22 September 2019

#ARSVIL

Phew. Another heart attack inducing game. 

After last week's 2-2 draw at bottom of the league Watford we had hoped that at home to third from bottom Aston Villa might have been different.

In midweek in matchday one of the Europa League Arsenal had beaten Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0. Not convincingly as it sounds but certainly worth the win.

Today Villa started the better. A poor referee didn't help and they scored first. Poor defending and McGinn scored. No one picked him up and he deflected a low cross into the net past Leno. 

That Villa began time-wasting almost immediately is pathetic. With over an hour to play! 

It got worse for the Gunners when Maitland-Niles got a second yellow card. 

Commentators agreed it was harsh. I thought the first one was harsh as the player that was felled cut across him and it looked like a trip.

Calum Chambers replaced 18yo debutant Saka for the second half. And then despite a man down we looked better. More determination. 

It was 1-1 when Pepé scored from the spot as Guendouzi was tripped. Stonewall penalty but as usual there was a delay. VAR? Time for Heaton to try and face him down. It didn't work. Pepé shot down the middle after Heaton dived to his left. 

That lasted all of a minute as Villa scored again. A direct unchallenged run by Grealing and Wesley slotted home. 

The time-wasting started again. 

Arsenal upped the tempo and from a cross from Guendouzi, Calum Chambers had a shot rebound back to him off Mings but persistence from him saw him win the ball and shoot into the net. 2-2. 91 mins on the clock. 

Arsenal pressed and pressed. 

Oddly the time-wasting from Villa stopped. Can anyone think why? 

Aubamayang was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, the ball went through to Torreira who was hacked down inside the box. Penalty? 

No. The referee brought play back to the first foul. Surely if he had let play continue as we had the advantage the foul on Torreira counted. Not according to this wanker. On TV they claimed the whistle had gone and so no advantage. 

Aubamayang took the free kick, low over the wall. Heaton beaten. 3-2. 

We then witnessed Villa players on the hurry-up with every goal kick and every throw-in. 

"Added time" as they call it was five minutes. So time-wasting does pay...  The time they wasted was added on the end. 

Yet it was Arsenal keeper Leno that saw yellow for taking his time over a free kick. 

Another win. Another 3 points. 



Villa as usual the same poor losers. 

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