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Arsenal show champions mentality in epic Villa Park comeback
By Adam Schultz
Arsenal showed they have all the ingredients to take the Premier League title race down to the wire.
On Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s side had to come from behind twice to secure a vital three points that breathed life back into a team that looked to be running on fumes.
The first half was everything the Gunners didn’t want. They conceded early and looked fatigued. After equalising through a spectacular Bukayo Saka volley, Arsenal were again undone by a superb Aston Villa move that saw Philippe Coutinho slot home.
Heading into the break down a goal and looking like it was all too much, the fear that Arsenal were unravelling looked real.
However…
After halftime, Arsenal produced a display we have come to know. The pressing way back, the slick ball movement, and the constant pressure returned, although it took until injury time for Jorginho (I would have given him the goal based on how good the shot was) to give the Gunners a deserved lead.
As the saying goes, champions often have a knack for grinding out a result even when not playing their best.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1627065424792760320?s=20
Arsenal did that at Villa Park.
They dug deep and never quit and were rewarded with three vital points. The win had far more significance than we realised as Manchester City faltered against Nottingham Forest to give Arsenal a two-point lead with a game in hand.
What’s more, the Gunners improved their goal difference by +2. A small thing, but considering City is miles ahead in that area, any ground that can be made up is crucial as, come season’s end, that could be the difference between winning the league and finishing second.
It was a tale of two halves, and Arteta’s side continued to push through all the things that were holding them back.
They looked tired and void of ideas at times, but through sheer determination, Arsenal produced perhaps their most important result of the season to date.
While you won’t win the league title in February, you can certainly lose it, and maybe, just maybe, this result against Villa will be looked back on in a few months’ time as ‘the game’ that gave the Gunners the edge in the title race.