first match since reaching the FA Cup final, will finish outside the top six for the first time in 25 years.

Trezeguet beat Emiliano Martinez with a powerful first-time finish after Tyrone Mings diverted a corner into the Egypt international’s path to lift Villa out of the bottom three for the first time since 28 February.

Aston Villa moved above managerless Watford on goal difference. The latter had started the day on 17th position before a heavy 4-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

The Midlanders’ second win in three games sets up a dramatic final day at the bottom of the table on Sunday, which Villa will begin level on points with Watford and three points ahead of Bournemouth – with two of those three teams likely to go down.

Villa haven’t beaten Arsenal at the Villa Park since 1998 but managed to pull inspiration from their relegation worries to upstage the Gunners who played rather in a lacklustre manner on the night.

Arsenal were second best in every department and failed to manage a shot on target the entire game.

Their best chance of the game fell to Eddie Nketiah who went closest to scoring for the visitors.  The England Under-21 forward header hit the post after he connected with a corner.

The Gunners can still qualify for Europe but they will now have to win the FA Cup to play in next season’s Europa League.

Midfielder Granit Xhaka, who came on as a half-time substitute, blamed his side’s attitude for the defeat, which saw the Gunners fail to have a shot on target.

“In my opinion, you can’t come here and play like this,” he says.

“It’s not good enough and you can’t play with this mentality. We could have got into the Europa League, but now we have to win the FA Cup and we have more pressure.

“But we will do everything to win the FA Cup now.”

Arsenal will face London rivals, Chelsea, in Wembley on the 1st of August in the FA Cup final after beating Manchester City to qualify.

Stats and facts from the match

• Aston Villa have beaten Arsenal at Villa Park in a Premier League game for the first time since December 1998 under John Gregory, ending a run of 17 home games without a win against the Gunners.
• Arsenal have lost four of their six away Premier League matches since the restart (W2), one more than in their first 13 away matches of the 2019/20 season.
• Aston Villa will end the day outside of the Premier League relegation zone for the first time since 28 February.
• Arsenal have lost 10 league matches for a third consecutive season for the first time since a run of seven between 1981/82 and 1987/88.
• 46% (21 of 46) of the goals Arsenal have conceded in the Premier League have come via set pieces, the highest percentage in the league.
• This was the first time Aston Villa haven’t faced a shot on target in a Premier League match since West Bromwich Albion failed to have one against the Villans back in January 2016.