Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes suffered a massive blow as Aston Villa struck twice in the closing stages to boost their top four bid with a dramatic 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Just hours after Liverpool saw their own hopes take a big hit with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Arsenal fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa. After a late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins capped a superb performance from the visitors, who climb back above Tottenham into fourth place in the race for the UEFA Champions League.
Mikel Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory, but instead they surrendered the initiative to Manchester City after conceding two goals in the last six minutes.
Leon Bailey put the visitors ahead and Ollie Watkins doubled their lead as Villa boss Unai Emery enjoyed a second sweet win this season over the club that sacked him in 2019.
Arsenal’s first defeat in 12 league games leaves them in second place, two points behind City, while third placed Liverpool are behind Arsenal on goal difference.
With just six games left, champions City are closing in on an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown.
City’s rout of Luton on Saturday had knocked Arsenal out of first place.
But the Gunners should have been on a high after Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace just half an hour before kick-off in north London.
Instead, Arsenal produced a spluttering display that could prove fatal to their challenge for a first English title in 20 years.
The defeat left the Reds third in the table. Eberechi Eze scored in the 14th minute to stun the Anfield faithful in the third consecutive disappointing result for Liverpool. Klopp’s men are even on 71 points with second-placed Arsenal, who were playing later on Sunday, and two behind provisional leaders Manchester City.
Tyrick Mitchell found Eze unmarked in the box after some good passing and Eze slotted home with his first touch to put Palace ahead. Poor finishing by Liverpool, including Curtis Jones’s shot on a breakaway that he fired wide, secured the win for the visitors.
Liverpool were coming off a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday and a costly 2-2 draw with Manchester United in their previous league game on April 7.
