BIRMINGHAM, England — Arsenal scored twice in stoppage time to snatch a dramatic 4-2 win at Aston Villa to return to the top of the Premier League.
Just as it appeared Mikel Arteta’s side were on the verge of dropping more points, Jorginho fired a 93rd-minute shot against the crossbar which rebounded off former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and crossed the line. Five minutes later, with Martinez caught upfield for a Villa corner, the visitors broke again and substitute Gabriel Martinelli was left to roll the ball into an unguarded net.
It is a result which moved Arsenal three points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City‘s trip to Nottingham Forest later in the day.
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The Gunners twice came from behind as Bukayo Saka cancelled out Ollie Watkins‘ fifth-minute opener before Philippe Coutinho struck his first goal of the season to restore the home side’s advantage at the break.
Oleksandr Zinchenko fired Arsenal level on 61 minutes and there were chances for both sides as Martin Odegaard missed a glorious chance 13 minutes from time, while at the other end substitute Leon Bailey crashed a late shot against the bar.
But Arsenal had the last laugh, quite literally, at Martinez. His name was sung gleefully by the travelling supporters as the Argentine, who had previously been critical of his treatment at Emirates Stadium prior to joining Villa in September 2020, inadvertently handed Arsenal a potentially vital win in the title race.
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