Arsenal’s 18-game winning streak ended dramatically at Villa Park, leaving David Raya visibly upset.
After rallying from a goal behind, the Gunners appeared to have salvaged a hard-earned point, but Emiliano Buendia’s goal in stoppage time gave Aston Villa a stunning 2-1 victory that left the home crowd in awe and the Arsenal players in shock.
As Buendia’s shot flew beyond David Raya in the 94th minute following a chaotic goalmouth scramble, the Spanish goalkeeper dropped to his knees and slammed the turf in frustration. Around him, the anguish was clear — Myles Lewis-Skelly covered his face with his shirt, while captain Martin Ødegaard threw his arms skyward in disbelief.
The defeat hands Manchester City a golden opportunity to close the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points, as Arsenal’s grip on first place continues to loosen. Mikel Arteta’s side have now dropped points in three of their last five league matches.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Arteta admitted the loss was “painful” and lamented his team’s failure to manage key moments late on.
“In the manner we lost, it was difficult to take,” he said. “We started to control the game after the first half and had good situations, but we didn’t manage the ball well enough when we regained it. We were dominant in the second half, scored, and looked strong — but then gave the ball away in dangerous areas, and that cost us.”
The Arsenal boss praised his players’ resilience but acknowledged that their standards had dipped at critical times.
“Every week will be like this — the margins are so small,” Arteta continued. “We’ve been 18 games unbeaten, but we need to focus on ourselves. Today, some individual levels weren’t where they needed to be. We have to lift ourselves and go again.”
Speaking to Match of the Day, Arteta reflected on the fine line between victory and defeat:
“Declan [Rice] put a great ball across for Noni [Madueke], and if that goes in, it’s a different story. Instead, they get a throw-in at the other end and score. That’s football — it’s the quality of this league.”
Arsenal will now look to regroup quickly, with a crucial run of fixtures looming that could define their title challenge.
