A cruel last-minute blow, Arsenal bitterly lose to Aston Villa

Match result - Conceding a goal in the dying seconds led Arsenal to taste defeat at Aston Villa’s ground during the 15th Premier League fixture.

The first half at Aston Villa’s stadium was lively, featuring an exciting back-and-forth battle from the opening minutes. Arsenal started proactively and quickly created chances with shots from Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, but Emiliano Martinez remained solid in the home team's goal.

On the other side, Ollie Watkins also troubled Arsenal’s defense with dangerous bursts and shots, yet David Raya made timely saves. At the 14th minute, Saka missed a golden opportunity, heading wide in front of an almost empty net. The visitors even managed to score at the 22nd minute, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

When the match was evenly contested, Aston Villa suddenly made the difference at the 36th minute with a precise finish by Matty Cash, ending the first half with the home side leading.

In the second half, Arsenal pushed forward immediately after the whistle with a series of continuous attacks. Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka repeatedly created threats in front of Aston Villa’s goal, but Emiliano Martinez stayed firm. The visitors’ pressure finally paid off at the 52nd minute when Trossard capitalized on a rebound to equalize, bringing the score to 1-1.

The following minutes were very intense with exchanges of attacks. Ollie Watkins and then Ian Maatsen from Aston Villa missed good chances one after another. For Arsenal, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice also tried their luck from distance but failed. Towards the end, both teams made multiple substitutions to refresh the game, yet neither side could seize the opportunity.

Just when it seemed the match would end in a draw, Emiliano Buendia’s opportunistic finish in the final stoppage time sealed a thrilling 2-1 victory for Aston Villa.

This result ended Arsenal’s 18-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and allowed Aston Villa to cut the gap to just 3 points in the league standings.

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